ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces non-profits and their distinctiveness as what has come to be known as the third sector. It discusses one of the emerging issues—the sector's "identity crisis", and deals with a short case illustration that shows the scope and salience of non-profits in addressing the nation's national housing mortgage crisis. The chapter illustrates the different subsectors and the sector's significance. It aims to understand the issue of the sector's "identity crisis." The chapter describes Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) and their similarities and differences with for-profit and government sectors. NPOs include religious organizations, public schools, human service agencies, public clinics and hospitals, political organizations, legal aid societies, volunteer service organizations, labor unions, professional associations, research institutes, museums, and many other types of entities. There are a wide range of NPOs that are known as advocacy organizations. There are numerous national-, state-, and communitylevel NPOs working with individual homeowners, a consortium of NPOs, and government to intervene in housing mortgage crisis.
