NGO Guidelines for Good Policy and Practice (Commonwealth Foundation): Part I: NGOs: what they are and what they do: 3. NGOs defined: 3.3 Is ''NGO'' the right term?

NGO Guidelines for Good Policy and Practice (Commonwealth Foundation)

Part I: NGOs: what they are and what they do

3. NGOs defined

		(introduction...)
		3.1 Diverse current ways of defining NGOs
		3.2 Defining ''NGO'' for the purposes of this report.
		3.3 Is ''NGO'' the right term?

3.3 Is ''NGO'' the right term?

There is sometimes an uneasiness about the use of the term NGO. It is a negative term, defining organisations by what they are not, rather than by what they are. In some countries non-governmental is taken to imply anti-governmental. Some people therefore prefer the use of terms such as voluntary organisation, private voluntary organisation, or the American terms non-profit organisation or not-for-profit organisation.