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Umbrella Organizations

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International Encyclopedia of Civil Society

Introduction

In contrast to other forms of civil society organizations umbrella organizations have not received adequate research attention from third sector scholars. Umbrella organizations are predominantly “member-benefit or member-serving organizations,” which sets them apart from other civil society organizations. Umbrella organizations exist in business, industry, commerce, politics, and the professions, as well as many areas of civil society. But the ones that are examined here are those found in the social and welfare fields of civil society. There is no accurate estimate of the number of umbrella organizations in the world, and very little knowledge about their history. During the 1990s, a renewed interest in literature and research on umbrella organizations has emerged. The main reason for this has been the controversy surrounding their role in the political sphere undertaking cause or advocacy related activities. Many are funded by fees or subscriptions from their own member...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work and Human Services, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Rose Melville

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  1. Rose Melville
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Helmut K. Anheier

  2. Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany

    Helmut K. Anheier

  3. George Mason University, Arlington, VA, USA

    Stefan Toepler

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Melville, R. (2010). Umbrella Organizations. In: Anheier, H.K., Toepler, S. (eds) International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_628

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_628

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-93994-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-93996-4

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