Associations, societies, councils...what's the difference?

NOTE: the definitions below are correct, but my interpretations are somewhat tongue-in-cheek...readers' input very much welcomed!

Have you ever wondered why some groups are called Society of this, or Alliance of that? What is the difference between an association and an organization? Or a council and a guild?

Have you ever cared to know?

Sadly enough, I have. Living in Ottawa, Canada, I am surrounded less by corporations and more by national non-profit and governmental structures that go by a variety of different monikers.

In my quest for clarity, I recently consulted http://www.dictionary.com/—and learned three things:

• Firstly, there is a great deal of overlap across definitions.  
• Secondly, there are too many words out there to describe what is essentially just a “group that does stuff.”
• Thirdly, I'm not sure all groups have consulted a dictionary to determine what kind of structure they actually are.

A set of definitions (and my interpretations of them) are provided below. Let's get started.

Organizations, Associations, and Societies
Organization, association and society are often used interchangeably. At their most basic, any of these words can be used to refer to a group of people who share a common interest or purpose.

The subtle difference lies in structure and interests. To look at these words side by side (by side), you notice two things. First, it is implied that societies are less structured than organizations and associations. Moreover,
societies are not typically related to business but instead to “religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes.”

Interestingly, no definition I came across actually elaborated on what these structures do, instead focusing on the area of common interest.

Guilds
A guild, like organizations, associations and societies, is a group of people who share a common interest or purpose. But wait—there’s more!

Historically, a guild was a medieval association (such as for merchants or artisans) that maintained standards and protected the interests of its members. Examples of modern-day guilds would be the Canadian Guild of Crafts, the Guild of Canadian Film Composers, and the Writers Guild of Canada. Heck, there’s even a Canadian Knifemaker’s Guild.

So, it would appear that today’s guilds are really just organizations, associations or societies for people in the creative arts.

(But if that's the case, why is the US Screen Actors' Guild not technically a guild, but a union?)

Alliances
An alliance refers to an agreement or friendship between two or more parties, made in order to merge efforts, advance common goals and secure common interests.

One example is the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), which describes itself as “an alliance of student associations and student unions from across Canada. Through this network of student governments, CASA represents and promotes the interests of post-secondary students to federal and inter-provincial levels of government.”

Institutions/Institutes
An institution is an established organization of a “public character” (e.g., educational, charitable, health-related), founded for advanced instruction and/or research in a specialized field or subject.

Interestingly, there are not a lot of institutions out there—not by name, that is. Do a basic Google search, and you get twice as many results for institute. (Perhaps this is because institution has that whole “loony bin” connotation?) Some examples include the Canadian Patient Safety Institute or the Engineering Institute of Canada.

Councils
A council is a body of people summoned, elected, appointed or convened to serve in an advisory, consultative, administrative or legislative capacity.

For example, the Canadian Council for the Arts reports to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Governor in Council. The council funds, fosters and promotes the arts, operating at “arm’s length” of government.

Federations
Federation is often used in a political context—for example, to refer to a unit formed by a number of nations or states (or, in Canada, provinces). Each component of the federation retains control of its own internal affairs. Consider, for example, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or the Canadian Federation of Students.

However, some dictionaries also refer to a federation as any alliance, association or organization for common action. Go figure.

Agencies
Agency can be used to refer to any organization, company, or bureau that provides some service for another (e.g., an advertising agency). However, in political terms, it is a governmental department—for example, the Canada Revenue Agency, or Public Health Agency of Canada.

Foundation
A foundation is an institution financed by a donation or legacy to aid research, education, the arts, etc. It often provides funds for charities.

What does all of this mean?
Going by the dictionary, and trying to make sense of every nuance across each structure, I have concluded that definitions sometimes mean nothing. That said, I have taken on the task of simplifying things beyond belief, by summarizing them into the following "cheat sheet" for handy reference: 
 
Organization = group of people who have a common interest, but who pretty much do nothing
Association = see Organization
Society = a less structured Organization or Association
Guild = artsy Organization or Association (if structured); or Society (if not so structured)
Alliance = a productive Association, Society, Organization or Guild
Institution/Institute = a highly productive Organization, Association, or Alliance
Council = appointed advisory group to government
Federation = Alliance with a political foundation
Agency = customer service group, brought to you by government
Foundation = highly productive Organization, Association or Alliance that money built for charity's sake