Nongovernmental organization (NGO).

A nongovernmental organization (NGO) is a social enterprise that is formally independent of the state and created by individuals on a voluntary basis in order to address a particular social issue or issues. NGOs play an important role in keeping democracy intact by monitoring government actions in the sphere of interest, distributing information to public stakeholders, and mobilizing social campaigns. NGOs vary by size and power, organization and management, and broad representation enables them to monitor many problems in the world at global, state, and community levels, operating in both democratic and authoritarian regimes alike. However, transnational NGOs have been accused of being a corporate mafia; rather than trying to solve a problem, it is said, they want it to continue to justify their existence. In addition, many NGOs are dependent on funding, so they may prioritize implementing donor's goals rather than those important to the recipient communities. Finally, NGOs have been accused of imposing a Western-style liberal model of state-society relations, which may not fit everywhere around the world.