Constructing a systematic and multi-layered framework for overseas security provision is conducive to advancing national security capacity building. Owing to their resource endowments and professional operational advantages, social organizations are capable of compensating for the shortcomings of China’s overseas security provision in terms of coverage and resource allocation, making them indispensable actors in improving overseas security mechanisms. As for participation advantages, social organizations can, on the one hand, expand the scale of overseas security provision through symbolic capital, social capital, and knowledge capital; on the other hand, they can enhance security provision through social advocacy and professional public services, thereby addressing the limitations of the “government-market” dual structure in terms of capability boundaries and allocation efficiency. Regarding pathway design, social organizations should follow three approaches-integration, linkage, and symbiosis-to constructively embed themselves into the national overseas security governance system, build communication bridges among multiple actors, and promote inclusive benefits for all parties. The Global Environmental Institute’s participation in the protection of China’s overseas investment from 2005 to 2024 demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the above pathway design. Looking ahead, China should incorporate social organizations into the overall planning of its overseas security mechanisms and, through diversified collaborative governance, establish a systematic and efficient overseas security provision system supported by the discipline of national security studies.