Why call it the "third sector?" [by Mark Deaton]

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:27:34 -0000

The Welcome Mat:: Why call it the "third sector?"
We had an email come in today with a question that I thought was so good that I decided to post and answer it publicly. The question was:

"Hello, I recently had someone challenge me about why the term "third sector" is used as it implies that it comes after business and government. How do you respond when your brand is built on this term? Thanks!"

My response was:

Great question! Most societies categorize organizations into three main groups -- Government, For-profit, and Not-for-profit. Commerce and government have been around for thousands of years, but organized charity, as a well-defined category, has only been around for several hundreds of years. So, the first answer is that the community benefit sector is often referred to as the "third sector" because it is historically the newest on the scene. I should mention, too, that some people are beginning to refer to a "fourth sector" that is comprised of hybrid organizations or partnerships that in some way or other combine government, for-profit and/or not-for-profit organizations with the intent of positively impacting the community at large. The second answer is that the term "third" in this case doesn't have any rank-related meaning to it, like coming in third in a foot race would. And, finally, we recently rebranded and chose Third Sector Connector as our name because it is more global in scope.

I'm sure there are other members who can weigh in here, too, and we welcome all participation! What do you think about calling it the "third" sector?

Mark

Re: Suggestions for our site? [by 3rd Sector Connector Admin]

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:43:38 -0000

The Welcome Mat:: Suggestions for our site?
From Facebook:
Mamadou Ibrahima Fall: Hope this new platform will help volunteers across the world to better challenge the future and impact the world social sector.MIF

Welcome and Forum FAQ and Rules [by 3rd Sector Connector Admin]

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:39:57 -0000

The Welcome Mat:: Welcome and Forum FAQ and Rules
Thank you for becoming a member! These discussion forums provide a place for the staff and board members of community benefit organizations (nonprofit, NGOs and other people who support the third sector) to come together and share knowledge. The more people who actively contribute to the forum - whether by asking questions, giving advice, or sharing resources, the more we will all benefit as a sector! Share this resource with your peers and invite them to join us. The only questions that go unanswered are the ones that aren't asked.

Guidelines:
Please review the following rules and guidelines. By posting or replying, you are agreeing to follow these guidelines.

Our rules are designed not only to enhance our ability to encourage connections, support, and sharing of resources, but also to keep the atmosphere relaxed and welcoming for all of our members and visitors.

We require all posts to be polite, constructive, and on topic.

All material posted or uploaded to the forum is the property and/or responsiblity of the original poster, and may not reflect the views of the site administrators. We reserve the right, without notice, to access or view all such material (including posts, profile information, emails sent through the forum software, and Personal Messages (PMs)), to edit the subject of a post, or to move, reclassify, or delete any post or other material that is deemed inappropriate or disruptive, fails to conform to these forum rules, or to ensure proper indexing and searchability. Please note that, from time to time, topics may be removed for being inappropriate even though your individual post in that topic may have been perfectly fine.

You may not use profanity. It is unprofessional and offensive and will not be tolerated. We have word filters in place for the most vulgar terms. Circumventing those word filters may result in a user being permanently banned from the site (please don't make us have to do this!).

Vendors/sellers/consultants may not use this forum to "push" or "sell" their products or use it to receive potential leads for sales of their product.

We reserve the right to ban any member who violates our guidelines or disrupts our community. We will be fair and provide warning in most cases. If you believe that another user is misusing the forums, please use the report function or contact the moderator directly.

If you have an issue concerning our policies, please use a personal contact method such as a private message or email to admin@thirdsectorconnector.org. We take serious complaints to heart and will do our best to address them.

The Forum Rules

1. Please stay polite and constructive and encourage dialogue. Profanity and foul language are not acceptable. Any such language will be removed and you may either be warned or banned from the site, at our discretion.

2. Please honor the individuality and diversity of our community. Racial, ethnic, and gender-based insults, slurs and/or any other discriminatory posts will not be accepted. We are a diverse community and we reserve the right to edit any posts that we believe may be misinterpreted as discriminatory.

3. We are here to support each other! Please do no post anything that is meant to offend, hurt, or provoke any other member. Any such postings will be removed and you may either be warned or banned from the site, at our discretion.

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Violation of any of these rules may result in warning or being permanently banned from the site. at our discretion.

Third Sector Connector :: Forum

Why call it the "third sector?" [by Mark Deaton]

Re: Suggestions for our site? [by 3rd Sector Connector Admin]

Welcome and Forum FAQ and Rules [by 3rd Sector Connector Admin]