What does NGO stand for?

It stands for Nongovernmental Organization. Article 71 of the United Nations assigned the name to independent groups that relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or foster social and economic development. NGOs operate independently of government authorities that cannot or will not furnish humanitarian relief or social development programs.


How big is the NGO sector?

Besides well-known global organizations like Care[1], Doctors Without Borders[2], Oxfam[3], or the Red Cross[4], most NGOs are local or regional.The Internet has given visibility to many causes that might otherwise escape notice but most still toil with only local or regional recognition. Each year, new NGOs form while others cease operations, making a current count elusive.

  • The Global Journal estimates that 10 million NGOs exist worldwide. 

  • If NGOs were a country they would have the world’s fifth largest economy, says research by John Hopkins University

  • The United Nations Department of Information(UN DPI)[5]directory lists 1,300 NGOs by region, country and areas of expertise. 

  • The World Association of NGOs[6]maintains an NGO directory with more than 30,000 members. 

  • The National Center for Charitable Statistics reports that more than 1.5 million NGOs in the United States contribute 5.3 percent to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, an economic measure of the value of all products and services sold in a year. 

  • According to the World Bank, one out of every ten people in the United States works for a non-governmental organization (NGO). Thus, the NGO workforce is the third largest among U.S. industries, behind only retail trade and manufacturing. 

[1]www.care.org

[2]http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

[3]https://www.oxfamamerica.org/

[4]https://www.redcross.org/ns/apology/disaster_homepage.html

[5]http://esango.un.org/civilsociety/displayDPISearch.do?method=search&sessionCheck=false

[6]http://www.wango.org/resources.aspx?section=ngodir


What motivates NGOS?

Working or volunteering for NGOs stems from passion to make the world a better place for its least fortunate citizens.Caring about civil society with basic rights for all peoples weaves the common thread. Unlike governments subject to political winds, NGOs can adhere to philanthropic missions in any political climate. Involvement rests on the conviction that initiatives improve life in some measure for victims of conflict, natural disaster, injustice, poverty, illness or environmental destruction. Eighty percent of global citizens agree that NGOs make it easy to be involved in positive social change, according to Walden University,[1]which offers graduate-level public policy degrees in the organization and administration of NGOs. 

 

The World Bankdefines NGOs asprivate organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development.A World Bank Key Document,Working With NGOs, adds,In wider usage, the term NGO can be applied to any non-profit organization which is independent from government. NGOs are typically value-based organizations which depend, in whole or in part, on charitable donations and voluntary service. Although the NGO sector has become increasingly professionalized over the last two decades, principles of altruism and voluntarism remain key defining characteristics.”[2]

[1]https://www.waldenu.edu/search#Query=Nongovernmental%20Organizations&Page=1

[2]http://www.globalissues.org/article/25/non-governmental-organizations-on-development-issues


Who pays for NGOs?

The number of people worldwide donating money to NGOs increased from 1.2 billion in 2011 to 1.4 billion in 2014.By 2030, the number is expected to grow to 2.5 billion, the Charities Aid Foundation[1]predicts. The Center for Global Prosperity at the Hudson Institute[2]monitor global philanthropy. Their 2014 data etched a high of $64 billion, including $44 billion from donors in the U.S. Private philanthropic financial flows from all donor countries to aid-recipient countries account for 85 percent of their economic engagement with developing countries today. Government aid represents only 15 percent of the total engagement. Four decades ago, the opposite ratio prevailed.

Total private sector giving to nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations in the United States, which includes many groups with global missions, exceeded $390 billion in 2016 (2.1% of GDP). This was an increase of 2.7% in current dollars and 1.4% in inflation-adjusted dollars from 2015,Charity Navigator[3]reported. The break down of support reveals that active individual donors gave 71 percent of the total; foundations gave 15 percent; individual bequests furnished 9 percent and corporations coughed up 5 percent of the total. [4]


[1]https://www.cafonline.org

[2]https://www.hudson.org/policycenters/13-center-for-global-prosperity

[3]https://www.charitynavigator.org

[4]chart: http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/almanac/statistics/


·     Talk about issues. Express support for victims of humanitarian crises.

·      Form NGO clubs in school to rally wider support for humanitarian causes.

·      Follow @hsNGOconnectand highschoolNGOconnect.net (blog).

·      Track NGO-related news from NGO Advisor[1]and other online sources.

·      Report on NGOs for school outlets, local newspapers or community websites.

·       Leverage social media. Post thoughts and images.Retweet.

·       Add comments to highschoolNGOconnectblogs. Write a blog.

·       Start petitionsto rally community support.

·       Lobby local office holdersto support worthy causes.

·       Develop a plan for a local nonprofit to address social issues.

[1]https://www.ngoadvisor.net/news/  

How can high school students promote NGOs?


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