Are NGOs a huge business? Things to look for when choosing an NGO.

Photo by Sam Bark on Unsplash

Non-profits, NGOs, charity organizations etc. became very popular. Actually, they have always been very popular, but if 50 years ago they were more seen like these large movements of “hippies” and people who were against every government, wanting to make a big change in the world trough strikes, occupations and free speech, nowadays you don't really have to be a “rebel” to join an NGO. Everybody can do it and it is even seen like a very humble and generous act of love for the world.

If I have to be honest, I feel really uncomfortable with the idea that people who volunteer or work for NGOs (like myself) are “better people” and even some sort of superheros. Some people see our work like a sacrifice and an enormously courageous thing to do. I don't see it this way and the moment I start seeing it like that, I am going to quit! For me, if someone is doing something, anything, for the praise, they should stop immediately. No matter what we do in life and what kind of work we have, we have to do it first and most important for ourselves. We should be happy and feeling that we have a purpose, no matter what this purpose is.

Anyways, today, it is even“fancy” to be a part of an NGO, to be a volunteer and to give for free your time for the world. Everybody is talking about global warming, starving people, cyclones, tornadoes, people who have to be saved from natural disasters, who lost theirs homes, who have been victims of physical and/or mental violence, sexual abuse... you name it. People anywhere anytime need help, need to be saved and non-profits are here to “do the job” (I am being sarcastic!).

As I already said, myself, I work for an NGO and I truly believe that NGOs are very important for the development and the improving of today's society. They need to exist and to give every person (theirs volunteers, employees and activists) the right to be heard, understood and listed to. NGOs and non-profits offer a platform for everybody to express freely themselves in order to make a change in the society – to break stereotypes, prejudice and old understandings about people and the world. Their work is extremely important politically and socially spoken, in terms of making big changes, being the people's voice and offering a place for every person in the society no matter the culture, the background, the sex, the color of the skin. They fight against injustice and defend people's rights and their access to them. We have many examples in the history that show us how big movements could change the world and make it a better place for everybody.

However, many of these NGOs nowadays function more like companies than like real movements. Many of them have huge budgets, incomes and sponsored partnerships, work on projects that won't make a big difference in the world, but are worthy in terms of money, don't really care anymore about the values they must fight for and are registered as NGOs because it is less expensive (paying less taxes at the end of the year) and so on. Many people make donations and don't know what is going to happen or happened to the money they donated. Did this money go where it was supposed to? Unfortunately, some people believe that NGOs is a way to “wash” money and to build a huge business on people's suffering and pain.

And for many NGOs this is true.

For some of the NGOs this is 100% true – they are a huge business and their goal is not to change the world and to make it a better place, but to earn and to wash money. For others, it is partly true. They could have real values and goals to achieve, but they will also be willing to work on projects and to have actions that are obviously not making any difference in the world, but they will make money from them. Fortunately, there are still NGOs that are 100% honest about theirs finances, how they find money and how they use them. They also prefer to select and work only on projects that align with theirs values and goals, instead of making money out of anything they could possibly find.

So the question is : how do you choose your NGO, if you want to become a volunteer or make a donation? What are the things you should look for to understand if an organization is trustworthy? Here I come with some very important, in my opinion, points that can relate to both of the scenarios (being a volunteer and a potential sponsor/fundraiser). Make sure to follow all these steps before investing your time and money in an NGO. It is great that you want to make a change in the world and to give your time and maybe your money to an organization, but choose carefully, if you don't want to feel disappointed and robbed.

NGO, non-profits, charities... what is the difference?

Let's start by answering this question. On the one hand, you have NGOs - Non-Governmental Organizations. This means that these are organizations that work completely independently from any government. That does not mean that they don't receive any funding from the government. This is very important to know! An organization can be non-governmental one and still get financial support from the government! However, they operate without any supervision or representation from it. Normally, an NGO could be organized on a local, national or international level by citizens who have a common interest. They will make sure to start different actions to achieve theirs goals which could be a very large variety of social and humanitarian functions. They will bring citizen concerns to the government, encourage political participation through different actions (strikes, information, media appearances). Some NGOs can have specific goals like working in the health care area or protecting the environment, defending human rights, helping people in need etc. For all of them, no matter what their specific aim is, we can say that they are working on making the world a better place. Also, something that people have to understand about these organizations is that even though they are non-governmental structures, their relationship with the government is very important. They need to be heard, understood and taken seriously. This is the only (or almost) way they could continue working. Often they will have someone who represents them in the government or other decision-making public institutions.

On the other hand, you have non-profits. Non-profits are groups organized for purposes different than generating profit. Their income is only for the organization itself and it is not distribute to theirs members (or at least this is how it should be). They do have some legal responsibilities – they need to report their accountability, tax status, economic activity etc. The big difference with NGOs is that non-profits are often affiliated to churches, clubs or other organizations. In many countries NGOs and non-profits are the same thing.

Than you also have charities. These are non-profit organizations that could be run publicly or privately. Theirs goals can be focused on religion, education, public services, building constructions etc. The definition and the status of a charity can vary according to its country of origin.

Now you see the major differences between non-profits, NGOs and charities. In this article I am going to talk about NGOs but the same points apply to non-profits and charities as well, so keep reading.

What are the values and the goals of the NGO?

Before getting involved with any kind of organization, I highly suggest to make a long research about theirs values and goals. You don't want to volunteer or make a donation for an organization that you don't truly believe is making any good for the world and theirs values don't match with yours. I don't know for you, but I prefer to invest my time and money in something that I genuinely like and believe in. So, for me the first and one of the most important steps is to make a good research about the values of the NGO – what are they fighting for? What are theirs goals? Do they align with yours? Do you believe in the same things? Do you think that with organizations like this one the world will become a better place? There is no point in joining an NGO you don't believe in.

In my job, I have to look for volunteers all the time and one of the things which is very important for me is to first, understand how they knew about us, then, why they want to work with us and finally, I try to explain to them our visions, perceptions of the society and our values. No matter if they are going to work with us or not! If they don't agree with our values, there is no point in working together, unless there are very open-minded.

Normally, you can find this kind of information on the first page of every organization's website and also, on the page “About us”. So, do your research and if this point is ok for you, you can continue with the following steps.

What are theirs actions?

Another step which is very important, in my opinion, is to see the organization's actions. Do you like them? Do you thing this is a good way for them to achieve theirs goals? If you are looking for a volunteering position, do you see yourself doing these things? You don't want to find yourself doing something that you don't like or you don't feel comfortable with. Being a volunteer is something you do in your free time, so it is supposed to be fun and you have to enjoy it. One of the actions that I do with the volunteers I work with is called “Street libraries”. It is very simple – we read books to children on the street or at parks, always outside. So, I think it is obvious that if you don't like reading, neither children, this is just not for you and you have to find something else to do.

So, look good for the different actions the NGO is offering. Often, one NGO is going to offer different actions depending on theirs goals, the area they work in and their public. My advice here is to look for something that you are going to enjoy doing, it matches with your personality and your personal values.

What did they achieve until now?

Look for the history and the background of the organization. Who is the founder? Why did this person or these people decide to found the organization? What did they do in the past with the NGO? What are theirs achievements locally, nationally, even internationally, if this is an international entity? Do they talk on their website about that? Do they have pictures and rapports? These are some very important things to look for when you choose an NGO to volunteer or to make a donation for. Of course, the achievements are different and on a different level according to the size of the organization (employees, no employees), the area of work (local, national, international), the field of work (human rights, social services, charity etc.).

When you look at the achievements, do not forget to look for photos (if it is a particular event like a festival, a meeting, public speech etc.), detailed information about the people who worked on the project (names, name of the organization partner if there is one), also the sponsors (who did the fund-raising - a private entity, a public one, another organization) and last but not least, what the public who was concerned by this action thinks of it (opinions, thoughts, comments).

Who are they working with?

We say that you can tell a lot about a person by theirs friends and very often this true. This is also true when it comes to NGOs and any kind of public or private organizations. Look for the people, the organizations and maybe even the companies they have worked with or they are still working with. This will tell you a lot about the NGO and how they try to achieve theirs goals. If an NGO works only or mostly with private companies and entities, be aware! Make a research on them as well!

Often, when NGOs work exclusively with big companies this means that they function as a company as well. In my opinion, this is against non-governmental organizations' values in general. NGOs are not supposed to function that way. They fight against injustice, defend human rights and try to make a change in the society. Everything related to the corporate world in terms of organization and way of working must be far away from the NGO's world.

An NGO that works as a company wold like to make money of what they do like a company does. I do not think that society's problems should be a way to earn money. If an NGO is earning money from theirs actions, you have to make sure that this is not their only goal... which is very difficult to do. This is my personal opinion and I don't engage anyone with it, but pay attention on the people and on the organizations an NGO is working with.

Who are theirs sponsors?

Another very important question to ask yourself while looking at an NGO's website. By understanding who the sponsors of the organization are, you can see a lot about their functioning. Look for the main origin of their funds – are private companies and organizations the major fundraisers or public donations (donations from the government)?

Many people may think that if an NGO is getting money from the government that means that they “work” with it. Well, this is not really how it is. NGOs who get the most part of their money from the government actually, are more likely to work for people's interests than those, who get their money from private donations (companies, big and small businesses).

The reality is that when you make donations to an NGO, no matter if you a physical person or a private one, you have tax relieves. That means that you pay less taxes at the end of the year. Many companies got that a long time ago and this is a way for them to make donations and pay less taxes. You can think that this is ok, if they give their money for a good cause. The thing is that sometimes the money they donate is money they got illegally and they can not report in their tax form. So, what do they do? They donate the illegal money they got in a certain way (or a part of it) to an NGO. It seems to be a win-win relationship. Except that first, you should ask yourself if an entity which fights against injustice and tries to “change the world” should accept illegal money. For me it is a contradiction and a question of moral values. And then, do not forget that when someone makes a big donation, they will often want something back. They will have the power over the projects the NGO leads and they will want to exercise this power in order to get particular results. At the end, the NGO is completely powerless and has to obey. The company has the possibility to take control over the organization and pursue theirs own goals.

In other situations, companies create their own NGOs like affiliates to their main business. The previous schema applies again.

You can not be 100% sure that all companies and businesses will want to take control over the organization they make a donation to, but you don't have to forget that business is business and in business money is very important. The more you have the better. When it comes to non-governmental organizations it is a little bit different. Money is still important, but being able to make a change in the society by the projects you lead, it should be more important.

So, my advice is to also make a research on the sponsors and always know that if an NGO is getting the biggest part of theirs funds from private donations, maybe you have to pay attention because here there is something else than only changing the world. With public donations, at least, you know that the money comes from the government (=from the citizens) and that means that the organization applied for this money, filled an application form and was waiting for a decision. The business relationship does not exist in this scenario.

Do they have a financial record on their website?

Every trustworthy organization will make their financial record public on their website, so everybody could take a look at it. If they didn't publish it you can ask them to send it to you. If they don't do it, watch out! Something is wrong. An NGO does not have to hide this kind of information from theirs volunteers or fundraisers. In my opinion, this is the best way to see if an organization is trustworthy. You can see anything on the record – the money they got, when, how much, how they spent it, how much money theirs employees get, how the organization spend their money, on what, how much a particular project did cost etc. They need to have a very detailed financial record! You can take a look at it and see if everything looks normal to you.

Do they make you pay for something?

Volunteering is free. Although, some NGOs may ask for a membership to be a volunteer. This is normal and good to do. This is one of theirs ways to “earn” some money. Normally, the memberships are not expensive. You pay it once per year and it gives you many opportunities like receiving the NGOs newsletter or/and newspaper, going to their workshops and trainings for free or cheaper (if they do some), participating to theirs conferences and so on.

However, often I see on the Internet volunteering offers from “NGOs” making you pay some enormous amounts of money so you could join them and be their volunteer. I have to tell you immediately that this is not normal! If you want to be a volunteer in a foreign country, the NGO could make you pay for your stay ( accommodation and food, your visa, maybe your flight tickets, but if you are going to work for them as a volunteer, normally they have the budget to pay the flight tickets) and that's it! So pay attention and see if the money they ask looks accurate to the expenses you think you would have done if you had to go and stay in this country on your own.

In many countries like India, for example, NGOs is a huge business. People pay crazy money to be volunteers there and they don't even realize that the organization is making money this way.

So, if an NGO is making you pay for something, ask questions. Ask a detailed answer why they ask for exactly this amount of money and what they are going to do with it, how are they going to use it, what for?

Start volunteering, get to know the team.

The best way to know if an organization is for you, is to start volunteering and see. This will allow you to meet the team and work with them. Then you could directly ask them all the questions about the NGO, the money they get, how they get it, theirs actions and values. How do you feel working with this NGO? Do you like it? Do you like the team? Do they ask for your opinion? Do not be shy to ask questions. NGOs and their work must be based on transparency.

For me, as a person who works a lot with volunteers, it is very important that they feel good while they are with us. That means that I always try to ask for their point of view on the things we do and make them a part of the team. If someone doesn't feel comfortable doing something, they just don't have to do it. This is the good part of being a volunteer – you have the freedom to leave whenever you want.

Volunteering does not have to feel like a job, neither working for an NGO.

This is maybe a little bit personal, but for me working for an NGO has to be first, a life-choice and after that a job. I know people who work for big organizations, earn crazy money (you should ask yourself questions about that) and who barely care about the society or the world we live in. They see their work for the NGO like any other kind of a job. For me this is not the case and I am always upset if I have to work with people who don't believe in their organization's values or just don't care. I think that this is maybe the last question you should look for when you choose an NGO to make a donation for or to be a volunteer at.

For me it is a crucial point if the employees of an organization are there because they are motivated and they genuinely want to make this world a better place. If they are not, I am out! Maybe it's extreme, but for me it is against the basic goals of an NGO. Now it is up to you to see where you would like to put your time and/or money.

So there you are, you have the most important, in my opinion, points and questions that you have to look for and try to answer while looking for a non-governmental organization. Now you know that NGOs could be a huge business but you can always figure it out before investing your time and money in it. There are many NGOs out there who really try to make a change in the world. Unfortunately, often they are not the most popular ones. A life advice that I can give you is that you always have to ask questions no matter what you are looking for – an NGO, a job, a house, a partner. This is the only way to understand if this is a good match for you. Know that non-profits and NGOs are an incredible way to change the world and to defend people's rights and make every person being heard and understood. You can also make a change by taking action! Peace, Elena

You can also check my articles about volunteering, how I got into it and how it changed my life :

How did volunteering change my life?

How does volunteering make you become a better person?