Analysis of Third Sector Organizations: Values, Threats, and Health

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of third sector organizations, which encompass voluntary and community businesses, social enterprises, mutuals, and cooperatives. It begins by defining the third sector and highlighting its key characteristics, including its independence from government and its value-driven nature. The essay explores the values inherent in these organizations and examines their unique role in community development, referencing community development theory. It also delves into the threats facing the sector, such as funding challenges, public awareness issues, and external pressures like government policies and economic factors. Furthermore, the essay discusses challenges related to income growth, public service delivery, and the impact of infrastructure investments. The importance of the third sector's independence and its role in representing the vulnerable is emphasized, alongside an overview of the sector's size, income, and activities, concluding that despite the challenges, there is a growing demand for its services.

Community
Development

ESSAY
Third sector organization is one that is being utilized towards describing the range of the
firms that are neither public sector not private sector. This is comprised of voluntary and
community business, social enterprises, mutual as well as co-operatives. The third sector are
independent of the government. This is considered essential part of the history as well as culture
of the sector. In the present essay detail discussion has been made in relation with third sector.
This includes key characteristics, values of Third sector and its uniqueness. Further it explores
community development theory (Aiken and Bode, 2009). Along with this it demonstrates the
idea about what is threatening the values of particular sector. Moreover it is comprised of threat
which values of the particular have as well as present health of sector.
Organization within this sector share common characteristics of being non government
firm that is being driven by their values. Further they are reinvesting any financial surprises to
further environmental or cultural targets. This is comprised of voluntary as well as community
business, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives as well as mutual both large and small. Third
is regarded as voluntary or non profit sector of the economy (Billis, 2010). This is considered as
an intermediary space among the firm as well as government in which private energy can be
deployed for the interest of public. This is also be referred to as tertiary sector.
Voluntary organization is being considered as the distinctive one in terms that it is
perceived as trustworthy. Along with the individual engaged in establishment of the voluntary
sector activities possess values that are distinctive ones. Further the voluntary business possess
distinctive governance as well as stakeholder arrangements. The existence of larger non profit
sector is certain times regarded as the indicator of the healthy economy within the local as well
as financial measurements (Alcock, 2012). With the growth of non profit business the emphasis
on the social services, the environment, education as well as other non met requirement across
the society, is becoming central. In addition to this this has increased emphasis towards the
health and well being of the community. Non profit sector is effective in offering an effective
outlet for wide range of society's labour as well as skills.
Community development theories is considered as the most practical framework related
with social workers that last changes for the person as well as communities and societies wherein
one resides. It lays emphasis on centrality of the oppressed individual within the procedure of
resolving the imposed social issue. At certain point of time community development is confused
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with the program that are community based, community research as well as other forms of
community interventions. The most important feature that is distinguishing community
development from other community work is its values as well as principles. This is comprised of
social justice as well as equity. Community development theories is considered as the most
practical framework related with social workers that seeks at lasting the change for the person as
well as communities and societies wherein they reside.
Third sector organization devotes themselves wither to a specific issue that is required to
be solved or a specific group of society who needs support or representation. They offer services
which relates with some issues. Some business can work upon greater range of issues but follow
a specific philosophical as well as political filter (Carvalho, 2010). The focus can be over
national, local as well as global. Third sector group makes efforts towards attaining by the means
of wider range of actions. This is comprised of fundraising, offering services or granting other
kind of direct support as well as advice to the groups they assist, are regarding immediate
actions. On the other hand third sector business wants direct help with longer term or system
changes that includes changes that are associated with local, national or international policies.
They seeks at bringing alterations within the changes in policies within varied different manner,
all that potential opportunities for academic collaboration or input. The uniqueness that is
attached with third sector is that it is effective in conducting out commissioning investigation
(Carmel and Harlock, 2008). Several third sector business makes employment of their own
researcher or commission or academic investigator in order to conduct research into several
subject which influence the groups as well as problems in which they are dealing. Along with
this they are aiming to widely read the existing as well as emerging academics in the relevance
field.
Third sector possess another another distinctness which is attached with public
campaigns. The third sector firm are involved in increasing the awareness among the public and
shapes the perception among the public in relation to specific issue (Defourny and Develtere,
2009). Such campaigns aims at general public or they are being targeted at some group or
sectors. This has impact on the media strategies and the kind of platform which is being selected.
Third sector firm desires these firms to be credible as well as authoritative as possible. Thus it is
another area wherein academic investigation with the real value (Cavanagh, Seccombe and
Lidbetter, 2011).
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This is being predicted that the third sector can become the predominant sector within the
society as the knowledge class overcome the influences of the private sector. The third sector
possess the feature that is related with value driven. This implies that they are being motivated
with the desire to attain the social targets instead of desire at making distribution of the
profitability. The voluntary organization makes reinvestment of any kind surpluses that are being
generated within pursuit of their targets.
Non- profit organisation is mainly a charitable firm so that it is fully depends on charities,
contributions, so that non profits need to avoid the perception of impropriety. There are various
kinds of threats like raising funds and increasing income is one of the biggest challenges for the
sector. There are some small charities which are not able to keep up their activities because of
lack of fund. Demonstrating impact also affect the activity of the organisation that in which areas
that firm can accomplishes their functional activity (Lewis, 2008). The another threat is the lack
of public awareness because public know very little about how modern charities work. It is also a
big threat to identify the areas where can charities do the best job in delivering public services.
In addition to this, there are major three threats that finding the money to accomplishing the
organisation's mission, building public trust and use the strategic planning in the functional
activity is also major threat of an organisation (Harris, 2010). Organisation also face the external
threats like use of techniques, cultural factor, government policy and legal requirement of the
organisation, economic factors like GDP, inflation etc. make a great impact on the organisational
operational activity. There is presence of wide range of challenges that are being faced by third
sector. This is comprised of growth in income. Increase Community Development theory in the
funds as well as raising the funds is regarded as the major challenges for the third sector on
whole. There is hardly any presence of firm that does not require to increase its income. It cannot
do more in case it does not possess greater amount of money. There is presence of three manner
in which the firm can increase huge funds. The major challenge in raising the funds is towards
making development of income streams that must not suffer from the fallacy of compositions as
development economists call it. Such is considered as the solution which works for one business
but is no good in case everyone performs similar kind of things.
Another major challenge reflects the areas wherein the charities can do best job in
making delivery of the public services (Pestoff and Brandsen, 2010). It has been examined that
public services delivered by the charities is mix of ideology. The fact is that one who are
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advocating greater public service delivery and the one who are arguing against it that rarely is
holding evidence which is based on the policies. Charities plays major role in making delivery of
public services but not all public services. It is important to possess suitable understanding of
where the ethos related with charity as well as structure can made delivery of the better value in
comparison with the commercial or the ethos related with public sector.
The threats that are attached with voluntary sector includes independence, development
of community, absence of funding, policy of the government, requirement of audit, loss of
distinctiveness as well as increase in demand.
Next in the series is another challenge that is being faced by the third sector. This is
related with how and when do the investment infrastructure makes difference. There has been
major investment being made by the government and lottery bodies towards making
development in infrastructure for charities, social enterprises, community business as well as
sports clubs (Phillips and Smith, 2011). One of the major difficulty is that the bodies who are
acquiring funds are the last ones who are sharing the information which can have influence,
unless it reflects what they are desire at showing.
The success of the social firm is dependent on the timing. The third sector is being
considered as the trusted partner as a reason of its independence in relation with the purpose,
voice as well as action. The third sector is valuing its independence from the influence in
demonstrating the requirement of users of services. An independent third sector is regarded as
the voice of the vulnerable within the society making sure that views are being included into the
democratic course. It has been determined the independence of the third sector is under major
threat. Such is due to the reason associated with tough tendering procedure that are principle
mechanism through which third sector competes for the sake of making delivery of public
services (Zappalà and Lyons, 2009). In order to survive certain third sector business needs to
make adoption towards delivering services which are not core one to the function. However they
enables them in competing for the accessing greater range of arrangements related with funding.
The sector not passive in face of such threats. The business seeks towards diversifying funds
streams in order to become lesser reliant over the state. They are making revaluation of their
values as well as purpose of the sake of making sure that services they offer and tenders
submitted by them aligns with the charitable principles.
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The concept of community development seeks to cultivate shared vision as well as builds
trust. It is considered as the collective practice, in case there is no shared vision then it is not
being considered as community. There is presence of varied estimated regarding the size, income
and activities of the firms within voluntary sector. In UK this is being estimated that voluntary
sector makes the contribution of £11.7 billion to the UK gross value added that is equivalent to
0.8% of the whole of the UK GVA. The sector possess spending power that to a greater extent is
with larger and major voluntary organizations (NCVO, 2017). Over three quarters the total
present expenses £28.2 billion that is being spent by the largest 4803 firms. The Wellcome trust
is having the expenditure of £728.1 million that is largest voluntary firm in terms of expenditure.
Though there is greater threat to the sector but still there is increase in demand for this sector so
that aims of the community development can be attained in an effective manner.
It can be concluded from the present essay that organization within third sector share
common characteristics of being non government firm that is being driven by their values. Along
with this it possess the feature related with reinvesting any financial surprises to further
environmental or cultural targets. This is comprised of voluntary as well as community business,
charities, social enterprises, cooperatives as well as mutual both large and small. Third is
regarded as voluntary or non profit sector of the economy. It has been inferred that there is
presence of wide range of challenges that are being faced by third sector. This is comprised of
growth in income.
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REFERENCES
Journals and Books
Aiken, M. and Bode, I., 2009. Killing the Golden Goose? Third Sector Organizations and Back‐
to‐Work Programmes in Germany and the UK. Social Policy & Administration. 43(3).
pp.209-225.
Alcock, P., 2012. New policy spaces: the impact of devolution on third sector policy in the UK.
Social Policy & Administration. 46(2). pp.219-238.
Billis, D. ed., 2010. Hybrid organizations and the third sector: Challenges for practice, theory
and policy. Palgrave Macmillan.
Carmel, E. and Harlock, J., 2008. Instituting the'third sector'as a governable terrain: partnership,
procurement and performance in the UK. Policy & Politics. 36(2). pp.155-171.
Carvalho, A., 2010. Quantifying the third sector in Portugal: An overview and evolution from
1997 to 2007. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations.
21(4). pp.588-610.
Cavanagh, K., Seccombe, N. and Lidbetter, N., 2011. The implementation of computerized
cognitive behavioural therapies in a service user-led, third sector self help clinic. Behavioural
and Cognitive Psychotherapy. 39(04). pp.427-442.
Defourny, J. and Develtere, P., 2009. The social economy: the worldwide making of a third
sector. The worldwide making of the social economy. Innovations and changes. pp.15-40.
Harris, M., 2010. Third sector organizations in a contradictory policy environment. Hybrid
Organizations and the Third Sector, Basingstoke. Palgrave. pp.25-45.
Lewis, D., 2008. Crossing the Boundaries between ‘Third Sector’and State: life-work histories
from the Philippines, Bangladesh and the UK. Third World Quarterly. 29(1). pp.125-141.
Pestoff, V. and Brandsen, T., 2010. Public governance and the third sector: Opportunities for
coproduction and innovation. The new public governance. pp.223-236.
Phillips, S. and Smith, S.R. Eds., 2011. Governance and regulation in the third sector:
International perspectives. Routledge.
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Zappalà, G. and Lyons, M., 2009. Recent approaches to measuring social impact in the Third
sector: An overview. Sydney: Centre for Social Impact.
Online
NCVO, 2017. [Online]. Available through: <https://data.ncvo.org.uk/a/almanac14/which-are-the-
largest-voluntary-organisations-in-the-uk-3/>. [Accessed on 16th June 2017].
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