NGO – BMS Notes

Non-governmental organisations, also known as NGOs, are groups that operate without interference from the government. NGOs are a subset of citizen-founded groups, such as associations and clubs that provide services to both their members and the public. Usually, they are charitable institutions. Numerous NGOs work in the social sciences or in humanitarianism. According to surveys, NGOs have a high level of public confidence, which may help them serve as a good stand-in for stakeholder and societal issues. NGOs, on the other hand, may also operate as corporate lobbyists, like the World Economic Forum. Non-governmental organisations connected to the UN define an NGO as “any non-profit, voluntary citizens’ group which is organised on a local, national, or worldwide level.” This definition is provided by NGO.org. NGOs are task-oriented organisations that are motivated by shared interests. They carry out a range of humanitarian and service tasks, bring citizen problems to the attention of governments, advocate and oversee policies, and promote political engagement via information sharing.

About 277,000 NGOs operated in Russia in 2008. An estimated two million non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operated in India in 2009 (or one for every 600 Indians), a figure much higher than the number of basic schools and health facilities in the nation. There is inconsistency in the use of the word “NGO”; at times, it is synonymous with any civil society group or association established by individuals. Political parties and labour unions are sometimes regarded as NGOs. NGOs are frequently referred to as nonprofit organisations in other countries. NGOs are categorised according to their degree of operation and orientation. An NGO’s orientation describes the kinds of activities it engages in. Human rights, ecology, health, and development are examples of possible activities. The degree of operation of an NGO reveals the scope of the organization’s work: local, regional, national, or worldwide.

An association with a specific cultural, educational, religious, or social programme that is registered with the Central Government is known as an NGO. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are officially known as Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs), however this is not always the case.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in India are not “owned” by anybody and are not able to distribute income as dividends. Any money they may make from business ventures are put back into the company or used for worthwhile charitable endeavours.

Donations, financial grants from unilateral and multilateral agencies, membership fees, other sources, interest and returns from investments, and membership fees are the usual sources of income for non-governmental organisations.

The Following Association Types Are Eligible to Serve as NGOs

I A trust in which two or more people serve as Trustees. The Indian Trusts Act of 1982 permits the trust to be registered.

(ii) A business registered under Companies Act of 1956, Section 25. Clubs and professional groups often register under this section of the Companies Act of 1956.

(iii) A society of individuals having the goals, objectives, and organisational structure specified in the Societies Registration Act, 1860, registered with the Registrar of the Societies in accordance with the Act’s requirements.

(iv) A statutory entity with a structure specified in the law by which it is established, and membership made up of individuals formed by or under a stature.

(v) A charity trust established in accordance with the 1920 Charitable Endowments Act.

(vi) Any other group that resembles a society.

Accordingly, under section 25, an NGO in India may register as a business, trust, or society.

NGO types may be categorised based on their degree of activity and direction.

Orientation

Charities: NGOs that work to address the needs of underprivileged individuals and groups are among the many top-down initiatives in which recipients have little say or involvement.

Service: Contains non-governmental organisations that provide education and healthcare, including family planning.

Participation: Self-help initiatives including local contributions of cash, equipment, land, supplies, or labour

Empowerment: To make impoverished people more conscious of their ability to govern their own lives and to comprehend the social, political, and economic forces that impact them. The NGOs are facilitators, with the recipients contributing as much as possible.

Operational Level

Popular programmes that may assist the urban poor become more aware of their rights to services and provide those services include community-based organisations (CBOs).

Organizations spanning the whole city include community groups, corporate alliances, chambers of commerce and industry, and ethnic or educational associations.

State-level associations, groups, and organisations are referred to as state-level NGOs. Some national and international NGOs serve as advisors to state NGOs.

Professional associations, similar groupings, and national organisations like YMCAs and YWCAs are examples of national NGOs. Some support local NGOs and establish branches in states or cities.

International NGOs include both religious organisations and secular organisations like Save the Children. They could carry out projects and provide funding to regional NGOs, organisations, and initiatives.

The NGO’s operations

NGO work is categorised by the World Bank as advocacy and operational. NGOs serve as partners, implementers, and accelerators. They spearhead change, collaborate with other groups to take on issues, and organise resources to provide products and services to those impacted by natural disasters.

The ways that NGOs operate differ; some are just advocacy organisations, while others run initiatives and events. Concerned with reducing poverty, Oxfam could provide those in need the tools and knowledge they need to get food and clean water, and the Forum for Fact-finding Documentation and Advocacy (FFDA) assists in giving victims of violations of human rights legal support. Specialized technological goods and services are offered by the Afghanistan Information Management Services to assist other organisations’ on-the-ground development initiatives. Project success is largely dependent on management strategies.

Operational

Operational NGOs organise funds, supplies, and volunteers to launch regional initiatives in an effort to “achieve small-scale change directly via projects.” To collect money for initiatives, they may seek for grants or contracts from governments and organisations, as well as host sizable fundraising events. Operational NGOs often have a hierarchical organisational structure. Professionals who plan programmes, make budgets, maintain accounts, and report to and interact with operational fieldworkers on projects are employed in their headquarters. They are most often connected to public welfare, emergency assistance, environmental challenges, and service delivery. Operational NGOs may be further classified as public or private, service-delivery or participation, religious or secular, and relief or development groups. While many operational NGOs are national or worldwide, others may have a community focus. Project execution is what distinguishes a functioning non-governmental organisation.

Campaigning

“Achieve large-scale change advocated indirectly via the influence of the political system” is the goal of campaigning NGOs. They need a vibrant, effective team of professionals who can enlighten and inspire fans. The defining activity of campaigning NGOs is organising and conducting media-attracting rallies and events. Campaigning NGOs’ main goal is to defend (or advance) a particular cause, and they often work on topics pertaining to women’s rights, children’s rights, and human rights.

Both activities may be carried out by combined NGOs. When operational NGOs encounter problems in their sector that may be resolved by changing legislation, they will turn to campaigning strategies; campaigning NGOs, like human rights groups, often have initiatives that help specific victims that they are seeking to advocate for.

Public relations

Non-governmental organisations utilise sophisticated public relations efforts to collect donations and interact with governments, and they depend on strong public relations to achieve their aims. Politically speaking, interest groups may have a significant impact on social and political results. In 2002, the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations created a code of ethics.

Staffing Structure for Nonprofit Organizations

While volunteers support certain NGOs, others are run by paid employees. While many NGOs employ foreign workers in poor nations, others depend on local personnel or volunteers. A donor who prefers that an individual from an industrialised nation oversee the project they are funding may be satisfied by hiring foreign personnel. These workers’ (or volunteers’) skill could be offset by a number of issues, including the fact that foreigners are usually more expensive, lack local contacts, and may not be given the same value. Concern Worldwide, an international non-governmental organisation that fights poverty, employed 174 foreign workers and just over 5,000 local employees in Haiti and eleven developing nations in Africa and Asia by the end of 1995.

NGOs are often financed by contributions, however some are volunteer-run organisations that operate without official support. Because of their social goals, NGOs may be recognised as charitable organisations or as tax-exempt organisations. Some could be charades for political, religious, or other agendas. NGOs have played a bigger part in worldwide development since the conclusion of World War II, especially in the areas of poverty reduction and humanitarian aid.

Membership fees, sales of products and services, grants from foreign organisations or national governments, and individual contributions are some of the funding sources. While the term “non-governmental organisation” suggests autonomy from governments, many NGOs rely on government support; for example, the British and EU governments donated one-fourth of Oxfam’s US$162 million 1998 income, and World Vision United States received $55 million in goods from the US government in 1998. Grants from the EU make money available to NGOs.

The issue of government funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has generated controversy because, regardless of the governments involved, the fundamental idea behind humanitarian intervention was that NGOs and civil society had a duty to respond with acts of solidarity and aid to those in need or facing oppression or want at the hands of those in authority. Governments and multilateral bodies do not accept money for certain NGOs, including Greenpeace. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) spent more than $540 million on its 1999 budget.

Overhead

The amount of money spent on managing an NGO as opposed to initiatives is known as overhead. It covers wages, office expenditures, and charges for accounting and banking. Less than four percent of an NGO’s total budget is seen to be a positive indicator of its quality. This number is often used to evaluate an organisation. The World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations states that programmes should account for more than 86% of funding (less than 20 percent on overhead). The World Bank normally permits 37 percent of overhead, whereas the criteria for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria are five to seven percent. It may be more difficult to raise money if overhead represents a large portion of overall expenses. High overhead expenses might draw ire from the general population.

But concentrating just on overhead may not be beneficial. Studies released by the Urban Institute and the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford University have demonstrated that rating agencies incentivize non-governmental organisations to conceal or minimise their overhead expenses. This could potentially diminish the efficacy of the organisations by depriving them of necessary infrastructure for providing services. A different grading method would include a qualitative assessment of an organization’s governance and transparency in addition to financial data:

• An evaluation of the efficacy of the programme
• Assessment of donor and recipient feedback systems
• enabling a rated entity to react to a rating agency’s assessment

Observation and management

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan supported international humanitarian intervention as the “right to defend” civilians from ethnic cleansing, genocide, and crimes against humanity in a report on UN reform objectives published in March 2000. The Canadian government introduced the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) initiative, which addressed the topic of humanitarian action, in response to that study. The use of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) by the Canadian government to rationalise their participation in the Haitian coup is one of the project’s more contentious implementations.

To anticipate NGO attacks against corporate practises, many firms have expanded their departments dedicated to corporate social responsibility. When businesses and NGOs work together, there’s a chance that the weaker partner—typically the NGO—will be co-opted.

S. Ward Casscells, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, created the Force Health Protection & Readiness International Health Division in December 2007. The goal of International Health includes interacting with NGOs on matters of shared interest. The US Defense Department was mandated by Department of Defense Directive 3000.05 to prioritise stability-enhancing operations on par with conflict in 2005. In accordance with international law, the department has established the ability to enhance vital services in combat zones (like Iraq), when traditional lead agencies like USAID and the State Department find it challenging to function. International Health values the independence, knowledge, and honest-broker position of NGOs and works to establish cooperative, arm’s-length connections with them.