The Challenges of Managing the Third Sector: An Exploration of Emerging Themes

Abstract

The third sector plays a critical role in addressing societal challenges, supporting vulnerable communities, and bridging gaps in public service provision. Managing third-sector organizations (TSOs) has become increasingly complex due to financial constraints, evolving governance structures, and heightened accountability demands, particularly during crises. Excluding this front-end, scene-setting paper, this Special Issue brings together five papers that apply innovative frameworks to examine participatory governance, public/third-sector partnerships, performance reporting, resilience, and membership dynamics within TSOs. The papers emphasize the importance of inclusive governance, strategic collaboration, and adaptability in enhancing social inclusion, sustainability, and organizational resilience. It also provides practical recommendations for policymakers and practitioners and identifies opportunities for future research to address unresolved questions in the field.