INTRODUCTION

Karishma Nair
Week 2
Session 1
Non-Governmental Organization
(NGO)
- The term, "non-governmental organization" or NGO,
- came into use in 1945 because of the need for the UN
to differentiate in its Charter between participation rights
for intergovernmental specialized agencies and those for
international private organizations.

- At the UN, virtually all types of private bodies can be

recognized as NGOs. They only have to be independent
from government control, not seeking to challenge
governments either as a political party or by a narrow
focus on human rights, non-profit-making and non-
criminal.

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WHAT IS AN NGO
 Independent of the government
 Essentially are non-profit making
 Purely service-oriented organizations committed to
the development and welfare of the community
- Some NGOs may be a group of volunteers helping to sustain
individuals or families, while others may emphasize the
empowerment of communities to bring about societal
transformation or change
- Other terms for them include Community Based Organizations
(CBO), Non Profit Organizations (NPO) or Voluntary
Organizations (VO)

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Characteristics Of NGOs
 Voluntary nature
 Independent
 Not-for-profit
 Not self-serving in aims and
related values

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NGOs should have the
following characteristics
 They are formed voluntarily
 They do not return profits generated to
their owners or directors
 They are self-governing, i.e. not
controlled by government
 They are registered organizations or
informal groups, with clearly defined
aims and objectives

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CLASSIFICATION
I. According to the level of operations
II. As per their geographical location
III. As per their orientation
IV. As per their strategy of intervention
V. As per the nature of their function
VI. As per size

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CLASSIFICATION
According to the level of operations
Community Based Organizations: They arise out of people’s own
initiatives. These include sports clubs, women’s organizations, neighborhood
organizations, religious or educational organizations

Citywide Organizations: These include organizations like commerce and

industry, coalitions of business, ethnic or educational groups and
associations of community organizations

National NGOs: These include organizations that are based nationally

International NGOs: These include agencies which have international

operations. Their activities vary from funding local NGOs, institutions and
projects, to implementing the projects themselves

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CLASSIFICATION
As per their geographical location

International NGOs: Those which function

internationally, in several countries.

Single Country NGOs: These are based and functional in

a single country.

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CLASSIFICATION
As per their orientation
Charitable orientation: This often involves a top-down
paternalistic effort with little participation by the ‘beneficiaries’. It
includes NGOs with activities directed toward meeting the needs of
the poor, such as distribution of food, clothing or medicine;
provision of housing, transport, schools, etc. Such NGOs may also
undertake relief activities during a natural or man-made disaster

Service orientation: This includes NGOs with activities such as

provision of health, family planning or education services in which
the programme is designed by the NGO and people are expected to
participate in its implementation and in receiving the service.

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CLASSIFICATION
As per their strategy of intervention

Single sectoral approach: Such NGOs work in a single

sector, such as health, education, social forestry, drinking
water, shelter, sanitation, income-generation

Multi-sectoral approach: Some NGOs may take a

multiple-sectoral approach towards their interventions,
interlinking across different sectors

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CLASSIFICATION
As per size
Small sized: Those with two to three staff members as full timers and
many volunteers as part timers. Funds are based on local resources and
local informal receipts from outsiders (generally less than 50,000 USD)

Medium sized: This includes less than 50 full time staff members and a
budget between 100,000 – 250,000 USD

Large sized: These include more than a hundred full time staff members
and a budget greater than 250,000 USD per year based on project grants
from several national and international sources and coverage spreading
over several states, if not complete coverage of a large state itself.

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WORKING OF NGOs
 NGOs Demonstrate a Sense of Commitment
Most NGOs have started by commitment of an individual or a group
concerned to demonstrate this in action. Many times they are not
experts but have a heart for helping

 NGOs Primarily Work with the Poor

There is wide recognition by governments and corporate bodies that
NGOs have a significant role to play in working with the poor. With
recent experiences they know that this is not just through giving aid
but in assisting the poor to break out of their condition of poverty

 NGOs are Able to Reach Remote Areas of Need

NGOs are often able to reach sections of rural populations that
governments either neglect or do not target as a priority

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WORKING OF NGOs
 NGOs Possess First Hand Knowledge of Local
Conditions
Most NGOs, being grassroots level operations make efforts to know as
much as possible about the local people and their conditions. This
is not just the socio-economic and environmental conditions of the
area but also the attitudes of the local people.
 NGOs are Recognized for their Innovative Initiatives
Most NGOs will take pride in the fact that they have innovative
programmes to tackle development problems and issues. NGOs
have provided many novel ideas and models adapted in other
settings and situations. Unlike routine government procedures and
processes, NGOs, with their fairly flexible organizational structure
are able to experiment with new approaches that add value to
projects.

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WORKING OF NGOs
 NGOs Depend on Donors for their Funding

Most NGOs will depend on donors unless they have been set
up by their own founders fund provisions. Some large
companies are setting up their own NGO operations by
channeling their Corporate Social Responsibility funds.

These are funds that the company sets aside in a show of

commitment to the community. However, by and large,
NGOs will seek various sources, including government grants
to obtain their funding. These could be individuals, groups,
national and international service agencies, business houses,
or charitable trusts specially set up to give donations.

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NEXT SESSION

NGO ENVIRONMENT

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