Paper short abstract:

In this paper we suggest that contemporary NGOs can be better understood within transitory, temporal, and spatial terms. Setting aside the hand wringing over 'mission creep' we suggest that organisation evolution has become more normalised and thus needs to be better understood.

Paper long abstract:

The term non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is wrought with analytical confusion, encompassing a litany of organizational types, including non-profits, social enterprises, and government-organized NGOs (GONGOs) amongst others. We suggest that much of this puzzlement can be reduced by viewing NGOs within transitory, temporal and spatial terms. Consistent across a multitude of civil society environments, and political and economic regime types, we empirically observe as NGOs evolve so too will their organizational focus, project targets and constituents. We map out the process that NGOs take in this evolution, pivoting from "non-profit" to "social enterprise", and from "government-organized NGO" (GONGO) to a more independent-oriented NGO. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our evolutionary approach to conceptualizing contemporary NGOs.