NGO reporting in the European context: practices in the health sector

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports are a strategic approach and communication tool adopted by NGOs to legitimise their activities in the eyes of their stakeholders. The present paper investigates how widely diffused reporting practices are within NGOs, also delving into the content of NGO reports, the presence of external assurance, and the categories of stakeholders involved in the accountability process. A content analysis method was applied to the report published by NGOs operating in the Health and Nutrition sector in Europe. These organisations play a relevant role in the health sector, managing funds for research and action, and working in medical assistance. Our findings reveal a lack of comparability and standardisation in frameworks and structures used in reporting practices by NGOs. The available reports show that NGOs follow both an 'upward' and a 'downward' accountability approach. Further research can focus on investigating the reporting practices in other healthcare settings as well as exploring them from a temporal perspective.