The third sector, encompassing that part of the economy made up of non-governmental, nonprofit organisations (for example, charities, voluntary and community groups, cooperatives, and sports associations), is pervasive in our societies. Third-sector organisations (TSOs) make distinctive and widely recognised contributions to the public good by building social capital, frequently affording a foundation for social cohesiveness. Nevertheless, they rely on external legitimacy to ensure survival and growth and focus on goals that are deemed to serve a wide public interest. They are mission driven and, normally, the public benefit that they generate may not be provided, or certainly not provided in the same way or to the same extent, without the existence of the support that such an organisational form attracts. They are facilitated through a variety of legal and administrative frameworks by, for example, significant tax benefits and differing, and possibly lighter-touch, legal and regulatory frameworks. Many TSOs also rely heavily on volunteer involvement to deliver services, input that is rarely captured by financial numbers. Moreover, there is a tendency for there to be a large number of small organisations, and a small number of relatively large organisations.
The workshop organisers are particularly interested in the results of managerial, economic, policy and inter-disciplinary approaches that explore the contemporary challenges in managing TSOs. Topics of potential interest include, but are not limited to:
• Reflections on crisis and third-sector creative responses.
• Managerial challenges of TSOs and how they can adapt and prosper.
• Accountability processes that seek to build (or rebuild) trust and confidence in individual TSOs, subsectors of the third sector, and in the sector as a whole.
• The challenges of maintaining service delivery, governance, and advocacy in light of growing contextual demands.
• Emerging trends in power and politics that impact charitable services - tools and tactics to adapt, absorb and transform.
• Hybrid worlds: adapting to new ways of working and fund raising.
• Navigating financial disasters while protecting key services for beneficiaries.
• Developing financial resilience capabilities in a changed landscape.
• The effects of scandals, trust, and funding crises on the third sector.
• The role of accounting and financial measures in helping TSOs to set and achieve SDGs.
• Re-imagining service delivery with a look at the future.
• Reconceptualising service delivery – capacity building through cross-sector partnerships.
• Co-design and co-delivery of community services.
• The role of governance systems and structures in the third sector.
• How TSOs size affects their management and operation.
There are no particular paper requirements, but they should not be too long (indicatively, no more than 10,000 words).
SUBMIT HERE
• Submissions of papers to the Workshop should be made via the EIASM website by 25th April 2025.
A selection of the best papers will be eligible for submission to a dedicated symposium in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ) (guest edited by Noel Hyndman, Marc Jegers, and Mariannunziata Liguori), a leading journal in the area. More information will be offered during the workshop.
VENUE
ADMINISTRATION Mr. Pavlos Dimitrakos - EIASM Conference ManagerEIASM - RUE FOSSÉ AUX LOUPS - 38 - BOX 3 - 1000 BRUSSELS - BELGIUM Tel: - Fax: Email: pavlos.dimitrakos@eiasm.be |