In some cases, state, regional and local authorities do not recognize heritage as something of importance. Therefore, it is important to have a highly developed civil society that is capable to take on that role. The main subjects of this master's thesis are civil society and heritage management. In the introductory part of the paper the notion of heritage is depicted. Also, civil society and the organizations that are their integral part are described. The main part of the paper analyses historical development of two charities from the United Kingdom. These are: National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, and English Heritage. It is described how small charities develop into very large organizations that nowadays have a significant role in the field of heritage preservation, heritage management and also in the creation of various cultural policies. A very long history of their activities is depicted, as well as their remarkable results and different experiences in the field of heritage management in various historical contexts. In the final part of the paper, a historical development of Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiques, a nongovernmental organization from Republic of Croatia, is also shown. This organization has experience spanning almost seven decades in the field of heritage management and heritage protection in Dubrovnik's region. The main conclusion of this paper is that it is certain that the greatest achievement of these three civil society entities is successfully stopping the degradation of many heritage resources that are preserved for future generations.