NGOs are independent non-profit entities that operate internationally with charitable, humanitarian or economic development objectives. They are not under government control and can be classified by scope, focus, or operational format. They raise funds from public donations, grants, and program-related fees. NGOs can have an executive or participatory structure.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are a diverse group of independent non-profit entities that usually operate internationally with charitable, humanitarian or economic development objectives. There is no single definition that qualifies an organization as an NGO. The distinguishing feature is its independence from government control. The lack of an official definition means that there are many different types of NGOs. They can be classified by scope of operations, such as global or regional, by focus, such as humanitarian or environmental, or operational format, such as participatory or executive.
Many people are familiar with the charitable and educational organizations operating in their country. These are the entities that focus on mission-based work, rather than profit generation. They raise funds from public donations, grants, special events, and program-related fees and activities. Each country has a different name for this organization. In the United States, for example, charitable organizations are typically called nonprofits.
When an organization operates internationally, it is usually referred to as an NGO. This label has no precise definition, but is used to denote those organizations that work within different countries for various purposes for the benefit of the common good but are not under the control of any government. This is an important point to make, since many countries object to an agent of a foreign government working on matters within its borders. It’s not uncommon to have an organization listed as a nonprofit when working locally in the US, for example, but listed as an NGO when working in Africa.
The imprecision surrounding their definition means that there are many different ways to classify types of NGOs. One of the easiest ways to type NGOs is by the scope of their operations. Operations can be global, region specific, or purpose specific. Global NGOs operate in many different countries, while region-specific NGOs operate in one area of the world, such as a peace and conflict organization operating in the region affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Special purpose NGOs raise funds for many different issues and typically distribute the funds raised to smaller regional NGOs.
Another way to classify types of NGOs is to group them according to the type of work they do. These types of organizations usually focus on one of several program areas. Typical categories include humanitarian aid, human rights and education. Other categories include the environment, women’s and children’s issues, peace, conflict and economic development.
A final way to distinguish types of NGOs is to examine their operational structure. An NGO can have an executive structure or a participatory structure. An organization with an executive structure operates on the basis of board mandates with implementation through executives. The participating organizations are associative entities that operate by vote of the associative body.
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