Non-governmental organizations: roles, structures, and impact

NGOs

A Comparative Discussion of Three NGOs

The discussion hereafter considers three highly distinct Non-Government Organizations (NGO), all of which work absent of political imperatives or pubic pressure in order to address some of the most pressing humanitarian issues impacting the people of the global community. Issues such as poverty, pollution, access to survival amenities and freedom of war, abuse or political oppression will drive the orientation of NGOs, with those selected for consideration here representing a suitable cross-section of these concerns.

I selected Charity: Water both because of the importance of its mission and the sheer enormity of its task. The ambition to bring clean, safe drinking water to people in parts of the world where this staple of survival is scarce strikes me as an extremely important one with the capacity to save and extend many lives. With respect to saving lives, my selection of Amnesty International would be made because of the organization's vaunted reputation for doing just that. As a prominent NGO with a well-recognized name, Amnesty International is an example of an NGO engaging in extremely challenging work for a sustained period of time. In this regard, it should be thought of as a model for success in this sector. And, in light of the extremely pressing importance of environmental end ecological issues today, I have selected Carbon Trust for consideration. The organization's priorities in the face of issues such as climate change and ecological degradation make it a valuable group today.

Discussion:

According to its informational website, Charity: Water was founded in 2006 by Scott Harrison in New York City. (CW, p. 1) Harrison describes himself as a former nightclub promoter who traveled to West Africa in the name of Christian charity. Observing so many individuals suffering from disease, from starvation and from a lack of medical attention inspired Harrison to work to bring potable drinking and bathing water to people living in such settings. According to the Charity: Water's mission, the goals of the NGO are individually modest even as the broader issue of global potable drinking water is an extremely daunting one. The text reports that "Now, make a decision to help. We're not offering grand solutions and billion dollar schemes, but instead, simple things that work. Things like freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters. For about $20 a person, we know how to help millions." (Harrison, p. 1)

The primary source of funding for Charity: Water comes in the form of personal contributions. According to its annual report from 2010, the NGO neared a new high of almost $6 million by the end of the year. (CW1, p. 1) Support from celebrities such as Will Smith and the success of this years annual charity ball also figure into this sum.

This is a model not unlike that employed also by Amnesty International. Amnesty International describes itself as a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to research on human rights abuses, action on humanitarian crises and the proliferation of global justice. (AI, 1) Originating in London but beginning operations all over the world in 1961, its primary focus is in the developing sphere, where humanitarian crises are often symptomatic of larger economic, political and ethnic strife. Its mission is to ensure that all nations and their people are adherent to the conditions called for by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other global treatise concerning humanitarian matters.

With respect to funding, much like Charity: Water, Amnesty International is highly dependent upon the generosity of private donors. According to its own informational website, "these personal and unaffiliated donations allow AI to maintain full independence from any and all governments, political ideologies, economic interests or religions. We neither seek nor accept any funds for human rights research from governments or political parties and we accept support only from businesses that have been carefully vetted." (AI, p. 1) With roughly 3 million supporters, members and donors, AI maintains a highly variable and flexible operating budget.

This is also true of Carbon Trust, even though this agency does operate with some patronage from government groups. Founded in 2001 in the United Kingdom and headquartered in London, Carbon Trust is an NGO designed to respond to the rising threat of global climate change due to industrial practices. Its mission is to both engage in research and deveolopment for cleaner technologies and to help provide companies with the resources to enact sweeping green changes in operational orientation. This NGO draws the majority of its operating budget, according to its informational website, from the support of government departments such as the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Business.

While Amnesty International does maintain a staff of executive officers who are compensated commensurate to many corporate operations, it, like Charity: Water, receives much of its labor from volunteer work. Carbon Trust is oriented more like a traditional corporation, with its current CEO possessing considerable experience in the energy industry as an executive officer with Shell.