Even a state organized in the best possible way will never be able to satisfy all the needs of its citizens. 

People are not really interested in having the state administration interfere in certain realms of their lives, since they rightly assume that they know better what they need and believe they themselves can do certain things more efficiently. Therefor, they undertake various initiatives whose purpose is to articulate significant problems and get together to resolve those problems. This is how "non-government" or "non-profit" organizations are created. These two concepts stand for precisely the same phenomenon (even though they represent two separate, important, constitutive features of such organizations): a group of citizens who share one objective. 

In countries with a well-established democratic tradition where we are dealing with a civic society, such organizations play an immense and ever-growing role. In addition to the state, its institutions, self-government and the business sector, these non-governmental organizations constitute the so-called third sector. By stimulating citizens' activeness, NGOs encourage people to take responsibility for the quality of their lives and the way their lives are led. 

In countries where democracy is being established, people still do not know or do not believe that they can act together and that by acting together they can achieve something. They lack confidence in themselves and others. Those who do make attempts to contact other organizations often feel lonely and lost. 

There are three main characteristics of a non-governmental organizations. First, it is voluntary - the organization is established only be people interested in its existence and who participate in its work. Second, working in the organizations should offer its members personal satisfaction because it is their "way of life." Last, the organization fulfills various, important needs, either of society as a whole or a group of citizens.