The analysis of nonprofits tends to characterize these organizations as either bureaucratic organizations or voluntary grassroots associations. In this article, feminist social movement organizations (FSMOs) are examined in order to illustrate the hybrid nature of nonprofits. The six FSMOs all began as voluntary grassroots associations, yet changed in varying ways over the years. To illustrate these changes, the FSMOs are compared on three dimensions-collective action frames, activities and governance. The variations along these dimensions suggest that the FSMOs are neither purely bureaucratic nor grassroots, but fall on a continuum between these two organizational types. In understanding this continuum, the necessity for more complex approaches to nonprofit analysis is clarified.

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