In the whole civilized world, non-profit organizations, being structures detached from the harsh influence of the authorities, help solve social problems of citizens. What is NPO, well know in our country. These are separate organizations whose activities do not imply profit, but are aimed at realizing tasks related to cultural, educational, charitable, social, scientific goals.
The purpose of the work of NPOs is to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, to develop the sphere of physical culture and to promote a healthy lifestyle, and to satisfy the intangible needs of people. In addition, the functioning of individual organizations promotes control over the implementation of the legislative function of the Government.
In order to generally understand what NPOs are, you need to realize the need for the existence of such structures. They play the role of an intermediary between the managerial level and ordinary citizens with the common goal of achieving public goods.
NPOs in Russia are a special area of activity. They are mainly represented by foundations and associations, various unions and associations of citizens, budgetary institutions and non-profit partnerships. Statistics show that up to 500 thousand of such organizations are now functioning in the Russian Federation. Of these, 216 are foreign (about 40 from the USA, the rest from Italy, Spain, Germany, Canada, France, Great Britain and several other countries).
Particular attention should be paid to the method of financing the activities of non-profit organizations. Some of them receive funds from conscious citizens in the form of donations, however, mainly various grants pay for their work. NGOs receiving money from abroad have recently undergone more careful monitoring; for them, there are separate restrictions on the creation of regional branches. In addition, such organizations more often become objects of all kinds of checks. For example, in the spring of this year, the activity of about 100 subjects of non-commercial activity was inspected.
So what is an NPO? Should they be trusted and are they not foreign agents whose purpose is not to improve our lives, but to impose on us a foreign culture and motivation?
It was these issues that became relevant after the entry into force of the law on non-profit organizations. For example, the need for registering NPOs whose work is related to politics and financed from abroad as “foreign agents” became an innovation. This immediately led to discussions that the Government was trying to “put pressure” on the work of organizations that monitor the conduct of elections.
On the other hand, the results of sociological studies show that Russian citizens themselves have already answered the question of what NPOs are, and they have great confidence in them: half of the respondents are ready to participate in various meetings, one third are volunteers, and a quarter - initiate the creation of new organizations.