Organizational buying behavior in the third sector

American society contains numerous nonprofit (third-sector) organizations that are not a part of the highly regulated, highly visible public (governmental) sector. These third-sector organizations are becoming an increasingly important part of the present economy as a growing amount of society’s work is being performed by organizations other than business firms. Growth of such firms requires the utilization of good business management practices. Next to salaries, purchases are the most important cost element requiring management attention. This research presents a model of purchasing actions in third-sector firms, comparisons are made to public and private sector practices and implications for practitioners concerning improved management techniques are offered.