How do we know that the two practices identified below and their
corollaries are the anchoring practices of NGOing? Because these are
the only practices that all NGOs perform all the time, wherever they are.
To recognize this, an observer’s scrutiny must shift from what NGOs say
they are doing to what they actually do. To understand NGOs deeply, we
need to turn our scholarly gaze away from their emancipatory promises,
away from the crying needs of the people or the natural environment,
and toward what they consistently do that is distinctive to them.