Page 61 - Proceeding 2015

PĂCE?ILĂ Mihaela FAMP
INVOLVEMENT OF NGOS IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY CCASP

organizations that originate in the industrialized countries, and the former refers to organizations that
operate in underdeveloped areas (Lewis, 2009). Another distinction regards the membership forms of
NGO. On the one hand there are community-based organizations or people’s organizations, and on the
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 11 TH ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
other hand intermediary forms of NGO also called grassroots support organizations. As regards
resources, some NGOs are rich while others struggle to survive from one year to another (Lewis and

Kanji, 2009).

Some NGOs have permanent well-trained staff and low level of volunteering, while others have a high
rate of volunteering or rely almost entirely on volunteers (USAID, 2009).

With respect to motivations and values, some NGOs are paternalistic, trying to respond quickly to people's

problems (Brown and Kalegaonkar, 2002), while others promote a radical approach to problems and
identify solutions having long term effects. However, it is sometimes possible that one single organization

incorporate all these features (Lewis and Kanji, 2009).

30 th – 31 st October 2015 ”Strategic Management for Local Communities” Bucharest a “benevolent” one. The former aims to maximize funding through grants and contracts. The latter is
Gauri and Fruttero (2003) highlight two accounts of NGO motivation: a so-called “opportunistic” one and

aimed at reducing poverty and improving living conditions for people with disabilities. Therefore, NGOs
could be classified into benevolent and pragmatic. If they choose to perform in poor areas, they should
pay attention because the risk of failure is very high, putting in danger the flow of funds from donors.

According to Clark (1991), most researchers have concluded that there are six categories of NGOs: relief
and welfare agencies, technical innovation organizations, public service contractors, popular
development organizations, grass-roots development organizations and advocacy groups and networks.

Unfortunately, this classification does not allow differentiation of NGOs depending on functions, ownership
and scale of operations.

In 1996, Salamon and Helmut developed the International Classification of Non-profit Organizations by

taking into account the third sector organizations in different countries. By means of this classification they
proposed a series of criteria that should be taken into account when categorizing NGOs from all levels.
The system put forward by Salamon and Helmut identified 12 major activity groups by using economic

activity as a key for selection: culture and recreation, education and research, health, social services,
environment, development and housing, law, advocacy and politics, philanthropic intermediaries and
voluntarism promotion, international, religion, business and professional associations, unions, not

elsewhere classified.

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