Abstract
The social responsibility of nongovernmental organizations starts from the values this sector defends. Despite the social vocation, a question arises as to whether the NGOs organizations are indeed responsible to society. Proponents of social responsibility of NGOs argue that good intentions and desire to do well are not enough to assign a status of social responsible actor to an organization. Through their activities, NGOs should prove their social role, meaning involving in meeting social needs and fighting social inequalities. In addition, they should make alliances with the business community to find solutions to society’s problems and even put pressure on companies to adopt socially responsible behavior. Opponents counter that NGOs are not companies and therefore the concept of social responsibility is not relevant to the nongovernmental sector. Moreover, the non-profit-distributing character and the social nature of their activities give the idea that they are, in essence, socially responsible. In this context, the purpose of the present article is to provide an overview of the existing body of literature on social responsibility of nongovernmental organizations and identify the most relevant papers in the area and the topics of interest. A review of previous literature in the field has been carried out and 67 articles identified in 12 international databases have been investigated. The analysis highlighted that there is an obvious increase in the relevance of this issue within academic environment and several thematic trends arise in the research of the nongovernmental sector’s social responsibility.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acquier A, Gond JP, Pasquero J (2011) Rediscovering Howard Bowen’s legacy: the unachieved agenda and continuing relevance of social responsibilities of the businessman. Bus Soc 50(4):607–646
Andreini D, Pedeliento G, Signori S (2014) CSR and service quality in nonprofit organizations: the case of a performing arts association. Int J Nonprofit Volunt Sect Mark 19(2):127–142
Arenas D, Lozano JM, Albareda L (2009) The role of NGOs in CSR: mutual perceptions among stakeholders. J Bus Ethics 88(1):175–197
Argenti PA, Saghabalyan A (2017) Reputation at risk: the social responsibility of NGOs, a critical view of post - communist environmental NGO impact. Corp Reput Rev 20(1):1–26
Aromataris E, Pearson A (2014) The systematic review: an overview. Synthesizing research evidence to inform nursing practice. Am J Nurs 114(3):53–58
Bailey T, Mouton J (2005) A review of models of research utilization. African SUNMeDIA, Stellenbosch
Barroso-Méndez MJ, Galera-Casquet C, Valero-Amaro V (2014) Partnerships between businesses and NGOs in the field of corporate social responsibility: a model of success from the perspective of relationship marketing. J Relatsh Mark 13(1):1–27
Beck EL, Eichker M (2000) Consensus Organizing. J Community Pract 8(1):87–102
Benedek A, Takács I, Takács-György K (2012) The examination of non-profit and public institutions from the CSR viewpoint. Zarządzanie Publiczne 2(18):47–60
Bower AB, Grau SL (2009) Explicit donations and inferred endorsements. Do corporate social responsibility initiatives suggest a nonprofit organization endorsement? J Advert 38(3):113–126
Bowes JM, Flanagan C, Taylor AJ (2001) Adolescents’ ideas about individual and social responsibility in relation to children’s household work: some international comparisons. Int J Behav Dev 25(1):60–68
Bramer WM, Rethlefsen ML, Kleijnen J, Franco OH (2017) Optimal database combinations for literature searches in systematic reviews: a prospective exploratory study. Syst Rev 6(1):245. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-017-0644-y
Brewis G (2013) Towards a new understanding of volunteering in England before 1960?. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10018258/1/IVR_working_paper_two_history_of_volunteering.Pdf. Accessed 5 June 2019
Brum MC (2003) Governments and Non-governmental Organizations vis-a-vi Corporate Social Responsibility. https://www.jussemper.org/Resources/MCardozoEthicsGovNGOs.pdf. Accessed 5 June 2019
Chang YJ, Chen YR, Wang FTY, Chen SF, Liao RH (2014) Enriching service learning by its diversity: Combining University service learning and corporate social responsibility to help the NGOs adapt technology to their needs. Syst Pract Action Res 27(2):185–193
Coates Nee R (2013) Social responsibility theory and the digital nonprofits: Should the government aid online news startups?. Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism 15(3):326–343
Crampton P, Woodward A, Dowell A (2001) The role of the third sector in providing primary care services - theoretical and policy issues. Soc Policy J N Z 17:1–21
Curbach J (2008) Zwischen Boykott und CSR – Eine Beziehungsanalyse zu Unternehmen und NGOs [Caught between Boycott and CSR – An Analysis of Business-NGO-Relations], Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts-und Unternehmensethik - Journal for Business. Econ Ethics 9(3):368–391
Davis SM, Moosmayer DC (2015) Greening the field? How NGOs are shaping corporate social responsibility in China. J Curr Chin Aff Chin Aktuelle 43(4):75–110
Debeljuh P, Destefano A (2005) A inside look into teaching corporate social responsibility: a practical study with NGOs. J Bus Ethics Educ 2(2):137–150
Delalieux G (2008) Influence des ONG dans la construction des pratiques de RSE et développement durable. Une étude de cas, Mondes en Developpement 36(4): 45–62
Doh J, Guay TR (2004) Globalization and corporate social responsibility: how non-governmental organizations influence labor and environmental codes of conduct. Manag Int Rev 44(2):7–29
Doh JP, Guay TR (2006) Corporate social responsibility, public policy, and NGO activism in Europe and the United States: an institutional-stakeholder perspective. J Manag Stud 43(1):47–73
Drewniak R (2015) Conditions of cooperation between companies and ngos in the field of corporate social responsibility activities: the Polish cases, Problems of Management in the 21st Century 10(2): 62–76
Eckmann M, Rocha A, Wainer J (2012) Relationship between high-quality journals and conferences in computer vision. Int J Multimedia Inf Retr 90(2):617–630
Eid NL, Sabella AR (2014) A fresh approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR): partnerships between businesses and non-profit sectors. Corp Gov Int J Bus Soc 14(3):352–362
Expert Grup (2011) Responsabilitatea socială corporativă în Republica Moldova. Ce poate face guvernul?. https://www.expert-grup.org/ro/biblioteca/item/download/934_41ad32e62b85871f86b4dce70db1b62a. Accessed 5 June 2019
Flórez-Donado J, Angulo Visbal S, Torres-Salazar P, Sarmiento Guzmán G, Ramos Rubio P, Rodríguez-Calderón G, Sánchezfuentes MM, Montero-Campo D, Parra-Barrera S, Acosta Villa CM, Salazar Araujo EJ (2017) Corporate social responsibility, engagement, burnout and satisfaction with life in an NGO in Colombia [Responsabilidad social corporativa, engagement, burnout y satisfacción con la vida en una ONG de Colombia], Espacios 38(54):13
Fontana E (2018) Corporate social responsibility as stakeholder engagement: firm–NGO collaboration in Sweden. Corp Soc Responsib Environ Manag 25(4):327–338
Gálvez MM, Caba MC, López GM (2012) Responsabilidad social y transparencia on-line de las ONG: análisis del caso español. CIRIEC - España, Revista de Economía Pública, Social y Cooperativa 74: 207–238
Gazzola P, Ratti M, Amelio S (2017) CSR and sustainability report for nonprofit organizations. An Italian Best Practice, Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy 5(3): 355–376
Ghalib AK, Agupusi P (2014) Business strategy and corporate responsibility: perception and practice in the oil industry and the role of non-governmental organisations. J Bus Econ Manag 15(5):951–963
Gil-Estallo MÁ, Giner-de-la-Fuente F, Gríful-Miquela C (2006) The strategic social map of a nongovernmental organization. Int Adv Econ Res 12(1):105–114
Grosser K (2016) Corporate social responsibility and multi-stakeholder governance: pluralism, feminist perspectives and Women’s NGOs. J Bus Ethics 137(1):65–81
Guay T, Doh JP, Sinclair G (2004) Non-governmental organizations, shareholder activism, and socially responsible investments: ethical, strategic, and governance implications. J Bus Ethics 52(1):125–139
Hasan R (2011) Reflections on foreign direct investment and development with reference to non-governmental organizations and corporate social responsibility. Crit Sociol 39(1):37–43
Herlin H, Solitander N (2017) Corporate social responsibility as relief from responsibility: NPO legitimizations for corporate partnerships in contested terrains. Crit Perspect Int Bus 13(1):2–22
Holmes S, Smart P (2009) Exploring open innovation practice in firm-nonprofit engagements: a corporate social responsibility perspective. R D Manag 39(4):394–409
Holmes M, Banda D, Chawansky M (2015) Towards sustainable programme design? An examination of CSR initiatives within a Zambian SfD NGO. Int J Sport Manag Mark 16(1–2):36–51
Hox JJ & Boeije HR (2005) Data collection, primary vs. Secondary, Encyclopedia of Social Measurement, 593–599
Huszlak W (2017) CSR practices in relations of enterprises with non-governmental organisations: an example of the cement industry, Research Papers of the Wroclaw University of Economics/Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wroclawiu 464: 43–56
Hyejoon R, Sung-Un Y, Jaejin L (2016) Strategic partnerships with nonprofits in corporate social responsibility (CSR): the mediating role of perceived altruism and organizational identification. J Bus Res 69(9):3213–3219
Ioannidis JPA (2006) Concentration of the Most-cited papers in the scientific literature: analysis of journal ecosystems. Plos one 1(1):e5. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0000005
Jamali D, Keshishian T (2009) Uneasy alliances: lessons learned from partnerships between businesses and NGOs in the context of CSR. J Bus Ethics 84(2):277–295
Jia'Ning Y, Chan KM (2011) How NGOs advance corporate social responsibility in China. Chin Nonprofit Rev 3(1):99–113
Jothi M (2013) Corporate social responsibility initiatives and practices through non-government organizations (an explorative study based on select NGOs in India). J Commer Manag Thought 4(3):672–691
Joutsenvirta M (2011) Setting boundaries for corporate social responsibility: firm-NGO relationship as discursive legitimation struggle. J Bus Ethics 102(1):57–75
Karwacka M, Kitzman K (2014) The socially engaged corporation - attitudes and knowledge related to collaboration with non-governmental organizations, foundations of management, Warsaw, 6(3): 35–46
Khan FR, Westwood R, Boje DM (2010) 'I feel like a foreign agent': NGOs and corporate social responsibility interventions into third world child labor. Hum Relat 63(9):1417–1438
Kourula A, Halme M (2008) Types of corporate responsibility and engagement with NGOs: an exploration of business and societal outcomes. Corp Gov Int J Bus Soc 8(4):557–570
Lauwo SG, Otusanya OJ, Bakre O (2016) Corporate social responsibility reporting in the mining sector of Tanzania: (lack of) government regulatory controls and NGO activism, accounting. Audit Account J 29(6):1038–1074
Lewis D (n.d.) Bridging the gap?: the parallel universes of the non-profit and non-governmental organisation research traditions and the changing context of voluntary action. http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un-dpadm/unpan041244.pdf. Accessed 5 June 2019
Lichtenstein DR, Drumwright ME, Braig BM (2004) The effect of corporate social responsibility on customer donations to corporate-supported nonprofits. J Mark 68(4):16–32
Lin-hi N, Hörisch J, Blumberg I (2015) Does CSR matter for nonprofit organizations? Testing the link between CSR performance and trustworthiness in the nonprofit versus for-profit domain. Voluntas 26(5):1944–1974
Lodsgård L, Aagaard A (2017) Creating value through CSR across company functions and NGO collaborations: a Scandinavian cross-industry case study. Scand J Manag 33(3):162–174
Lopez FAM, Rajagopal (2017) Organisational players' role in CSR: a study of qualifying performance determinants of non-governmental and public sector organisations. Int J Bus Innov Res 12(3):363–376
Łoś-Tomiak A, Dalecka M (2013) The concept of social responsibility in non-governmental organizations. Management 17(2):74–87
Marcuello SC, Marcuello C (2007) NGOs, corporate social responsibility, and social accountability: Inditex vs. Clean Clothes. Dev Pract 17(3):393–403
Moldovan AM, Greenley M, Lakatos SE (2016) Corporate social responsibility, NGOs and business partnerships for social sustainability. Rev Appl Soc-Econ Res 11(1):51–56
Nightingale A (2009) A guide to systematic literature reviews. Surgery (Oxford) 27(9):381–384
Noh JE (2017) The role of NGOs in building CSR discourse around human rights in developing countries. Cosmopolitan Civil Soc 9(1):1–19
Ott C (2009) Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility in profit- and in non-profit-organizations. J Rechtspolit 17(4):255–262
Păceşilă M (2016) Organizații neguvernamentale-nonprofit. De la teorie la practică. Bucureşti: Editura ASE
Păceşilă M (2017) Corporate volunteering: trends, benefits and challenges. Current situation in Romania, Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management 12(2): 19–29
Păceşilă M (2018) The individual social responsibility: Insights from a literature review. Manag Res Pract 10(1):17–26
Paczolay P (2013) Some preliminary reflections on standards and legislation relating to freedom of association and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), https://www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/?pdf=CDL(2013)017-e. Accessed 4 December 2019
Pérez PR (2012) Alianzas público-privadas Para el desarrollo: RSC y relaciones ONGD-empresas [public-private partnerships for development: CSR and business-NGO relationships]. Oñati Socio-Legal Series 2(4): 196–210
Peterson DK (2011) Partner selection for corporate social responsibility efforts: the case of choosing NGO partners using transaction cost analysis and resource dependency. Interdiscip J Contemp Res Bus 2(11):12
Prasad S, Tata J (2015) Being accountable to stakeholders: the role of non-governmental social responsibility communications. Delhi Bus Rev 16(1):31–38
PRISMA (n.d.) Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement. http://www.prisma-statement.org/. Accessed 5 June 2019
Puentes R, Mozas A, Bernal E, Chaves R (2012) E-corporate social responsibility in small non-profit organisations: the case of Spanish 'Non government Organisations. Serv Ind J 32(15):2379–2398
Remund DL, McKeever BW (2018) Forging effective corporate/nonprofit partnerships for CSR programs. J Commun Manag 22(3):309–326
Rey GM (n.d.) Social responsibility and nonprofit organizations. http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.istr.org/resource/resmgr/MunsterAbstracts/Rey_Garcia,_Marta.pdf. Accessed 5 June 2019
Ritvo RA, Feldmane A (2015) Corporate social responsibility in Latvia: building partnerships on public support for NGOs. J Manag Policy Pract 16(2):26–37
Rostam NG, Ansari M, Mahdavinejad M (2018) A scientometric review of citizen participation research: world trend. Theor Empir Res Urban Manag 13(3):37–53
Salamon LM & Sokolowski SW (2006) Employment in America’s charities: a profile. http://www.ccss.jhu.edu/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/09/NED_Bulletin26_2006.Pdf. Accessed 5 June 2019
Salamon LM & Sokolowski SW (2014). The third sector in Europe: towards a consensus conceptualization. https://thirdsectorimpact.eu/site/assets/uploads/documentations/tsi-working-paper-no-2-third-sector-europe-towards-consensus-conceptualization/TSI-Wrkg-Ppr-2-Conceptualiza-fnl-2-17-15-.pdf. Accessed 7 August 2019
Sánchez Fernández MD (2012) Responsabilidad social empresarial: gobernanza corporativa, empresa y ONG [Corporate social responsability: corporate governance, business and NGO]. Oñati Socio-Legal Series 2(3): 139–159
Sanzo M, Álvarez L, Rey M, García N (2015) Business–nonprofit partnerships: a new form of collaboration in a corporate responsibility and social innovation context. Serv Bus 9(4):611–636
Schepers DH (2006) The impact of NGO network conflict on the corporate social responsibility strategies of multinational corporations. Bus Soc 4(3):282–299
Seitanidi MM, Crane A (2009) Implementing CSR through partnerships: understanding the selection, design and institutionalisation of nonprofit-business partnerships. J Bus Ethics 85(2):413–429
Şerban C (2011) Partnership in Social Marketing Programs. Socially Responsible Companies and Non-Profit Organizations’ Engagement in Solving Society’s Problems. Amfiteatru Econ 13(29):104–116
Shanahan KJ, Hopkins CD (2007) Truths, half-truths, and deception - Perceived social responsibility and intent to donate for a nonprofit using implicature, truth, and duplicity in print advertising. J Advert 36(2):33–48
Shen D, Bo JJ (2014) Corporate social responsibility and emancipatory accounting: roles of non-governmental organisations in transformative change in China. Econ Bus J 8(1):96–110
Silva Serra MF (n.d.) Las entidades sin fines de lucro y los principios de responsabilidades social. http://www.aeca1.org/xvencuentroaeca/cd/37j.pdf. Accessed 5 June 2019
Skouloudis A, Evangelinos K, Malesios C (2015) Priorities and perceptions for corporate social responsibility: an NGO perspective. Corp Soc Responsib Environ Manag 22(2):95–112
Smith AD (2011) Corporate social responsibility implementation: comparison of large not-for-profit and for-profit companies. Int J Account Inf Manag 19(3):231–246
Societal (2012) Ghidul Societal. Responsabilitatea socială a ONG-urilor. http://www.societal.ro/useruploads/comuplds/reper21/ghid_societal_-_pdf.pdf. Accessed 5 June 2019
Sthapitanonda P, Watson T (2015) 'Pid thong Lang Phra' - the impact of culture upon Thai CSR concepts and practice: a study of relationships between NGOs and corporations. Asia Pac Public Relat J 16(1):61–72
Stohl M, Stohl C (2010) Human rights and corporate social responsibility: parallel processes and global opportunities for states, corporations, and NGOs. Sustain Account Manag Policy J Bingley 1(1):51–65
Toit JL, Mouton J (2013) A typology of designs for social research in the built environment. Int J Soc Res Methodol 16(2):125–139
Vélez-Romero XA, Cano-Lara ED (2016) Los diferentes tipos de responsabilidad social y sus implicaciones éticas. Cien Soc Políticas 2:117–126
Vidal P (2011) Social responsibility of nonprofit organizations. http://www.deliberaweb.com/dades/documents/874/1317639326.pdf. Accessed 5 June 2019
Vidal P, Torres D, Guix B, Rodriguez MP (2005) The social responsibility of non-profit organisations. A conceptual approach and development of SRO model. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fad9/cd6ae5045a3f243a3678b11b992b850c3d3a.Pdf. Accessed 5 June 2019
Wadham H (2009) Talking across boundaries: business and NGO perspectives on CSR, Sustainable Development and Partnership. J Corp Citizenship 34:57–68
Waqas UM, Quratulain A, Hina UM (2016) A source of employee inspiration through perceived corporate social responsibility, Motivation & Commitment: evidence from NGO sector of Pakistan (AFAQ|Association for Academic Quality). Int J Acad Res Bus Soc Sci 6(2):57–79
Weidenbaum M (2009) Who will guard the guardians? The social responsibility of NGOs. J Bus Ethics 87(Suppl. 1):147–155
Whitehead D (2014) Chinese NGO–firm partnerships and CSR from an institutional perspective. J Curr Chin Aff Chin Aktuelle 43(4):41–74
Wilburn K (2009) A model for partnering with not-for-profits to develop socially responsible businesses in a global environment. J Bus Ethics 85(1):111–120
Yang J, Webber J (2014) Empowering corporate social responsibility in Chinese nongovernmental organizations. J Psychol Issues Org Cult 5(1):16–39
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Păceşilă, M., Colesca, S.E. Insights on Social Responsibility of NGOS. Syst Pract Action Res 33, 311–339 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-020-09520-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-020-09520-1