Civil society can be differentiated into:

• constituent civic organizations also called grass-roots organizations (GROs) or community based organizations (CBOs);
• service civic organizations commonly called non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The differences between these two types are significant. Click on each type to understand them in more detail. These two types of organization often interact. Financial and technical resources flow from NGOs to constituent groups, and NGOs sometimes join constituent groups in public lobbies. The boundaries between different types of groups may not always be well defined.

Where can I find out more? Civil society can be differentiated in other ways, based on its composition, or on its functions. (See for example, a discussion on civil society at http://www.worldbank.org/ngos).