The challenges of managing the third sector: an exploration of emerging themes

Audrey Paterson; Noel  Hyndman; Marc Jegers

doi:10.1111/faam.70005

The challenges of managing the third sector: an exploration of emerging themes

Audrey Paterson^* (Corresponding Author)
, Noel Hyndman
, Marc Jegers

^*Corresponding author for this work

Queen's University Belfast
Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review

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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.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	12-18
Number of pages	7
Journal	Financial Accountability & Management
Volume	42
Issue number	1
Early online date	10 Jul 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/faam.70005
Publication status	Published - 1 Feb 2026

Bibliographical note

In writing this lead paper, we wish to acknowledge the roles played by a number of individuals. Firstly, we thank (and commend) the authors of this collection of papers for their research efforts and contributions to enhancing our knowledge and understanding of the many contemporary issues and challenges of managing TSOs. We particularly thank them for supporting FAM and this Special Issue. We also thank them for their engagement with the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM) Workshop (which was hosted and delivered at the University of Aberdeen) that provided the original platform for many of the papers in this Special Issue. In addition, we are extremely grateful to all of our reviewers for their valuable and much-appreciated support of the journal. We also acknowledge the excellent contribution of the editor of FAM (Professor Ileana Steccolini) for her constructive comments and support during the compilation of this Special Issue. Finally, we would like to thank (and pay tribute to) the enormous contribution of Professor Irvine Lapsley (who sadly passed away in April 2024) over many years. Not only was Irvine a longstanding editor of FAM prior to Professor Ileana Steccolini assuming responsibility as his health faded, but he was also the founding chairperson (with Professor Bernd Helmig, from the University of Mannheim, and Professor Marc Jegers, from the Vrije University in Brussels) of the series of EIASM Third-sector Workshops from which this particular Special Issue emerged. He was a tremendous scholar, encourager and friend to the community of third-sector researchers who is sadly missed.

Open Access via the Wiley agreement

Data Availability Statement

The authors have nothing to report.

Keywords

Third Sector
Participatory Governance
Public/third sector partnerships
Performance Reporting
Resilence
Membership Dynamics

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Cite this

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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. ",

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The challenges of managing the third sector: an exploration of emerging themes

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Data Availability Statement

Keywords

Access to Document

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