Nonprofit organizations are privately governed or controlled, usually through a Board of Directors, but they are not privately owned. Nonprofit organizations can make money and have a surplus, but any "profit" must be used by the organization for its mission or purposes. There are no shareholders or owners who can receive dividends or distributions of assets or profits.  A nonprofit organization can have paid employees, and it can provide charitable assistance, but any payments of money to individuals or other organizations must be a fair price for goods or services provided, or a way of advancing the organization's charitable or exempt purposes. Many types of nonprofit organizations are restricted to work on certain charitable or public purposes, and many nonprofit organizations are exempt from certain taxes, although those features are not what defines "nonprofit."