ngo definition

non-governmental organization

NGOs are generally defined as autonomous non-profit and non-party/politically unaffiliated organizations that advance a particular cause or set of causes in the public interest. The range of causes on which an NGO can focus is unlimited, but a cardinal principle is that NGOs operate in a manner consistent with the bye-laws or trust deed as the case may be, and objectives or causes for which they receive funds. For most NGOs, donations are a lifeline as they are independent organisations. Funding can come from the UN, Government organisations, private trusts and philanthropies, individual donations, religious institutions, and in many cases, other NGOs. NGOs can and do contribute to democracy through challenging governments and promoting social interests, but they themselves are not democratic institutions and generally have no democratic accountability. However, an NGO is only accountable to its particular funding organisations and members and has to abide by the monitoring standards set up these funding entities and ofcourse, the law of the land.

A non-governmental organization (NGO) is not part of a government and is therefore typically independent of governments. Although the definition can technically include for-profit corporations under certain circumstances, the term is generally restricted to social, cultural, legal, and environmental advocacy groups having goals that are primarily non-commercial. NGOs are usually non-profit organizations that gain at least a portion of their funding from private sources. They can however, and sometimes do, go in for commercial activities to raise resources and sustain themselves but the profits of these activities cannot he distributed to members as dividend and has instead to be retained in the organisations to further the interest and objects of the beneficiaries. Because the label "NGO" is considered too broad by some, as it might cover anything that is non-governmental, many NGOs now prefer the term private voluntary organization (PVO).

Though voluntary associations of citizens have existed throughout history, NGOs along the lines seen today, especially on the international level, have developed in the past two centuries. One of the first such organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, was founded in 1863. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is today the world's largest group of humanitarian NGO's.

The phrase non-governmental organization came into use with the establishment of the United Nations in 1945 with provisions in Article 71 of Chapter 10 of the United Nations Charter for a consultative role for organizations that neither are governments nor member states. The definition of international NGO (INGO) is first given in resolution 288 (X) of ECOSOC on February 27, 1950: it is defined as 'any international organisation that is not founded by an international treaty'. The vital role of NGOs and other "major groups" in sustainable development was recognized in Chapter 27 of Agenda 21, leading to revised arrangements for consultative relationship between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations.

Volunterism in India has a long history. During the freedom struggle, voluntarism in India received an impetus from the work of religious and social reformers and national leaders, notably Swami Dayananda, Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi. International organizations also expanded to India. Several leading Indian industrialists such as Tatas, Birlas and Bajajs also started trusts and foundations and promoted voluntarism and this had gone a long way in spreading the movement in the country. The post-independence period saw further growth of voluntarism in many areas of development.