Encyklopedia Administracji Publicznej MW Pivot Skin

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION (NGO) – is a legal form of citizens’ organising that allows to realize the constitutional right to associate. NGOs (third sector organisations) are located between the public sector (public administration) and private sector (business enterprises). The constitutive feature of NGOs is independence of government bodies and not-for-profit activities. The NGO sector includes many subjects that assume different legal forms (→ foundations, → associations). In Poland, NGOs are legal persons or organisations without legal personality established under the rules of law, including foundations and associations, that are not acting for the purpose of gaining profit, and are not → public finance sector entities, within the meaning of the regulations on public finances. Organisations that can be considered NGOs include also political parties, trade unions, and entities without legal personality, for example simple associations, student bodies at universities, the farmer’s wives’ association. NGOs do not include entities from the public finance sector (e.g., local-government units, state higher education institutions), organisations whose purpose is to perform activities aimed at gaining profit, churches and religious organisations, local government units’ associations. In democratic political regimes one of the goals of NGOs is supporting the state in fulfilling its basic missions. NGOs notice and act in all situations when public administration, for many objective reasons, is unable to or is incapable of dealing with important social needs. Having the necessary knowledge, experience and competences, NGOs support the public administration and local government units in performing public tasks. The cooperation may take form of financial (grants) as well as non-financial (consultations, advisory groups and teams) support [ A. Bejma ].