Editing Non-governmental organization (section)

== Types ==
NGOs further the social goals of their members (or founders): improving the [[natural environment]], encouraging the observance of [[human rights]], improving the welfare of the disadvantaged, or representing a corporate agenda. Their goals cover a wide range of issues. They may fund local NGOs, institutions and projects, and implement projects.<ref name="Lawry 2009 29-30" />

NGOs can be in the following ways;:<ref name=":9" />

# orientation, i.e. the type of activities an NGO undertakes, such as activities involving [[human rights]], [[consumer protection]], [[environmentalism]], [[health]], or development.
# level of operation, which indicates the scale at which an organization works: local, regional, national, or international.

=== {{anchor|By orientation}}Orientation ===
* [[Charitable organization|Charity]] — often a [[Top-down and bottom-up design|top-down]] effort, with little participation or input from [[Beneficiary|beneficiaries]]. They include NGOs directed at meeting the needs of disadvantaged people and groups.
* [[Service organisation|Service]] — includes NGOs that provide [[Health care|healthcare]] (including [[family planning]]) and [[education]].
* [[Participatory organization|Participatory]] — [[Self-help groups|self-help projects]] with local involvement in the form of [[Self-help group (finance)|money]], tools, land, materials, or labor
* Empowerment — aim to help poor people to understand the social, political, and economic factors affecting their lives, and to increase awareness of their power to control their lives. With maximum involvement by the beneficiaries, the NGOs are facilitators.<ref name="Lawry 2009 29-30">{{cite book |last=Lawry |first=Lynn |title=Guide to Nongovernmental Organizations for the Military |year=2009 |pages=29–30 |url=http://www.cdham.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Chapter-4.-NGO-Structure-Authority-and-Standards.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730130926/http://www.cdham.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Chapter-4.-NGO-Structure-Authority-and-Standards.pdf |archive-date=30 July 2013 }}</ref>
* [[Professional association|Professional]] [[Trade union|(trade) union]] [[trade association|(association)]] – a voluntary association or union of people with common interests including sports, culture, others, i.e. [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]], [[FIFA]]

=== {{anchor|By level of operation}}Level of operation ===
* [[Community-based organizations]] (CBOs) — popular initiatives which can [[Consciousness raising|raise the consciousness]] of the [[Urban poverty|urban poor]], helping them understand their right to services, and providing such services.
* [[City-wide organizations]] — include [[Chamber of commerce and industry|chambers of commerce and industry]], [[coalition]]s of business, ethnic or [[educational institution|educational]] groups, and [[Community organizing|community organizations]].
* State NGOs — include state-level organizations, associations, and groups. Some state NGOs are guided by national and international NGOs.
* National NGOs — an NGO that exists in only one country.<ref name="WillettsCS-NTWKS">{{cite encyclopedia|title=What is a Non-Governmental Organization?|encyclopedia=UNESCO Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems|publisher=City University London|url=http://www.staff.city.ac.uk/p.willetts/CS-NTWKS/NGO-ART.HTM|access-date=18 July 2012|last=Willetts|first=Peter}}</ref> These include national organizations such as [[YMCA]]s and [[YWCA]]s, [[professional association]]s, and similar groups. Some have state or city branches, and assist local NGOs.
* [[International non-governmental organization|International NGOs]] (INGOs) — range from secular agencies, such as [[Save the Children]], to religious groups. They may fund local NGOs, institutions and projects, and implement projects.<ref name="Lawry 2009 29-30" />

=== Other terms/acronyms ===
Similar terms include [[Voluntary sector|third-sector]] organization (TSO), [[nonprofit organization]] (NPO), voluntary organization (VO), [[civil society]] organization (CSO), [[grassroots]] organization (GO), [[social movement organization]] (SMO), private voluntary organization (PVO), [[self-help]] organization (SHO), and [[non-state actor]]s (NSAs). Numerous variations exist for the NGO acronym, either due to language, region, or specificity.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

Some [[Romance languages]] use the synonymous abbreviation ''ONG''; for example:{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}
* {{Langx|fr|organisation non gouvernementale}}
* {{Langx|it|organizzazione non governativa}}
* {{Langx|pt|organização não governmental}}
* {{Langx|es|organización no gubernamental}}
* {{Langx|ro|organizație neguvernamentală}}

Other acronyms that are typically used to describe non-governmental organizations include:{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}
* '''BINGO''': Business-friendly international NGO or Big international NGO
* '''CSO''': [[Civil society]] organization
* '''[[ENGO]]''': Environmental NGO — organizations that advocate for the environment, such as [[Greenpeace]] and the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]].<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|last=Folger|first=Jean|date=2021-01-18|title=What is an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization)?|url=https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/13/what-is-non-government-organization.asp|access-date=2021-08-12|website=Investopedia|language=en}}</ref>
* '''DONGO''': Donor-organized NGO
* '''GONGO''': [[Government-organized non-governmental organization]] — often used derogatorily, these are government-backed NGOs that are set up to advocate on behalf of a repressive regime on the international stage.<ref name=":10" />
* '''GSO''': [[Grassroots Support Organization]]
* '''INGO''': [[International non-governmental organization|International NGO]]<ref name=":10" />
* '''MANGO''': [[Market advocacy NGO]]
* '''NGDO''': Non-governmental development organization
* '''NNGO''': Northern (UK) NGO
* '''PANGO''': Party NGO — addressing political matters
* '''PVDO''': Private voluntary development organization<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=David|title=Non-governmental organizations and development|last2=Kanji|first2=Nazneen|publisher=Routledge|year=2009|isbn=978-0-203-87707-4|location=Abingdon, Oxon|pages=9–10}}</ref> — the [[United States Agency for International Development]] (USAID) refers to NGOs as "private voluntary organizations".<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 September 2017|title=Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)|url=https://www.usaid.gov/partnership-opportunities/ngo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514023014/http://www.usaid.gov/partnership-opportunities/ngo|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 May 2013|access-date=12 September 2018|website=[[USAID]]|language=en}}</ref>
* '''[[Quango]]''': Quasi-autonomous NGO — often used derogatorily, these organizations rely on [[public funding]].<ref name=":10" /> They are prevalent in the United Kingdom (where there are more than 1,200), Ireland, and the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]].
* '''SBO''': [[Social benefit organization]] — a goal-oriented designation
* '''SCO''': [[Social change]] organization
* '''SNGO''': Southern (UK) NGO
* '''TANGO''': Technical assistance NGO
* '''TNGO''': [[Transnational organization|Transnational NGO]] — coined during the 1970s due to the increase of environmental and economic issues in the global community. TNGOs exist in two (or more) countries.
* '''YOUNGO:''' Youth NGOs - advocacing for youth rights.