American society came into existence before government appeared on the scene. Frontier settlers therefore had to find ways to provide needed public services for themselves, without the aid of a pre-existing governmental apparatus. They did so by joining voluntarily with their neighbors to create schools, raise barns and build public facilities, as well as many other things. When Alexis de Tocqueville visited America in the early 19th century, he was struck by the proliferation of such voluntary groups. Although historical circumstances have changed considerably in the intervening 150 years, nonprofit organizations continue to play an important role in American life.
Nonprofit organizations play a critical service role.
Reluctant as they are to call government in to cope with a public problem until private solutions have been tried first, Americans tend to let nonprofit organizations lead the way in responding to critical public needs. The nonprofit sector has thus functioned as a first line of defense, a flexible mechanism through which people concerned about a social or economic problem can begin to respond, without having to convince a majority of their fellow citizens that the problem deserves a more general, government response. Nonprofit organizations are also available to subgroups of the population who desire a range of public goods that exceeds what the majority of citizens is willing to support. Reflecting this, nonprofit organizations operate in a wide range of public service fields. In the process, nonprofits foster pluralism, diversity and freedom.