The US has a second form - the "benefit corporation" - that is based on what the organization does. It is possible to be a for-profit or not-for-profit benefit corporation, though sort of by definition almost all US not-for-profit organizations are inherently "benefit corporation" since otherwise they would likely lose their not-for-profit status.
But this reminds me ... I think that this conversation has not paid enough attention to the difference between the legal sense of a non-profit (in the USA, a 501c3 is the main classification, though there are others) and the colloquial sense (such as a credit union).
In the USA, you cannot be a 501c3 and also a credit union, for example. or a consumer owned cooperative. Nevertheless, people will sometimes refer to such organizations as "not for profit".
I think there's less difference between the USA and Finland than we've been suggesting.
But this reminds me ... I think that this conversation has not paid enough attention to the difference between the legal sense of a non-profit (in the USA, a 501c3 is the main classification, though there are others) and the colloquial sense (such as a credit union).
In the USA, you cannot be a 501c3 and also a credit union, for example. or a consumer owned cooperative. Nevertheless, people will sometimes refer to such organizations as "not for profit".
I think there's less difference between the USA and Finland than we've been suggesting.