[1] It runs meetings, talks, surveys,[2] and a mailing list for Internet service providers.

[3][4] NANOG evolved from the NSFNET "Regional-Techs" meetings, where technical staff from the regional networks met to discuss operational issues.

At the February 1994 regional tech meeting in San Diego, the group revised its charter[5] to include a broader base of network service providers and subsequently adopted NANOG as its new name.

All NANOG funds came from conference registration fees and donations from vendors,[7][full citation needed] and starting in 2011, membership dues.

[5] There are also lightning talks, where speakers can submit brief presentations (no longer than 10 minutes) on a very short term.