Does commercialization play a major role in NGOs’ development in Lund, Sweden?

Abstract: In general, non-government organizations (NGOs) are regarded as charity and humanitarian advocacy agents in developing and developed countries. With globalization, NGOs have been influenced by commercialization and some of them started to run commercial activities. This essay studies whether commercialization plays a major role for NGOs in making them sustainable over time in Sweden. I have interviewed representatives of two NGOs in Lund and they both have commercial activities. The findings are that commercialization plays a modest role, and that NGOs can survive financially without it. However, in the future commercialization can create more chances for NGOs to cooperate with governments and other international organizations, provide new job positions to disabled people and volunteers, produce a charity-oriented market, and facilitate the organization management.