Strona główna - ngo.pl

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FUNCTIONS

• expression of aspirations and interests
  Organizations enable people with similar interests to act together, enriching their lives and the life of their community.
• formation and diversification of public opinion - opinion-forming activities
  Social organizations promote diversity, diversify opinions, which promotes the formation of alternative views on various issues.
• advocacy for minority interests - advocacy
  Organizations advocate for the rights of social groups, including minorities or discriminated groups. Some of them represent the interests of their members (trade unions, veterans' circles), the interests of minorities (sexual, political, ethnic or religious), as well as “status minorities” (e.g., the homeless or women).
• concern for the common good
  Some organizations uphold the common good, in the non-governmental world they are even sometimes called watchdog organizations. These are, for example, environmental organizations, organizations engaged in anti-corruption activities or monitoring the conduct of the administration (watchdog), human rights.
• social integration
  Non-governmental organizations help people or groups at risk of marginalization integrate in society (e.g. the long-term unemployed or the disabled). In this way, the NGOs foster the development of the marginalized people's trust in democratic institutions and teach them to cooperate. Organizations also undertake activities that aim to raise the standard of living of groups with low economic or social status. This allows low-income people access to goods and services that would otherwise be beyond their reach.
• initiating social change
  Organizations contribute to changes of a systemic nature, such as the emergence of legal changes. In Poland, an example of this type of impact is the enactment of the Social Employment Act in June 2003, inspired by organizations working with the homeless and addicts.
• complementing state action
  Organizations strive to fill gaps in the public system of health, education, social services or culture, which is why their existence is so important for improving the quality of life of citizens and providing them with goods and services adequate to their needs, adapted to their local situation. An example is small schools, which are run by associations and operate where it is not profitable for municipalities to run them.
• leadership education
  NGOs are schools of democracy. They teach participation in public debate and how to confront one's own interests with those of others in accordance with democratic rules. Equally important, they shape social leaders and efficient managers.

 ECONOMIC FUNCTIONS

• employment
  The non-governmental sector provides jobs. In Western European countries, this rate is quite high: in Belgium or the Netherlands it reaches about 10 - 14% of all employees. In Poland, this function of the sector is still underdeveloped. According to a recent study by the Klon/Jawor Association, 20% of Polish NGOs employ workers on the basis of an employment contract, while 45% of organizations do not employ workers at all (neither on the basis of employment contracts nor civil law agreements).
• school of future employment
  The NGO sector trains future employees. NGOs use volunteer labor. In this way, they educate future employees, not only in their field, but also by passing on good models: commitment to work, responsibility, creativity and self-reliance.
• service delivery
  Similarly to commercial entities and public administration institutions, NGOs provide a variety of services. This is especially true of services of a social nature (e.g. health) or public services (e.g. education). These services are part of every citizen's entitlements, and are often free of charge. Other services can include catering to the needs of groups that have little purchasing power and are therefore unattractive to the market, as well as certain services, provision of which requires trust. NGOs are generally better at these types of activities than companies or government institutions. The higher quality of services offered is due to the fact that the services offered by NGOs tend to be cheaper, the organizations are quicker to adapt to the needs of the people they serve, and have a better understanding of their needs.
• monitoring the use of public goods
  Organizations act as custodians of public goods managed by the administration. Public goods include, for example, street lighting, but also public order or a clean environment. Organizations make sure that these goods are used appropriately, that access to them is equitable, and that they are not exploited (this function of NGOs - especially in the sphere of ecology - is sometimes referred to as promoting sustainability).
• proposing innovative solutions
  NGOs often propose completely unconventional, new forms of action. The innovativeness of their activities lies primarily in their ability to create procedures, behavior patterns and organizational models that grow naturally out of the environment in which they are introduced.
• reducing spending on social benefits
  The third sector, to a large extent, consists of organizations working for the inclusion of marginalized groups in social life, working with so-called “difficult clients,” people who are highly dependent on state social welfare institutions. Thus, from the perspective of the state budget, the activities of organizations may mean less spending on social benefits, less employment in the informal economy or lower expenses on health care.
• indirect support for economic development - creating “social capital”
  The third sector builds social capital, thus indirectly supporting economic development.