The World Bank defines non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) as private organizations that pursue activities to relieve the suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development (http://lnweb90.worldbank.org/oed/oeddoclib.nsf/.../$file/LP18.pdf). Mostly commonly associated with the United Nations (UN), NGOs are most comprehensively organized through the World Association of Non‐Governmental Organizations (WANGO), an international organization which works to unite and support organizations independent of government worldwide. Organizations – NGOs, affiliates (intergovernmental bodies, government agencies, corporations, and public universities), and individuals can join WANGO, and are then served by its mission – connecting organizations to solve world issues.
The International Headquarters of WANGO is located in the US, north of New York City. The Africa Regional Secretariat is in Nigeria, and the other contact listed is the Office of United Nations Affairs, also in New York. Of the six chapters, four are in Africa. Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic are the other countries involved. Members may also belong to a chapter. Serving all NGOs, the Worldwide NGO Directory, under the NGO Resources, offers a clickable map to search organizations by region, which can then be focused by country or area of activity. Organizations can also be searched by keyword – mission, area of focus, location, etc. This includes NGOs worldwide that are not necessarily WANGO members, but in order to be included an application must be submitted. There is also a directory of WANGO members. The University of California at Berkeley also maintains a Google search engine for NGOs by keyword (www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/govinfo/intl/gov_ngos.html).
The website for WANGO serves primarily as a resource for its members, who must login to use some of the pages, but it also offers many resources for non‐members. Google Translate is available on all pages of the site; once a language is selected, the entire website is available in that language. The site is organized by tabs at the top of the pages. Potential members can join as one of the three entities. Procedures for membership are clear and benefits are outlined, including resource sharing and networking, discounts for conferences and publications, and the ability to contribute to the website.
The World Congress of NGOs, or annual conference, its “flagship event”, brings NGO leaders and others together to work on a specific topic, highlighting NGO efforts and the potential of NGO activity. The topic in 2010 was Enhancing Human Dignity: The Role of NGOs, while in 2005 it was NGOs: Forces for Peace. The 2010 conference was also an online conference. There is no mention of an event in 2011. Awards are presented at the conferences in the areas of peace and security, education, environment and human rights. Recipients of awards and photos are listed under the awards tab.
WANGO offers a Code of Ethics for NGOs, “a set of fundamental principles and operational principles and standards … to help guide nonprofit and non‐governmental organizations worldwide to ethically and transparently govern their operations”. All non‐profits, NGOs, etc. are invited to sign up on this part of the site, to support ethics and certain conduct. Supporters are highlighted on the top page using a scrolling script. All subscribers will receive The NGO News, communicating updates on ethics, donor relations, etc.
A free subscription service is also available to organizations offering the following:
NGO management, strategic planning, networking, grant writing and grant opportunities, fundraising tips, UN news and views, and developments in the non‐governmental sector, and also select electronic copies of the WANGO newsletter, Beyond Boundaries, updates on the Code of Ethics and Conduct for NGOs and special projects.
The NGO resources page also offers grant writing advice via a form where questions can be posted, and answered by Dr Michael Gershowitz. Both questions and answers are listed.
Sharing Resources is available to all, but only members are able to contribute. It is a place to post a topic and network. The documents section lists primarily United Nations documents, including the UN Charter, 1945; Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, etc. These link either to a.PDF or to the UN website. There is no indication as to how WANGO relates to the United Nations and these specific publications, and a statement as to this would be useful (the networking and partnership section in the handbook does give some overview of UN bodies). News 2011, also on the top page, relates to current events, such as polio outbreak in the democratic republic of congo, disaster aid for Japan, and world's coral reefs at risk, at the time of this review. Grants, conferences, and fundraising topics are also highlighted. The links section includes websites of large foundations, such as the Ford Foundation and the United Way. Most of the links are for the UN system, its programmes, and specialized agencies (e.g. Food and Agricultural Organization).
WANGO publications include conference proceedings, position papers, monographs and reports. Without a login, two publications are available in full‐text. Conference proceedings must be purchased, and a sample newsletter of the Association, Beyond Boundaries, is available in PDF.
The handbook section is a website unto itself (www.ngohandbook.org). It uses MediaWiki, a free software open source wiki package. Divided into 14 sections that break down into more specific outlines, it lists fundamentals for WANGO, and related organization can benefit as well. Login is required to access all links. It includes a NGO overview, legal and financial information, fundraising (sources, etc.), marketing, project management, networking and partnership, strategic planning (SWOT analysis), accountability and ethics, and how to start an NGO. This is an excellent resource and format, offering a foundation of materials and allowing for members to contribute, etc.
NGOs have a great capacity to contribute to issues worldwide. WANGO is to be recognized in its effort to unite NGOs and to facilitate and guide their work. A greater coordination with the United Nations would further strengthen its mission.
