In order to understand the landscape of Chinese philanthropy, we'll be regularly covering here some "vocabulary lessons" on common terms that might not be familiar to everyone. We'll also include the Chinese characters and pronunciation where applicable. Feel free to also send us requests for terms you'd like us to cover. Don't worry--there will not be a test!
This first lesson is everyone's favorite oxymoron in the Chinese nonprofit sector.
n. Government Operated
Non-Governmental Organization
政府组织的非政府组织--Zheng Fu Zu Zhi de Fei Zheng Fu Zu Zhi
No
concrete definition exists for GONGOs in China and they take numerous forms. In
general, GONGOs exist to forward a government sponsored cause. According
to a report on environmental GONGOs by the Wilson Center,
GONGOs across different countries were originally formed to:
- Receive assistance from multilateral, bilateral or international NGOs
- Strengthen technology and information support
- Solve new problems
In China, GONGOs evolved in the mid-1990s as a hybrid between government agencies and NGOs and address a broad spectrum of social needs. They exist at three different levels: national, provincial, and county. It is unclear how many GONGOs are in China, but sources say the numbers surely exceed 2,000. At least two specific types of GONGOs exist: "social organizations" (which in turn has 5 subcategories) and "affiliated units." There are also secondary GONGOs (erji danwei) which are organized under the umbrella of existing GONGOs. Here is a short list of GONGOs in China taken from China Crossroads:
China Charity Federation
Beijing Charity Association
Soong Ching Ling Foundation
China Welfare Institute
China Foundation for Disabled Persons
China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation
China Women Development Foundation
China Youth Care Foundation
China Children and Teenagers’ Fund
China Foundation for Guangcai Program
China Education Development Foundation
A handful of GONGOs in China have the ability to issue tax-deductible receipts for donors, which is a rare and unique right in China's evolving charitable sector. If you want to dig in deeper check out articles concerning NGOs/GONGOs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the Wilson Center.
--Georgia
Comments