Celebrating non-profit and charitable enterprises across Tower Hamlets, Nwes in collaboration with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets are delighted to announce ‘Third Sector Week’.
What is a Third Sector organisation?
Also known as the non-profit and voluntary sector, the ‘Third Sector’ describes a range of organisations that belong neither to the public sector (the UK government) nor to the private sector (profit-making private businesses). These often include, but are not limited to:
- Charities
- Voluntary and community organisations
- Social enterprises and cooperatives
- Think tanks and research institutes
The importance of the Third Sector
By addressing a range of social and environmental issues that other sectors may not be able to, a thriving Third Sector can be instrumental to the health and wellbeing of society as well as a growing economy. Operating from local, national and international levels, Third Sector organisations tend to address a particular issue or support a particular group of people in society, and provide services or direct support to them. These often include, but are not limited to:
- Culture and religion
- Environmental causes
- Education and youth clubs
- Employment and training
- Healthcare
- Housing and rehabilitation
- Law
- Research
- Social services
Achieving immediate action as well as developing systematic change, often in collaboration with other sectors, the benefits of Third Sector fundraising and research can be far-reaching and yet under-represented in mainstream media.
