BOND works to promote the exchange of experience, ideas and information; By acting as a broker for a variety of relationships By collating and distributing information
BOND facilitates relationships:
Between BOND members
BOND enables members to learn together, sharing experience to ensure that the best practice in the NGO community is accessible to all. Working Groups and Learning Circles: Groups of BOND''s members meet regularly to learn from each other''s experience and to develop expertise together. Training: BOND manages about 30 training events per year on a wide range of topics, and guides its members towards other training providers. NGO Futures: BOND supports its members in building an understanding of the changing world in which they operate, to enable them to adapt appropriately.
Between other networks of NGOs
UK NGO Networks: BOND liaises with other networks of UK NGOs undertaking specialist work, to ensure that their work, and that of BOND members, is appropriately co-ordinated. BOND publishes a Register of NGO Networks. BOND exchanges information and experience with NGO networks in other parts of the world to support its work. BOND is particularly interested in working with other networks on government-NGO relations; on developing inter-NGO learning mechanisms; and on building effective relationships with wider civil society and the corporate sector.
With the UK Government
Representation and consultation: As the UK''s broadest network of NGOs, BOND represents the views and interests of the NGO community to government. Recent representation of members has included work on the UK government''s 1997 policy paper on international development, Eliminating World Poverty; and on DFID''s extensive consultation during 1998 on its support for civil society in the South and the UK. Civil society and NGOs: BOND specialises in its work with government on the nature of government-civil society relations on international development. It aims to ensure that mechanisms for consultation and financial support are designed to ensure the most effective work together for international development. BOND aims, not to represent all NGO views on all topics, but to ensure that government has access to the work of the NGO community on as wide a range of topics as possible. Its information service enables government units to engage with both specialists and the wider NGO community.
With the European Union
As an active member of the pan-European NGDO confederation CONCORD, BOND has a key role in advocating on European Union development policy. At an EU level, BOND''s aim is to ensure that EC development policy is prioritised over political considerations, that an increasing share of EC aid goes to least developed countries and that EU external policies are consistent with development objectives and integrated with poverty reduction targets. BOND has a role in ensuring that UK NGOs (individually and collectively), their European counterparts, and central EU NGO Networks, are better informed about the actual and potential role of EC development policy and practice and are better placed to influence the EU. BOND enables member expertise to be pooled for collaborative EU policy analysis, facilitates a shared analysis of policy issues and joint positions and co-ordinates EU advocacy activities.
Between BOND members and other UK bodies
BOND is in the process of developing links with the following companies, organisations and institutions. If you would like to get in touch with BOND about the development of these relationships please contact us. BOND is currently developing its capacity to support its members'' work with the UK corporate sector. UK companies work alongside NGOs in some areas of programme work, in commercial relationships, and as funders. BOND aims to enable NGOs to work effectively with voluntary and community organisations in the UK, so that experience of similar development work in the South and in the UK can be drawn on effectively. BOND aims to ensure that the experience of UK NGOs underpins academic work, and that academic insights are accessible to NGOs.
Information collation and distribution
In support of this work, BOND''s Information Service enables its members, and a wide range of other users, to access information from or about the UK NGO community.
BOND Database of members: This lists all of our members (unless they have asked not to be listed).
The Networker a monthly publication which carries features and news on policy, funding, and other issues of strategic importance to the sector.
Advertisements Bulletin
Directories and Registers
Other Publications