Membership in WANGO provides access to a wealth of resources that help non-profit organizations better accomplish their missions. NGOs may belong to WANGO as Regular or Senior Members. (Senior Membership is available to larger NGOs.) Among the privileges, benefits and services of being a Regular or Senior Member are:

A   Tools for NGOs

1. Training Workshops with international experts on such topics as fundraising, new technologies for NGOs, strategic planning, media relations, board development, and other practical issues.
2. Member Home Pages can be created free using a ready-made template provided on the WANGO website. This offers valuable exposure for the organization, its activities and services, whether for a small NGO that lacks its own website, or a larger organization that wants to highlight a particular project.
3. Practical Information is disseminated regularly to members on diverse topics of practical relevance, such as getting grants and asking for money, strategic management of NGOs, networking, developments in the NGO world, and others.
4. Members-only Section of the WANGO website is an interactive component, accessed via a username and password, which offers several useful features for members, including the Sharing Resources and Multiplying Resources sections, as well as the Membership List and Community Forum. This section also allows members to update their listing in the NGO directories and access archival publications.
5. Sharing Resources allows members to post information and requests to the worldwide community. An organization may search for a partner for a project, post upcoming events, or comment on some activity or area of interest. The WANGO Secretariat also occasionally posts information that may be of interest to Association members.
6. Multiplying Resources offers information of practical relevance, such as recent papers presented at WANGO conferences or symposia, useful articles, or practical tips.
7. NGO Directories -- the Worldwide NGO Directory and the private WANGO NGO membership list -- on the WANGO website are accessed free. Organization Members have access to the full information provided by each organization.
8. The NGO Handbook is a wiki-based work that contains a selection of articles on NGO management and the NGO sector in various nations around the world that were written by a team of scholars and NGO practitioners.

B   Conferences and Symposia

WANGO is unique in regularly bringing together a prestigious, international leadership of NGOs representing diverse nations, perspectives, and realms of activity. WANGO conferences provide a unique crossroads for representatives and leaders of NGOs to meet, share innovative ideas and practices, and build partnerships that can help the NGOs better fulfill their missions. Symposia and roundtables are also periodically conducted. Members have substantially reduced rates to attend WANGO conferences and symposia.

C   Publications

WANGO publications are made available to the member at reduced or no cost. They include:

1. NGO News, WANGO's monthly e-newsletter, features timely articles on current affairs, United Nations news and updates, and practical resources for NGOs. Member organizations are encouraged to submit information on their upcoming activities for posting in the newsletter. A subscription to the NGO News is free to members.
2. Conference Proceedings of WANGO sponsored and co-sponsored conferences are made available to members, at reduced cost.
3. Special Monographs and Reports are occasionally produced by WANGO that are available to members.
4. Archival Materials of WANGO's newsletters, and select conference presentations are maintained on the Members Only Section of the website and can be accessed free by members.

D   Networking

Networking with other NGO leaders is an indispensable resource for advancing the mission of an NGO, finding resources, establishing partnerships, and promoting professional and personal development. WANGO provides a unique forum for networking among key leaders of diverse and influential NGOs, as well as affiliated intergovernmental and governmental bodies, universities, and businesses. In addition, members in various nations develop their own national WANGO chapters, which can focus on issues of specific interests to the membership in those areas. WANGO's neural network, conferences, and the Sharing Resources section facilitate networking, and WANGO's Worldwide NGO Directory and Membership List are valuable resources for both networking and partnering among NGOs.

E   Awards Program

The WANGO Awards program honors NGOs from throughout the world that demonstrate exceptional effort, service, innovation and excellence. The awards are presented not only to large, well-known NGOs (including those whose founders have received, or gone on to receive, the Nobel Peace Prize), but also to smaller NGOs in less developed regions.

Awards have been presented in such categories as Peace & Security, Environment, Human Rights, Family & Peace, Interreligous Cooperation, Humanitarian, and Education, Media and the Arts.

Association members may nominate NGOs for awards. A number of WANGO members have been recipients of these prestigious awards.

F   Code of Ethics and Conduct

As part of the Association's effort to strengthen and improve the non-governmental sector as whole, WANGO spearheaded the development of a Code of Ethics and Conduct for NGOs. Formulated by an international committee representing the wide spectrum of the NGO community, including input from NGO leaders from over 100 nations, the present Code of Ethics and Conduct for NGOs identifies 7 fundamental principles and over 100 specific standards to guide the actions and management of NGOs worldwide. Code of Ethics and Conduct for NGOs is provided free of charge to WANGO members.

WANGO members may certify that they adhere to the Code of Ethics and Conduct for NGOs. Organizations that self-certify that they meet the standards in the Code, and accept responsibility for following the standards, may note this fact in their promotional literature. Organizations that self-certify that they meet the Code may be removed from WANGO membership if it is shown they fall short of the standards.

G   Voting, Holding Office & Guiding the Work of WANGO

WANGO is a membership organization. The members guide the work of the Association and identify ways in which the organization can best serve the membership. Members provide a vital role in formulating the direction and work of WANGO through voting and holding office in the Association. Regular and Senior Organizations have the right to vote for officers of the organization and to hold office, with Senior Organization Members having two voting representatives. All members have the right to propose and vote for Declarations to guide the work of the International Council and to advance the goals of the organization.

H   Strong Advisory Role

WANGO plays a key role in advising governments, intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations, and regional bodies. The proceedings of the Association's conferences and symposia, and resolutions emanating from the membership, are distributed to world leaders and the heads of international and intergovernmental organizations, and WANGO plays a direct role in providing counsel and partnering with such leadership.

I   Unified and Strong Voice

The Association helps NGOs worldwide to offer a strong, unified voice in advancing conflict resolution and moral solutions to pressing global, national and social problems. It assists in providing information on the importance of NGOs and the challenges confronted by the NGO community. Nonprofit organizations are heavily affected by public policies. As an infrastructure organization, WANGO provides a �voice� for nonprofit organizations in the enactment and revision of laws and regulations.

J   Helping NGOs Accomplish Their Tasks

WANGO assists NGOs by providing support and access to information and resources that can aid them in accomplishing their own missions relative to creating a better society and world: economically, socially, environmentally, politically and morally. In order to better accomplish their tasks, it is important for NGOs to be recognized by the public, donors, beneficiaries, and potential partners. WANGO features NGO members and their activities in its literature, in conference presentations, on its website, and in the NGO News to give them this greater visibility.