The 21st Century NGO

In the Market for Change

26 Jun 2003 – Publication

• With global reach, powerful brands, and a mission to hunt out corporate malpractice, NGOs can powerfully influence the marketplace and climate for business – either as high profile challengers or as partners in finding new solutions. Our research explores the future for NGOs, how they will increasingly do business, and the challenges that their ‘markets’ increasingly present.

• The not-for-profit sector is now valued at over $1 trillion a year globally and as a result attracts growing attention. SustainAbility’s seventh survey of this sector concludes that many international NGOs stand on the edge of a huge opportunity space to massively increase their impact by focusing their efforts on reforming market systems, rather than simply confronting them.

• The 21st Century NGO explores questions around the relationships between NGOs AND businesses as well as questions around the operation of NGOs AS businesses.

• The research involved input from over 200 experts from NGOs, businesses, foundations and other organisations, and concluded that, while markets and business engagement represent an enormous opportunity for NGOs, in order to exploit this NGOs will have to address critical challenges around their accountability, financing and partnerships.

• Read more