As a result of the economic and social developments that have been experienced, the importance of organizations in the life of society has increased. With the increase in population and change of needs, people have come to a point where they cannot fulfil their own needs. This situation has brought organizations to the fore. Organizations are established to supply the needs of people and to achieve certain goals. Therefore, organizations are the basic elements of social life due to their roles. Non-governmental organizations have emerged with the organization of people in need to support against strong state and organizations. In this study, the development of non-governmental organizations, which are important elements of social life today, and their roles in society are examined. Globalization, developments in information and communication technologies have affected the society as well as the non-governmental organizations. Recent developments show that people will need much more support to the nongovernmental organizations in the future. Non-governmental organizations need to adapt to changes in order to meet these people's expectations.