Motivations for Networking among Non-Profit Organizations: Instrumental, Normative, and Defensive Drivers

Collaboration among NGOs is shaped by complex and overlapping motivations that reflect structural pressures, ethical commitments, and political constraints. This article categorizes these motivations into three analytical types—instrumental, normative, and defensive—to explain why organizations form and sustain alliances. Instrumental motivations emphasize efficiency, scale, and resource sharing; normative motivations highlight solidarity and shared identity; and defensive motivations reflect survival strategies under repression or donor dependency. By comparing cases across the Global North and South, the analysis reveals how contextual conditions shape the balance among these drivers. Northern NGOs tend to prioritize efficiency and values-based coordination, while Southern NGOs often network for protection, visibility, and access to external support. Understanding these intersecting motivations enables both scholars and practitioners to interpret NGO collaboration not merely as strategic management but as a moral and political act embedded in unequal global systems.