“There is little question that the absence of a vital nonprofit sector has contributed to the depth of economic problems in many of these developing countries. Where a for the profit sector is nascent and the nonprofit sector is nonexistent, the full weight of economic activities falls on the public sector.
There is no buffer, no independent sector to substitute or reinforce governmental social programs; and no third sector to nurture and cradle new ideas or to which certain costs of research and development can be shifted until they become commercially viable and therefore able to attract investors.
Professor Bryce defines nonprofits organizations as “economic institutions”. He argues that adjectives such as charity and benevolent define the mission and economic defines the organization. “...therefore, a nonprofit or an association is an economic institution with a charitable or a benevolent mission...”
Unfortunately, most people continue to view nonprofits as purely charitable organizations. They believe that nonprofits exist simply to meet benevolent needs and cannot and should not make a profit; however, laws do not restrict nonprofits to that narrow definition.
Civil Society, NGOs or nonprofits organizations exist under law to lessening the burdens of government by providing social and welfare programs for communities that includes: community health; educational services; developing marketable skills; erecting and maintaining public buildings, monuments or works of art; advancing religion and ethics; lessening tensions within and among communities; eliminating prejudice and discrimination, defending human and civil rights through legal means, combat community deterioration and juvenile delinquency; and relief of the poor and distressed. The measure of a successful community is determined by how well these services are provided for community members.
Governments are “limited” in the extent to which they can tax citizens to provide programs, services and make improvements to infrastructure.
Donations and contributions received by Civil Society Organizations, NGOs or nonprofit organizations are a form of voluntary tax in cases where donors are giving in return for tax benefits received from government. They are an investment in cases where donors want to show appreciation and support for work being carried out to compensate when and where government falls short.
VillageDirect.Org provides a template that is “FREE” to be used by anyone or an opportunity for like minded individuals and organizations to “PARTNER”, share resources and reduce fixed costs in support of accomplishing the Millennium Development Goals.
The facts are, most local civil society organizations and enterprises in Millennium Development Goal target countries lack the cultural and institutional knowledge, and the skills needed to accomplish the goals by 2015 without:
(a) engaging in some form of partnership with a foreign partner;
(b) foreign consultants;
(b) imported goods, products and machinery.
They are further hampered by:
(a) the nonexistence of tax policies to support charitable giving;
(b) limited private sector activity to provide taxable revenues to government that will impact programs;
(c) inefficient taxing policies and programs that consequently limit tax collection;
(c) and limited or no cultural history and experiences with the roles and benefits “philanthropy” offers in creating a Civil Society.
Supporting the Millennium Development Goals is vital not simply for global justice, human rights, economic development and business opportunities.
Support is also vital for ensuring national security, international security and global peace.
As emphasized by the report by the United Nations High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges, and Change; failure to address the issues in the Millennium Development Goals will negatively impact everyone; in both rich and poor countries.
Poverty creates the conditions necessary to ignite and sustain conflicts. Investing in economic development plays an important role in reducing the probability of conflicts:
A farmer without basic infrastructure and access to agricultural markets will likely engage in narcotics production and trade.
The existence of slums creates unrest and a cycle of poverty, and the lack of economically opportunities leads to increases criminal activity and violence.
Weak governments in poor countries invite rebels to grab land, vital resources and threaten legitimately elected governments.
Population migrations and displacements resulting for scarce resources and conflicts create further conflicts between social groups.
Faced with a hopeless and uncertain future, young people often turn to violence for material gain.
