Processes of Change in Non-Profit Organisations
Author: Dr. Anna Neya Kazanskaia
Publisher: NEYA Global Publishing
Article | NEYA Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies
Year: 2025
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5669-1676
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-hworgbrchmchscimp-04
This material forms part of the NEYA Global knowledge architecture. Institutional, organizational, professional, training, consulting, curriculum, program design, or implementation use requires an active license from NEYA Global
Explore Architecture →
Module Overview →
Request Institutional Access →
About the Article
This article explores the organisational processes through which non-profit organisations transform resources into social impact. Focusing on five interrelated mechanisms—service delivery, advocacy, education, framing, and innovation—it argues that these processes collectively define the ways NGOs shape governance, policy, and public discourse. While service provision addresses immediate needs, advocacy and framing pursue longer-term structural change. Education fosters empowerment and civic participation, while innovation allows NGOs to act as laboratories for adaptive solutions. The analysis underscores the hybrid and often paradoxical nature of NGO practice: balancing delivery and transformation, legitimacy and risk, continuity and experimentation. By conceptualising processes as engines of change rather than isolated functions, this article deepens understanding of how non-profits achieve both tangible and systemic influence.
Key Topics
- Processes of change in NGOs
- Service delivery and accountability
- Advocacy and transnational networks
- Education and empowerment
- Framing and discourse transformation
- Innovation and systemic influence
Suggested Citation
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Processes of Change in Non-Profit Organisations. NEYA Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies. NEYA Global Publishing. https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-hworgbrchmchscimp-04
References
Bob, C. (2005). The Marketing of Rebellion: Insurgents, Media, and International Activism. Cambridge University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511756245
Brass, J. N., Longhofer, W., Robinson, R. S., & Schnable, A. (2018). NGOs and international development: A review of thirty-five years of scholarship. World Development, 112, 136–149.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.07.016
Ebrahim, A., & Rangan, V. K. (2014). What impact? A framework for measuring the scale and scope of social performance. California Management Review, 56(3), 118–141.
https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2014.56.3.118
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). How Organizations Bring Change: Mechanisms of Social Impact. NEYA Global Publishing.
https://doi.org/10.64357/change-mechanisms-2025
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Inputs and resources for social change in non-profit organisations. Neya Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies.
https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-hworgbrchmchscimp-03
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Organisational structures and mechanisms of change in non-profit organisations. Neya Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies.
https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-hworgbrchmchscimp-05
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Mechanisms of NGO social change: An integrated framework of inputs, processes, structures, and outcomes. Neya Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies.
https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-hworgbrchmchscimp-10
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Board-Executive Relation. NEYA Global Publishing.
https://doi.org/10.64357/board-executive-relations-2025
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Ethical Decision-Making. NEYA Global Publishing.
https://doi.org/10.64357/ethical-decision-making-2025
Keck, M. E., & Sikkink, K. (1998). Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics. Cornell University Press.
Lewis, D., & Kanji, N. (2009). Non-Governmental Organizations and Development. Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203877074
Westley, F., Antadze, N., Riddell, D. J., Robinson, K., & Geobey, S. (2014). Five configurations for scaling up social innovation. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 50(3), 234–260.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886314532945
