• CO-ORGANISED BY
• CHAIRPERSONS
• LOCAL ORGANISERS
• BACKGROUND
• CALL FOR PAPERS
• DEADLINES
• PROGRAMME
• SPECIAL ISSUE
• PRACTICALITIES

Noel Hyndman  Queen’s University Belfast, UK

Marc Jegers  Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Mariannunziata Liguori  Durham University, UK

Mariannunziata Liguori  Durham University Business School, UK

Henry Midgley Durham University Business School, UK

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. 

Notwithstanding the valuable impact of TSOs, they exist in a fragile sector that has been significantly affected by a range of recent crises. In many cases, this has curtailed their capacity to deliver the societal benefits often associated with their activities; in the most extreme cases, it has even threatened the continuing existence of many individual TSOs. TSOs are particularly exposed to crises, often being seen as organisations that ‘pick up the slack’ when other forms of endeavour and engagement fail to adequately counter problems emerging that present challenges and pressures on society as a whole, or on specific parts of society. Crises that impact the third sector may develop externally and affect global communities, or arise as a consequence of events that have widespread impact on specific jurisdictions and affect organisations, groups and individuals within a particular country; or they may result from events within a specific TSO, and touch on a particular organisation’s stakeholders and undermine the ability of that TSO to function. In such contexts, the resilience of TSOs (as their capacity to endure or recover rapidly from crises) is vital if the sector is to retain focus.

The purpose of this workshop ‘The challenges of managing the third sector’ is to present and discuss in a stimulating academic environment high-quality research papers exploring the contemporary challenges in managing all kinds of TSOs. We seek to engage a global community of scholars and practitioners to explore both the financial and managerial challenges facing this sector, and how it can survive, adapt and prosper. Potential contributors are encouraged to interpret this theme broadly, yet critically, including through applying diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives to a wide range of countries and regional settings.

This workshop will be of interest not only to researchers active in this area, but also to policymakers, senior managers, and practitioners from all disciplines.

• Submissions of papers to the Workshop should be made via the EIASM website by 25th April 2025.
• Notification of acceptance of papers will be made as of 5th May 2025.
• Registration of authors must be made by 19th May 2025.
• Submission deadline for receipt of final completed papers for the conference is 6th June 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
Durham University Business School - Waterside Site, The Waterside Building, Riverside Place, Durham DH1 1SL

FEES - to be announced

ADMINISTRATION