GreatNonprofits is a 501(c)-3 registered non-profit organization based in the United States that describes itself as "the leading developer of tools that allow people to find, review, and share information about great – and perhaps not yet great – nonprofits.".

A nonprofit organization (also known as a non-business entity) is an organization whose purpose is something other than making a profit.

A nonprofit organization is often dedicated to furthering a particular social cause or advocating for a particular point of view.

In economic terms, a nonprofit organization uses its surplus revenues to further achieve its purpose or mission, rather than distributing its surplus income to the organization's shareholders (or equivalents) as profit or dividends.

This is known as the non-distribution constraint.

The decision to adopt a nonprofit legal structure is one that will often have taxation implications, particularly where the nonprofit seeks income tax exemption, charitable status and so on.

Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity where an individual or group provides services for no financial gain "to benefit another person, group or organization".

Volunteering is also renowned for skill development and is often intended to promote goodness or to improve human quality of life.

Volunteering may have positive benefits for the volunteer as well as for the person or community served.

It is also intended to make contacts for possible employment.

Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue.

Others serve on an as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster.

A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause.

A donation may take various forms, including cash offering, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles.

It also may consist of emergency, relief or humanitarian aid items, development aid support, and can also relate to medical care needs as i.e. blood or organs for transplant.

Charitable gifts of goods or services are also called gifts in kind.

A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO).

It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals as well as social well-being (e.g. charitable, educational, religious, or other activities serving the public interest or common good).