{"id":13788,"date":"2022-05-12T13:52:19","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T11:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/what-is-an-ngo\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T12:58:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:58:29","slug":"definition-ngo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/","title":{"rendered":"NGOs in Switzerland &#8211; Definition &#038; meaning of non-governmental organizations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.822), 24px);\"><strong>Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) campaign worldwide for human rights, environmental protection, social justice and humanitarian aid. NGOs also play an important role in Switzerland: they raise awareness of social challenges, represent interests independently of states and contribute to sustainable change with projects, campaigns and research. But what exactly is an NGO, how is it financed and how does it differ from an NPO?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Contents<\/strong><br\/><a href=\"#Was-sind-eigentlich-NGOs?\">1 What are NGOs?<\/a><br\/><a href=\"#Aufgaben,-Ziele-&amp;-Struktur-von-Nichtregierungsorganisationen\">2. tasks, goals &amp; structure of non-governmental organizations<\/a><br\/><a href=\"#Der-Unterschied-zwischen-NPOs-&amp;-NGOs\">3. the difference between NPOs &amp; NGOs<\/a><br\/><a href=\"#Die-Bedeutung-von-NGOs-f&#xFC;r-die-Gesellschaft\">4 The importance of NGOs for society<\/a><br\/><a href=\"#Beispiele-f&#xFC;r-NGOs-&amp;-ihre-Wirkungsweisen\">5. examples of NGOs &amp; their modes of action<\/a><br\/><a href=\"#NGOs-in-der-Schweiz\">6. NGOs in Switzerland<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"what-exactly-are-ngos\"  class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Was-sind-eigentlich-NGOs?\">What exactly are NGOs?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Many people are familiar with Greenpeace and the WWF: Images of yellow Greenpeace flags and rubber dinghy protests against whaling ships appear in the mind&#8217;s eye. The logo with the WWF panda bear can be spotted on many a product when shopping. But what exactly are NGOs, what do NGOs do and how do they finance themselves?  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Organizations such as Amnesty International, Caritas, Save the Children and others belong to the so-called <strong>non-governmental organizations<\/strong>, or NGOs for short. These non-governmental organizations (NGOs) represent social interests and act independently of governments and states. NGOs employ specialists as speakers, <a href=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/campaigner-definition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">campaigners<\/a>, fundraisers and administrative staff.  The UN defines NGOs as international organizations that were not established by an intergovernmental agreement.  <\/p>\n\n<h3 id=\"tasks-goals-structure-of-non-governmental-organizations\"  class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Aufgaben,-Ziele-&amp;-Struktur-von-Nichtregierungsorganisationen\">Tasks, goals &amp; structure of non-governmental organizations<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">As civil society <a href=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wer-oder-was-ist-eigentlich-gemeinnuetzig\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">non-profit organizations<\/a>, NGOs pursue <strong>socio-political, social and ecological goals<\/strong>. They often take the legal form of an association or a <a href=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/charitable-foundation-features-guidelines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charitable foundation<\/a>, and some are also registered as charitable limited companies. Topics include environmental and climate protection, humanitarian aid, support for children, women and refugees, prevention of violence, human rights and children&#8217;s rights as well as social justice. More and more NGOs are also basing their work on the so-called <a href=\"https:\/\/spenden.spheriq.ch\/t\/sustainable-development-goals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals<\/strong><\/a>formulated by the UN and aim to work towards their implementation.   In order to assert their interests vis-\u00e0-vis the national and international community, NGOs carry out lobbying work and express their goals in campaigns which, supported by society, are intended to exert pressure on politicians.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Social education, awareness-raising work, advice and protest are some of the means by which an NGO tries to assert its interests vis-\u00e0-vis politicians. Even if an NGO advises governments and is involved in the development of climate protection laws, for example, it still acts <strong>independently of states<\/strong> and governments.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The non-governmental organizations are <strong>financed<\/strong> solely by contributions from their members, <strong>donations <\/strong>from private individuals or funds from <strong>foundations<\/strong>. The state also provides funding for certain NGO projects or studies, but is not allowed to influence the content. This also enables NGOs to sharply criticize laws or the actions of governments. It is important for an NGO to receive regular donations,    <a href=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/fundraising-in-der-schweiz-das-sollten-sie-wissen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/fundraising-in-der-schweiz-das-sollten-sie-wissen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fundraising in Switzerland<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/was-ist-digitales-fundraising-wie-wird-es-erfolgreich-umgesetzt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/was-ist-digitales-fundraising-wie-wird-es-erfolgreich-umgesetzt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">digital fundraising<\/a>. In this way, NGOs remain independent and can bring their interests to the attention of the international community.   <\/p>\n\n<h3 id=\"npo-vs-ngo-the-difference-between-non-governmental-organizations-non-profit-organizations\"  class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Der-Unterschied-zwischen-NPOs-&amp;-NGOs\">NPO vs. NGO: the difference between non-governmental organizations &amp; non-profit organizations<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The terms NGO and NPO, short for: Non-Profit Organization, are often used interchangeably. However, the definitions of NGO and NPO differ in some respects. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">There are five defining characteristics of NPOs:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">1. formally organized<br\/>2. private, i.e. non-governmental<br\/>3. non-profit<br\/>4. self-governing, i.e. legally and organizationally independent<br\/>5. voluntary<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The distinction between the two terms is not always easy, but in principle these differences can be noted:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">&#8211; NGOs focus on political and social issues, whereas NPOs have a broader range of topics, including cultural and religious objectives or the pursuit of their own interests. <br\/>&#8211; NGOs are generally internationally oriented, while NPOs have a national, regional focus.<br\/>&#8211; NPOs are not only financed by donations and grants, but also generate their own financial resources, e.g. as cooperatives, cultural institutions or healthcare facilities. <br\/>&#8211; NGOs are &#8220;do-gooders&#8221;, NPOs generally offer services and goods or focus on the private interests of a group. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>\u2192 In principle, every non-governmental organization is a non-profit organization, but conversely, not every NPO is automatically an NGO.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n<h3 id=\"the-importance-of-ngos-for-society\"  class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Die-Bedeutung-von-NGOs-f&#xFC;r-die-Gesellschaft\">The importance of NGOs for society<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We live in a globalized world: goods, services and finances are interconnected all over the world. While the influence of individual states is declining, large corporations continue to gain power. Problems such as climate change, species extinction, terrorism or the violation of human rights do not stop at national borders. People in need, children in poverty or the treatment of refugees are also transnational issues that are given a platform by NGOs and are recognized by the public. That is why the role of non-governmental organizations is becoming increasingly important. Independent of states and governments, an <strong>NGO criticizes regimes<\/strong> that violate human rights, commit environmental sins or contribute to a worsening of global problems simply by not acting.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Even corporations and companies cannot escape the influence of non-governmental organizations. However, how NGOs publicize their criticism and how they contribute to a change in social, environmental or humanitarian conditions can vary.  <\/p>\n\n<h3 id=\"how-does-a-non-governmental-organization-act-examples-of-well-known-ngos\"  class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Beispiele-f&#xFC;r-NGOs-&amp;-ihre-Wirkungsweisen\">How does a non-governmental organization act? Examples of Well-Known NGOs<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The <strong>different approach of<\/strong> non-governmental organizations is illustrated by the example of the NGOs Greenpeace and the WWF. Both NGOs are organizations that campaign for <strong>environmental protection<\/strong>. This includes the fight against climate change and the destruction of ecosystems as well as the protection of species.  However, how the two non-governmental organizations pursue these goals is very different.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Greenpeace, for example, relies on large-scale <strong>action and activism<\/strong> to achieve its goals. One of the best-known examples is the campaign against whaling, which inspired a great deal of protest in the 1970s. However, the boycott against Shell is also one of the larger actions of the NGO Greenpeace: activists occupied the oil platform of the Shell oil company in the North Sea to prevent it from being sunk. The worldwide protest that was stimulated by the action finally made the company relent. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) is generally less activist and tries to represent its interests through <strong>cooperation and alliances<\/strong>. For example, WWF experts help companies to make production processes more sustainable.  In return, the company is allowed to print the NGO&#8217;s well-known panda logo on its products. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Of course, these are just a few examples of the actions of nature conservation organizations. There is much more to the work of NGOs. A large part of the work of non-governmental organizations is, among other things, the promotion, support and implementation of <strong>research projects<\/strong>. Scientific findings are used to uncover grievances and find solutions for the future.  With their expertise, the NGOs also support governments in <strong>drafting new laws<\/strong> or work closely with<strong> international organizations<\/strong> such as the United Nations. <\/p>\n\n<h3 id=\"ngos-in-switzerland-how-many-ngos-are-there-in-switzerland-where-can-i-find-them\"  class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"NGOs-in-der-Schweiz\">NGOs in Switzerland: How many NGOs are there in Switzerland &amp; where can I find them?<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The number of non-governmental organizations has increased significantly in recent years. In 2022, there were more than 20,000 NGOs worldwide. Numerous well-known NGOs are also active in Switzerland, working for social, humanitarian or environmental causes.  Doctors without Borders, UNICEF Switzerland, Save the Children Switzerland and WWF Switzerland are just a few NGO examples. There are also Swiss NGOs such as Swisscontact.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#ff000078\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div style=\"height:94px;width:91px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer wp-container-content-efddc3b2\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><br\/><strong><strong><strong><strong>Search and find NGOs in Switzerland<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In the Spheriq <a href=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/stiftungsverzeichnis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Foundation Directory<\/a> you will find a list of NGOs based or active in Switzerland. Use the clever search and filter functions to find the organizations that are of interest to you.  The Spheriq <a href=\"https:\/\/spendenschweiz.ch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donation platform<\/a> is the largest of its kind in Switzerland and also offers an overview of interesting non-governmental organizations and projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:35px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:94px;width:11px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer wp-container-content-2fc37c9d\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) campaign worldwide for human rights, environmental protection, social justice and humanitarian aid. NGOs also play an important role in Switzerland: they raise awareness of social challenges, represent interests independently of states and contribute to sustainable change with projects, campaigns and research. But what exactly is an NGO, how is it financed and&#8230;","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[573,574],"tags":[],"post_label":[],"class_list":["post-13788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-sector","category-philanthropy","post_format-post-format-image"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is an NGO? - Meaning, examples, tasks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"NGO Switzerland Meaning &amp; Definition: Non-governmental organization \u2713 What are NGOs &amp; how do they work? \u2713 Examples of NGOs in Switzerland \u2713\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is an NGO? - Meaning, examples, tasks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NGO Switzerland Meaning &amp; Definition: Non-governmental organization \u2713 What are NGOs &amp; how do they work? \u2713 Examples of NGOs in Switzerland \u2713\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spheriq-Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-05-12T11:52:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-12T10:58:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ngo-definition.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"670\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"479\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Spheriq\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@moritz.brunner@spheriq.ch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Spheriq\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Spheriq\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c1b5210582d3134264cbb3afab687bbd\"},\"headline\":\"NGOs in Switzerland &#8211; Definition &#038; meaning of non-governmental organizations\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-12T11:52:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-12T10:58:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/\"},\"wordCount\":1247,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ngo-definition.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"From the sector\",\"Philanthropy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/\",\"name\":\"What is an NGO? - Meaning, examples, tasks\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ngo-definition.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-12T11:52:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-12T10:58:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c1b5210582d3134264cbb3afab687bbd\"},\"description\":\"NGO Switzerland Meaning & Definition: Non-governmental organization \u2713 What are NGOs & how do they work? \u2713 Examples of NGOs in Switzerland \u2713\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ngo-definition.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ngo-definition.jpg\",\"width\":670,\"height\":479,\"caption\":\"Amnesty International Sign human rights \u2013\u00a0NGO Schweiz\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NGOs in Switzerland &#8211; Definition &#038; meaning of non-governmental organizations\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Spheriq-Blog\",\"description\":\"Der Blog f\u00fcr Fundraiser, Stiftungsverwalter, Stiftungsr\u00e4te und alle, die sich f\u00fcr Fragen und Themen rund um den gemeinn\u00fctzigen Sektor interessieren.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c1b5210582d3134264cbb3afab687bbd\",\"name\":\"Spheriq\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32c15d7b258af5830ff3db73c581c6ace096465eb16ac8ed820feb191354fd3c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32c15d7b258af5830ff3db73c581c6ace096465eb16ac8ed820feb191354fd3c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Spheriq\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/moritz.brunner@spheriq.ch\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/author\/stiftungschweiz\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is an NGO? - Meaning, examples, tasks","description":"NGO Switzerland Meaning & Definition: Non-governmental organization \u2713 What are NGOs & how do they work? \u2713 Examples of NGOs in Switzerland \u2713","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is an NGO? - Meaning, examples, tasks","og_description":"NGO Switzerland Meaning & Definition: Non-governmental organization \u2713 What are NGOs & how do they work? \u2713 Examples of NGOs in Switzerland \u2713","og_url":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/","og_site_name":"Spheriq-Blog","article_published_time":"2022-05-12T11:52:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-12T10:58:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":670,"height":479,"url":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ngo-definition.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Spheriq","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@moritz.brunner@spheriq.ch","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Spheriq","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/"},"author":{"name":"Spheriq","@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c1b5210582d3134264cbb3afab687bbd"},"headline":"NGOs in Switzerland &#8211; Definition &#038; meaning of non-governmental organizations","datePublished":"2022-05-12T11:52:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-12T10:58:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/"},"wordCount":1247,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ngo-definition.jpg","articleSection":["From the sector","Philanthropy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/","url":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/","name":"What is an NGO? - Meaning, examples, tasks","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ngo-definition.jpg","datePublished":"2022-05-12T11:52:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-12T10:58:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c1b5210582d3134264cbb3afab687bbd"},"description":"NGO Switzerland Meaning & Definition: Non-governmental organization \u2713 What are NGOs & how do they work? \u2713 Examples of NGOs in Switzerland \u2713","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ngo-definition.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ngo-definition.jpg","width":670,"height":479,"caption":"Amnesty International Sign human rights \u2013\u00a0NGO Schweiz"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/definition-ngo\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NGOs in Switzerland &#8211; Definition &#038; meaning of non-governmental organizations"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/","name":"Spheriq-Blog","description":"Der Blog f\u00fcr Fundraiser, Stiftungsverwalter, Stiftungsr\u00e4te und alle, die sich f\u00fcr Fragen und Themen rund um den gemeinn\u00fctzigen Sektor interessieren.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c1b5210582d3134264cbb3afab687bbd","name":"Spheriq","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32c15d7b258af5830ff3db73c581c6ace096465eb16ac8ed820feb191354fd3c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32c15d7b258af5830ff3db73c581c6ace096465eb16ac8ed820feb191354fd3c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Spheriq"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/moritz.brunner@spheriq.ch"],"url":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/author\/stiftungschweiz\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13788"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18166,"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13788\/revisions\/18166"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13788"},{"taxonomy":"post_label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spheriq.ch\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_label?post=13788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}