Book Review: Peter Dobkin Hall, Inventing the Nonprofit Sector and Other Essays on Philanthropy, Voluntarism and Nonprofit Organizations, The Johns Hopkins …

This book review examines Peter Dobkin Hall’s "Inventing the Nonprofit Sector and Other Essays on Philanthropy, Voluntarism and Nonprofit Organizations." The book delves into the development of America’s rapidly growing institutional sector, describing and analyzing the evolution of philanthropy and voluntarism. Hall’s work provides a cultural historian’s perspective on these often-misunderstood institutions, tracing their origins from early American foundations like Harvard College to the significant proliferation of nonprofits post-1960. The review highlights the book’s contribution to understanding the historical trajectory and societal role of the nonprofit sector.