NON-GOVERNMENTAL organizations, popularly called NGOs, face challenges in China, where nonprofit humanitarianism doesn’t have a long history.

NGOs are assuming greater prominence as the gap widens between social service needs and the government’s ability to finance them. The onus is on grassroots groups like Songjiang-based People’s Volunteers to raise their own funds and mobilize community resources.

“We don’t expect much by way of government support,” said Wu Hui, chief executive of People’s Volunteers. “We have to seek our own financing and develop our own volunteers to operate our various projects. It’s the only way for us.”

Six years ago, the group was founded by handful of kind-hearted Songjiang locals, using the popular QQ instant messaging platform to solicit interest. Today, People’s Volunteers has more than 6,000 members and serves as an umbrella for 30 volunteer groups and about 10 charity projects.

Its missions include helping the sick, old and disabled, enhancing education experiences for the young and promoting environmental awareness.

Question arises

“Most NGOs in China start charity work without putting too much thought into it,” Wu said. “Then, when they gain traction, the government often buys their services. It is a popular development mode for NGOs. However, the question arises: If the services an organization offers are not what government needs, then who is there to cover the costs of management, training and materials?”

Some companies are big donors to humanitarian causes. But most of them prefer underwriting mature foundations or charitable institutions, not fledging groups, Wu said.

Fundraising is always a headache for NGOs. The Songjiang District government does grant a token 40,000 yuan (US$6,400) subsidy to People’s Volunteers each year and sometimes provides free venues for charity events organized by the group. The government also contracts with the group at times to provide services for certain charity projects.

But it’s all a bit of a drop in the bucket. Attracting government attention is hard when there is competition from semi-official organizations in the charity realm. People’s Volunteers remains undaunted.

This year, the group won first prize in the China Excellent Volunteers awards for its Apricot Forest project, which provides services to people in hospital. The award from the National Bureau of Civil Affairs came with a 300,000-yuan sponsorship from the central government.

Ironic that.

“If we want to win contracts from the local government, we first have to get an award from the central government!” mused Gao Chunhua, director of People’s Volunteers. “It’s hard not to feel frustrated about the unfairness of it all.”

Apricot Forest

The Apricot Forest volunteer group was founded in 2011. Its more than 2,000 volunteers work in Songjiang’s four hospitals, helping the elderly use the new automated ticketing machines, playing games in the wards of sick children, spending time with old people who get no visitors and transporting the disabled to and from hospital appointments.

The hospitals, grateful for the help, have donated 270,000 yuan to the project and give free lunches to volunteers.

Hand-in-Hand, another project of People’s Volunteers, involves about 800 local children aged between 5 and 11, and 300 schoolteachers and college students as adult volunteers.

One of its missions is to promote awareness of environmental issues, which has involved door-knocking campaigns. In addition, older students show kindergarten kids how to tie their shoes, launder handkerchiefs and play traditional games.

Last year, young volunteers raised 50,000 yuan to help poorer students at Xiangyang Primary School in Jiuting Town.

Chen Lianying, 43, is the director of Hand-in-Hand and one of the founders of People’s Volunteers. She stepped down from her supermarket business last year to devote full time to the organization.

“I feel happier now,” she said of the decision.

Chen admitted that lack of money is a constant headache for NGOs because venues, materials and other fixed costs don’t come free.

“We can’t rely on others,” she said. “We have to find our own way toward sustainable development.”

The group’s Little Angels Art Troupe, made up of local children aged from 8 to 15, gave song-and-dance performances last year, raising 300,000 yuan for destitute children in poverty-stricken, remote areas of China. The Songjiang Cultural Center offers free lessons in dancing and singing for the young volunteers.

People’s Volunteers is Songjiang-based but its focus goes beyond the district. It now has offices in nine Chinese provinces and regions, including Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia. Chief executive Wu said the wide focus has proven “mutually beneficial.”

In April, six tourism sites in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces agreed to give 10,000 free tickets to People’s Volunteers and pledged to donate 2 yuan from each ticket sale to charitable projects. It was their way of thanking the program for what it has done to help poor children in those provinces.

That’s not to say that the Songjiang District isn’t eager to cultivate volunteer organizations. It has lowered the registration fee for NGOs from 100,000 yuan to 30,000 yuan and has allocated 13 million yuan since 2012 to social organizations and charity projects. The government also offers free venues for charity events and acts as a go-between for NGOs and corporate donors.

“Once an organization is up and running, it has to learn to make its own way,” said an office director from the Songjiang Bureau of Civil Affairs. “They cannot count on government support forever. Our job is to give them the support to get started.”

Wu doesn’t dispute that position.

On one’s own feet

“We understand the government’s stance,” he said. “If we want to develop, we have to stand on our own two feet.”

Companies and wealthy entrepreneurs in China are being urged to show more social conscience. To tap into that ethic, People’s Volunteers set up an Entrepreneurs Salon this month, involving more than 50 enterprises in Shanghai.

Last year, area companies donated about 300,000 yuan to the group, and this year, corporate contributions are sponsoring projects in 300 remote schools in the western mountains of Hunan Province.

“Last year, several entrepreneurs travelled with us to western Hunan and saw how schoolchildren there had no playgrounds or recreational and sports equipment,” Wu said. “So we have decided to work together to do something for those kids.”

Another project, launched last year, is called Charity Goes Around China. More than 60 nationally known calligraphers and painters donated 150 artworks to be sold to raise funds.

“I think our hardest days are over,” Wu said. “Our platform is basically set up. The next step for us is to better promote our work and extend our influence.”

People wishing to join People’s Volunteers are required to attend training sessions and undergo a three-day internship. If all goes well, they receive volunteer certificates, which are renewed after volunteers contribute at least 20 hours of their time to the program.

The organization also operates a Time Bank, where volunteer can barter their service hours for things such as free medical exams or admission tickets to events.

Those interesting in becoming a volunteer may contact the group on its hotline: 3352-4822.