NGO Regulation Network

The contribution of the general public and funders in an effective regulatory system

Funders and the general public can be a huge asset in promoting good practices in NGOs and safeguarding them against misuse. This potential needs to be mobilised by effective “NGO good practice” awareness-raising campaigns, alongside a government (and NGO) commitment to making information publicly available. In some countries, public watchdog organisations are comparing the performance of NGOs, how much they spend on administration etc. Public, online, due diligence and research tools like Guidestar are also becoming more widely used – in time they may become a requirement. Ultimately these efforts will help increase public confidence and trust in NGOs and encourage charitable giving.

Useful links and resources

• ActionAid's Accountability, Learning and Planning System (ALPS) lays out a framework for involving communities and partner organisations closely in all aspects of ActionAid's programme work, including planning, budgeting, monitoring and reviewing. The approach puts poor people at the centre stage in learning, analysing and responding to their own situation. Key elements of ALPS are its emphasis on accountability to the poor, particularly women and girls, rather than just to donors, and its goal of sharing information freely between ActionAid and the people with whom it works.
• Keystone seeks to influence development practice through a normative model of civil society accountability that requires civil society organizations to be inclusive in their engagement with stakeholders and transparent and open in their public reporting. In particular, Keystone requires that civil society organizations report publicly and accurately what stakeholders say about their work. See the 4 core propostions upon which Keystone's work is based and Keystone's tools.
• The Charity Commission's safer giving campaign: aims to raise public awareness about safe ways to donate to charity and stamping out fraudulent collections which have nothing to do with genuine good causes
• The Charity Commission's compliance campaign: encouraged the public and others to call charities registered in England and Wales to account
• Institute of Fundraising - the professional membership body for UK fundraisers, working to promote the highest standards in fundraising practice and management - produces codes of fundraising practice. The UK Donor's Charter, sets out the standards a donor can expect from fundraisers and organisations
• Guidestar (US) provides detailed information on all 1.5 million nonprofit organisations operating in the US  which are formally registered with the IRS or have proven they meet all IRS criteria for exempt organizations. Have a look at the Donor's 10-step Guide to Giving Wisely.
• Guidestar UK is an independent charity set up to provide a single, easily accessible source of detailed information about every charity and voluntary organisation in the UK
• The Resource Alliance's mission is to build the fundraising and local resource mobilisation capacity of the voluntary sector worldwide. It's vision is of a strong voluntary sector throughout the world, working to the highest ethical standards of accountability and stewardship
• East African Association of Grantmakers: the philosophical foundation of the Association is to promote philanthropy and a culture of giving in East Africa through harnessing local resources and also establish gateway and relationships on which foreign funders can support grantmaking in East Africa. To promote philanthropy, the Association established a code of ethics, which guides members in their grantmaking activities to ensure effective development.
• Management Accounting for NGOs (MANGO) guidance for donors. MANGO highlights that donors play a crucial role in helping NGOs strengthen their financial management and use funds effectively
• Give India is an online donation platform that aims to help people  make donations more efficiently and effectively, to the causes they want to support. It is an initiative of GIVE Foundation, a not-for-profit Indian organization that promotes "giving" by helping good nonprofits raise funds, and by promoting greater transparency and accountability in the nonprofit sector