The evolutionary life cycles of non‐governmental development organizations

This article argues that non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) active in community development exhibit different organizational characteristics at different phases of their evolution. Being able to recognize the characteristic descriptive elements of the different phases of organizational development better positions one to understand the nature of an NGO's relationship with donors, beneficiaries and the world around it. Perhaps more importantly, recognizing what phase of its organizational development cycle an NGO is in will assist the practitioner to understand the types of problems the NGO may be facing, their cause and the range of options available for problem resolution.