The challenges of the third sector. A vision based on the Advisor Councils of the Observatorio del Tercer Sector

Produced by: Observatorio del Tercer Sector. Work team: Pau Vidal, Núria Valls and Laia Grabulosa. Translation: Loli Castillo.

Observatorio del Tercer Sector 2008.

Legal deposit: B.38594-2009

The Advisor Councils of the O bservatorio del Tercer Sector are included in the Participation Plan of the organ ization and it was possible by the support of the Departament d’Inter ior, Relacions Inst itucionals i Pa rticipació de la Gen eralitat de Catalunya.

We are grateful to the Advisor Councils who contributed to the enrichment of the debate.

Balmes 7, 1st - 08007 Barcelona

The publications of the OTS are r egarded for th eir wi de ci rculation and contribution to the improvement and better understanding of the thi rd secto r. Their di stribution, reproduc tion and re-use i s permitted provided that th ey are not us ed for profit and wi th the recogni tion of thei r authorship. T he pu blications c an be d ownloaded fre e o f c harge at www.obsrevatoriotercersector.org.

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In the course of 5 years of career, the Observatorio del Tercer Sector has woven a

relationship based on trust and complicity with entities that are part of the third

sector as well as with the other related agents.

The starting up of the Advisor Councils of the Observatorio del Tercer Sector is the

result of a long process of reflection around the social basis of the entity and

belongs to the plan of participation impulsed this year 2008.

The creation of these new bodies responds to the wish to guarantee the coherence

of the developed activities and promote a joint reflection on the needs, the

tendencies and the role of non profit organisations. In this way, through the

Advisor Councils we want to contribute to the construction of a collective speech as

a sector, beyond the specializations and the several activity subsectors.

This publication gathers the main challenges of the third sector of next years based

on the contributions of the Advisor Council of Research – Catalonia (Consejo Asesor

de Investigación-Cataluña) that took place on the 6th of May in Barcelona, and of

the Advisor Council of Research-Spain (Consejo Asesor de Investigación-España)

that took place on the 28th of the same month, in Madrid.

We hope that this notebook will contribute to capitalize, in favour of all the sector,

the reflections generated in these spaces of discussion.

We wish you will find it interesting.

Pau Vidal and Núria Valls

Coordinators of the Observatorio del Tercer Sector

The challenges of the third sector. A vision based on the Advisor Councils of the Observatorio del Tercer Sector

Presentation ......................................................................................3

Part I. The Advisor Councils of the Observatorio del Tercer Sector ............ 5

1. Purpose ....................................................................................6

2. Operation and methods...............................................................6

3. The Advisor Council of Research-Catalonia .....................................7

4. The Advisor Council of Research-Spain ..........................................9

Part II. The challenges of the third sector: a vision based on the Advisor Councils of the Observatorio del Tercer Sector......................................11

5. Challenges identified by the Advisor Councils of OTS .....................12

6. Conclusions .............................................................................18

Attached Document I. Antecedents: the challenges identified in 2005 ......20

Part I. The Advisor Councils of the Observatorio del Tercer Sector

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1. Purpose

As a resea rch centre specialized in the third se ctor, the compl icity with t he entities and with the other social agents is a key.

The Advisor Councils are part of the participation plan of th e Observatorio del Tercer Sector (OTS) and come up with the purpose of:

-Guarantee the con sistency a nd usefu lness of the activities developed b y OTS.

-Reflect together on the needs and tendencies of n on profit o rganisations, as well as their role in society.

-Contribute to the construction of a collective speech as a sector.

On the ba sis of these ob jectives, on e of the extra valu es of the se n ew bodies is the diversity of their member s and, there fore, the interaction o f people coming from different activity fields of the third sector or with so me affinity to it.

So, fo r th e OTS, th e Ad visor Councils represent a way to forma lize th e relationships based on co mplicity with othe r people, entitie s and institutions, built in the course of fi ve years of ca reer. To pay attention to the double territory approa ch of th e a ctivities d eveloped by the O TS, catalan regional field and state field, two councils were created: the Advisor Council of Research-Catalonia that takes place in Barcelona and the Advisor Council of Research-Spain that is carried out in Madrid.

2. Operation and methods

Each Coun cil is co mposed b y a group in between 30 and 40 people from different organizations. This varie ty of entitie s and perso nal path is fundamental to guarantee the mutual enrichment and the capacity to debate of th e gro up. The compo sition of the councils h as been formed th rough a personalized invita tion fro m the management team of th e en tity, that has reach ed a con sensus wi th its Board of Director s. The future incorporations or updatin gs are expected to be generated on th e basis of the same dynamics of the Councils.

Due to the profile of the people that compose them, a great effort has been made in order to plan some work dynamics that im ply a limited am ount of time devoted to it. In that sense, the Advisor Council of Research-Catalonia meets tw ice a year, in Barcelona; and the Adviso r Council of Re search-Spain once a year, in Madrid. The meetings take place at lunch time. As far as the meetings are concerned, these are focused on one specific theme of interest fo r the whole sector a nd, based on a previou s refle ction on the chosen subject matter, the dynamics of work in groups are carried out.

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3. The Advisor Council of Research-Catalonia

Below, th e mem bers o f the Advisor C ouncil of Research-Catalonia, on September 2008, are introduced.

1 Fatima Ahmed Associació Sociocultural Ibn Batuta

2 Dan iel Arenas Esade

3 Jordi Armadans Fundació per la Pau

4 Alícia Artiaga Fundació Comtal

5 Eduard Ballester Federació Catalana d’ONG per al Desenvolupament

6 Carles Barba Fundació Catalana de l'Esplai

7 Javier Bonomi Fedelatina

8 Quim Brugué Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

9 David Camps Intermón Oxfam

10 Ramo n Carbonell Copcisa

11 Josep Lluís Cleries Convergència i Unió

12 Toni Codina Taula d'Entitats del Tercer Sector Social de Catalunya

13 Teresa Crespo Fundació FIAS

14 Ignasi de Juan Educació Sense Fronteres

15 Adolf Díaz Creu Roja Catalunya

16 Eva Fernández FAVB - Federació d'Associacions de Veïns de Barcelona

17 Àngel Font Fundació Caixa Catalunya

18 Francesc Giró Acció Natura

19 Ricard Gomà Ajuntament de Barcelona

20 Jordi Gusi ECAS - Entitats Catalanes d'Acció Social

21 Rita Huybens Lliga dels Drets dels Pobles

22 Eulàlia Mas Federació Catalana de Voluntariat Social

23 Pepe Menéndez Fundació Joan XXIII

24 Juan Mezo Valores y Marketing

25 Alba Molas Coordinadora Catalana de Fundacions

26 Teresa Montagut Universitat de Barcelona

27 Ramon Nicolau Ajuntament de Barcelona - Participació Ciutadana

28 Arcadi Oliveres Justícia i Pau

29 Pilar París Generalitat de Catalunya

30 Jordi Pietx Xarxa de Custòdia del Territori

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31 Jordi Porta Òmnium Cultural

32 Consol Prados Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya

33 Xavier Puig AEISC – Associació Empresarial de la Iniciativa Social de Catalunya

34 Roger Revilla Federació Catalana d’ONG pels Drets Humans

35 Rafael Ruiz de Gauna Fundació Pere Tarrés

36 Jordi Sànchez Fundació Jaume Bofill

37 Anna Simó Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya

38 Raül Valls Centre per a la sostenibilitat territorial

39 Ricard Valls Antares Consulting

40 Mercedes Yubero Fundació Adsis

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4. The Advisor Council of Research-Spain

Next, the members of the Advisor Council of Research-Spain on September 2008 are introduced.

1 David Álvarez Solidarios para el Desarrollo

2 Luis Aranguren Consejo Asesor de la Plataforma del Voluntariado de España

3 Marta Arias Intermón Oxfam

4 Lorenzo Cachón Universidad Complutense de Madrid - l Foro para la inmigración de MTAS

5 Carles Campuzano Convergència i Unió

6 Ju lián Carranza Greenpeace

7 Marcos Concepción Asociación Española de Fundraising

8 Isidro de Pablo Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

9 Eduardo del Río Asociación Española de Fundaciones

10 Javier Font Federación de Asociaciones de Minusválidos Físicos y Orgánicos de la Comunidad de Madrid – FAMMA

11 Berta Fraguas Fundación Comité Español de los Colegios del Mundo Unido

12 Marisol García Fundación Chandra

13 Carlos Giménez Universidad Autónoma de Madrid - Observatorio de las migraciones

14 Jai me Gregori Cruz Roja

15 Luis María López -Aranguren Fundación Tomillo

16 Mª Jesús Manovel Fundación Esplai

17 Loli Martínez Consejo de la Juventud de España

18 Eloy Martínez de la Pera Proyecto "Arte al Derecho"

19 Carlos Mataix Ingenieros Sin Fronteras

20 José María Medina Coordinadora de ONG para el Desarrollo de España

21 Mª Teresa Mogín Fundación Real Madrid

22 Elena Presencio Proyecto Hombre

23 Gregorio Rodríguez Cabrero Universidad de Alcalá de Henares

24 Odile Rodríguez de la Fuente Fundación Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente

25 Xavier Serna Fundación Luis Vives y Observatorio del Tercer Sector

26 Isidro Villoria Fundación Alicia Koplowitz

Part II. The challenges of the third sector: a vision based on the Advisor

Councils of the Observatorio del Tercer Sector

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In spite of the third sector being heterogeneous, there are some common charac-teristics and shared values that can help to build a joint identity as a sector.

5. Challenges identified by the Advisors Councils of the OTS Next, are introduced the main challeng es idient ified on the basi s of b oth Advisors Councils of the Obse rvatorio del Tercer Se ctor tha t took pla ce in Barcelona, on the 6t h of Ma y 2008 and the one in Madrid, o n the 28th o f the same month.

To make its re ading easier, th ey have been grouped in 5 b ig themes: the construction of a co llective identity, the added value of the third sector, the role of th e third se ctor, the op eration of entities an d, finally, the curren t context.

The construction of a collective identity

To identify the common characteristics and the shared values to draw up a collective speech. The third sector is a varied, heterogeneous and comp lex reality. Although this plurality is a sign of th e asso ciation richness of our environment, often it does not help to transmit to the rest of the so cial agents a j oint vision of th e se ctor. Even when difference s exist between the severa l subse ctors of ac tivity ( cooperation, so cial ac tion, cultural, environmental, etc.), there are common characteristics and shared values from which a collective speech can be built, one that helps to clarify “what we are”, “what role we want to have” and “where we want to go” as a sector. This construction of an identity of our own and of a collect ive speech is seen a s a key element so as to optimize the rela tionships o f the third sector w ith the citizens and with the other outstanding social agents.

To collect the diversity of the third sector. We have to guarante e that this construction of a speech and a collective identity reflects the plurality of the se ctor. In this sens e, all non p rofit orga nisations have to feel represented, regardless of their dimensions, action field, etc.

To reinforce the structuring of the sector. Even if in th e last years a great e ffort has been made in stru cturing, the re are still ex cessively atomized action fields. This would be the case , among others, o f the environmental sector or of the immigrated organisations.

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An efficient networking im-plies establishing relationships based on trust that allow to create solid alliances.

To foster networking. It is necessary to generate solid allia nces between the entitie s of the third sector based on the id entification of comm on elements. In this sense, it is important t hat net working sho uld be ca rry out b ased on shared values. It does not h ave to do only with being on platfo rms or ot her second le vel structures but to imply oneself and overcome the competitively between entities of th e third sector, that is where the challenge is. To do a real and effective networking you have to be read y to give up some presence as a “trad emark” in the interests of the collective objectives.

To stimulate the exchange of knowledge between the entities of the third sector. The entities of the third secto r ge nerate a very valuable knowledge that tend s to sta y in the heart of the organisations (learn ing, good practices, etc.). Share this knowledge is a key element in order to be able to capitalize it in the interests of the whole sector.

The added value of the third sector

To make visible the contribution of the third sector to society. In a context in which the values are not anymore the exclusive patrimony of non profit o rganisations and in wh ich it is more and more necessary to reinforce the legitim acy and the competence of the third sector in the mana gement o f theme s of general interest, the sector has to be able t o make t angible a nd visible th e differe nt value it brings.

To advance in the measurement and the assessment of the impact. In order to make visible first one has to know, an d in o rder to kn ow it is necessary to measure. In this sense, one has to be able to develop impact indicators that allow to evaluate the efficiency as well as the effectiveness of non profit organisatio ns, like th e added value that they contribute throu gh their actions.

To generate knowledge about the third sector. Beyond the everyday activity, the third sector has th e challenge of gene rating knowledge about its rea lity: to provid e quantita tive and qualitative data that enables to analyze and know its deve lopment. To kn ow helps to com municate and to make tan gible the value of the contrib ution. The legitim acy of the third sector depends, to a great e xtent, on this a bility t o ma ke visible and to define the values that are of their own.

The role of the third sector

To increase the recognition of the third sector as an outstanding social agent. Compared to other social agents like the political parties, the trade unio ns or the companies, the third sect or st ill has a re sidual social position. This recognition is assumed to b e someth ing worked internally in

To have at one’s disposal the knowledge about the reality of the third sector is a key element to make oneself known and to be recognised as an outstanding social agent.

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The third sector has to keep in mind its mission as a social transformation agent.

The third sector has a residual position compared to other social agents as the political parties, trade unions or companies.

the construction of a speech and a unique identity. The reco gnition will also enable the third sector to be an agent as many others in the creation of public opinion in themes of collective interest.

To be careful to maintain the function of social transformation of the third sector. The third sec tor has to keep in mind its mission as an agent of social tran sformation. In any action that is done this aim o f transformation has to be present: in the service rend ering, in th e relationships and alliances with the civil service or with other social agents, etc. So, from the th ird sector we ha ve to appea l continuo usly to othe r agents the value of transformation, the political incid ence, of being the voice o f the m ost vulnerable groups, etc.

To consolidate the legitimacy of the third sector. To increase the capacity of incidence of the third sector in any action field, it is necessary to keep on working actively so as to keep its legitimacy as an outstandin g social ag ent. This constru ction of legitimacy depends on many factors, one that stan ds out is the consistency between the way of workin g of the entities a nd their mission a nd value s; the transparency and the accountability, the q uality of t he work, the impact of these actions, etc.

To promote alliances and partnerships. The third sector is in a network of relationships where the all iances between the different social agents are key to influence an d im prove the quality o f life of th e m ost vulnerable groups. T he entitie s are con scious that before a comp lex reality a nd constant development one has to work join tly w ith other actors, strengthening the relationships of partnerships.

To build a new paradigm of relationship in the civil service and the political field. Nowadays, it seems tha t the rela tionship with the civil service and other po litical powers is articulated on the basis of the servic e rendering. In this sense, there is a lot of work to do so as to go from having a mercan tilist re lationship to one fo cused on the appro ach of the corresponsability in front of the public interest.

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To speak is not enough anymore, we have to see how the values are there in the everyday practices of the entities.

We have to assume the role of political incidence and reinforce the joint construction of civil politics.

To improve the task of the political incidence. As agents of social transformation, it is important that the o rganisations of the third sect or assume the function of influ encing the co nstruction of civil politics, be it in the social sphere, cooperation, environmental fields, or others. This role of incidence has to become tangible when it comes to establish relationships of collaboration with the civil and political powers, as well as with the business world. In spite of the fact that the level o f dialogue with the political sector has in creased remarkably in the la st years, the re is still a lot t o do in thi s field to influence in a significant way in the joint construction of civil politics.

How the entities work

To guarantee the coherence with the values. The value s are a fundamental patrimony in the o rganisations of the third se ctor. This system of values has to be there, continuously and transversally, in a ll the spheres of the or ganisation (opera tion, commu nication, fund raisin g, financing, projects, etc.). To succeed, it is essential t o transmit the values to all the people and all the groups implie d in the en tity, as w ell as to all the related agents. We have to w ork so that the values are incorporated in the organisation culture.

To develop new ways of communication. U ntil now a commun icative speech ha s been constru cted, basica lly oriente d towards the politica l powers, but we also have to work so a s to sprea d the me ssage to citizens and to society in general. There is still a g reat social ignorance of the third sector reality and you can see the need to keep on working so a s to find new way s of communicating that br ing clo ser the third se ctor and t he citizens an d help to make its contribution visib le. At the sa me time, the importance of be ing care ful so that these comm unication strategies are coherent with the mission and the values of the o rganisations is emphasized.

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The transparency has to do with the way of relating with society and directly affects the construction of the social image of the sector.

It is important to reinforce the enterprising capacity and the social mobilization of the third sector.

To improve the transparency and the accountability. The challenge of the transparen cy is present in the organisations of th e third se ctor as a too l to get tr ust and so cial re cognition. The transparency has to do with the way of relating with society and affects dir ectly the constru ction of t he social ima ge of the sector. Related with com munication - internal and externa l – as well as with the accountability proce sses, the transpar ency appears as a key element to keep on working. Following this tre nd of th ought, it is con sidered outstanding to adva nce in the creation of a sa fe-regulated framework of their own.

To face the management of the government organs. In order to deal with the future challenges, the entitie s of the t hird sector must h ave government organs with a capacity to lead, transparent, consolidated, with a new generation p repared to take over the lea dership, involved, etc. Taking into account that the govern ment organs are a key element in the machinery of non profit organisations, it is important to be able to plan and to make an effort in its management.

To promote new models of participation. There is a worry aroun d the dynamizing and the streng thening of the so cial basis of th e organi sations of the th ird se ctor. There is an insistence on the n eed to b oth go through the existing models of participation and prom ote the development of new strategies that allow to reinforce the involvement and the com mitment o f all the people, e ntities an d group s linked to the achievement of the mission of the organisation. For exa mple, one can perceive that all the potential of the In formation Technology (IT) in fa vour of this dynamizin g has not yet been e xploited. Then the participation is a complex concept that has to b e worked and managed in a continuou s an planned m anner. To have a committed and active socia l basis do es n ot emerge in a sponta neous wa y but req uires an important organisational effort.

To incorporate the cultural diversity in the heart of the entities. It is considered important that the cultura l di versity th at live s in the socie ty nowadays is reflected in the third sector. In this sense, the incorporation of immigrant people in non profit o rganisations, either a s profe ssionals, volunteers or in the government organs is an opportunity to update ideas, methodology of work, points of view and approaches, etc.

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The work of proximity carried out by the third sector has to be used to anticipate and to be proactive in front of the new social needs.

The model of labour rela-tionship has to collect the diversity and the specific characteristics of the third sector.

To make progress in the development of a labour framework of its own. The third sector h as to wor k the re gulations o f the labour relationships on the basi s of a model of its own that colle cts the d iversity of the sector. In this sense, we have to be t on a mod el t hat will ha ve t o be necessarily different from the one in the civil or business fields.

To promote innovation. Often, the third sect or makes itse lf comfortable in certa in models and ways of inter vention that do not respond t o the emerging. In this sense, the need to promote in novation a t the heart o f organisations is detected in order to imp rove the way they work and the social impact: application o f new too ls and methods, to make the most o f the potential that the social basis of the e ntities may offer, the networking, etc. In short, the fa ct of developing towards a more proactive, enterprising and innovating third sector is identified as a challenge.

The present context

To face the present context of socioeconomic crisis. The third sector is not alien to the social and economic crisis that the country lives nowadays. In this sense, the third sector has a double challenge: on one hand, to face the secondary effects the crisis may have, among others, in the financing of organisations; and o n the other hand, to know how to be ahead and to answer the new social needs arisen from it.

To develop the capacity to be in advance of the third sector. In view of this complex and full of un certainties context, the third s ector has to be able to adapt and give an answer. The work o f proximity carried out by the associations net has to be used to detect the se emerging needs (new poverty profile s, an increase of unemployment, the migratory flow s, etc.), to a nticipate and be pro active when the time co mes to g enerate answers o f act ion. So, we have to think about what planning strategies can be applied from the organisations of the third sector to deal with the situation.

To transform the complexity of the new context in an opportunity. The third sector is in front of a new context that also offers opportunities to act a s an outstanding so cial a gent and t o con solidate it s social role. For example, the legal framework around the themes of dependence and social services raises challenges and opportunities that th e third se ctor has to be able to catch.

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6. Conclusions Below, is presen ted a summary of the main challenges ide ntified by the members of the Advisor Councils of OTS.

The construction of a collective identity

• To identify the comm on characteristics and the shared values in order to prepa re a collective sp eech as a third sector, that help s to clar ify “what we are”, “what role do w e want to have” and “where do we want to go”.

• To collect the diversity o f the thir d sector and to p repare a collective speech in which everybody can feel reflected.

• To reinforce the structuring of the third sector.

• To prom ote the networkin g b ased on trust and on the co operation among the entities of the third sector.

• To prom ote the e xchange of knowledge between entities in order to capitalize what has been learnt and the good practices.

The added value of the third sector

• To make visible the contribu tion of the third se ctor to so ciety to reinforce the legitimacy of the third sector.

• To advan ce in the measuring and evaluation o f the impa ct of the actions as key tools to know an d communicate what is the added valu e brought by the third sector.

• To generate knowledge about the third sector providing qualitative and quantitative data on its reality and development.

The role of the third sector

• To increase the recognition of the third sector as an outstanding social agent.

• To keep in mind to keep the function of so cial transformation of the third sector: service rendering, collaboration with civil powers, etc.

• To consolidate the legitimacy of the third sector to increase its capacity of incidence in any of its action fields.

• To promote alliances and pa rtnerships relationships with the different social agents in or der to jo in their e fforts in the inte rests o f th eir common aims.

• To constru ct a new paradigm of relation ship with the admin istrative and political sphere centered on the approach of co-responsability.

• To imp rove the ta sk of pol itical incidence to p articipate in the construction of public politics and act as agents of social transformation.

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How the entities work

• To guara ntee th e cohe rence w ith the value s, ma king them continuously and transversally present in all the organisational areas.

• To develop new w ays of communication that brin g the reality o f the third sector closer to the citizens and help to transmit its contribution to society.

• To improve the transparency and the accountability as key elements to construct a social trust.

• To fa ce th e manage ment o f the go vernment o rgans re inforcing the capacity of leadership, of commitment, the new generation taking on the leadership, etc.

• To promote new models o f pa rticipation that help to stren gthen the social basis of the entities of the third sector.

• To incorpo rate the cultural diversity in the organisations o f the third sector advancing in the presence of newly arrived people in the teams of professionals, of volunteers or in the government organs.

• To advance in the develo pment of a working fra mework of our own that collects th e d iversity and the specific cha racteristics of the third sector.

To promo te the in novation to impro ve the way things run and to increase the impact of non profit organisations.

The present context

• To face th e pre sent context o f socioe conomic crisis dealin g with the secondary eff ects th at it may have for the entit ies of th e th ird se ctor (financing, the appearance of new social needs, etc.).

• To develop the capacity of the third sector to detect and give an answer in advance to the emerging social needs: new poverty profiles, migratory flows, increase of unemployment, etc.

• To transfo rm the complexity o f the social and e conomic con text into opportunities o f development a nd con solidation of the role o f the third sector.

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Attached document I. Records: the identified challenges of 2005

In 2005, coinciding with the inauguratio n of the OTS new w orking spa ce, the first annual day of the entity wa s carried ou t, and sin ce th en it is celebrated each year . On that occa sion, the Observatorio del Tercer Sector gathered 12 rep resentatives of entities fr om different field s to reflect o n what would be the key themes and th e challenges of the organisations of

the catalan third sector in the following three years.

At that moment, th e key themes tha t constituted the challe nges of th e third se ctor were grouped in four big fields, as follows:

1. The impact of the organisations of the third sector

-To work to obtain results: we have to be able to offer concrete results of improvement that arrive to all the groups of society. It is necessary to measure those results to e xplain what is done in our sector and be able to study in depth those key aspects.

-To keep the capacity of incid ence in order to be able to study in depth a key concept: the

governing. The oppo rtunity to be transfo rming age nts, capab le of create opinions a nd exertin g leadership, canno t be lo st. The incid ence has to become a reality through denunciations and proposals based on this capacity and this credibility.

-To establish alliance s with the different social ag ents: in th e se ctor they cover from the ne tworking in the search of global solutions to processes of agreement. The alliances wi th the private sector have to make the dialogue as collaborators possible. At the same time, the fact that competition in the price is the only criterion for awarding in the Civil Service has to be avoided, defending the quality of the services and the addressees.

2. A complex reality, a changing world, a new context

Social changes should focus our attention:

-Immigration brings material, cultura l and human richness. At the same time, however, it generates a demand of services and resources.

-Population ageing, with many repercussions in social and health care fields.

-The ineq ualities be tween north and so uth, more and more flagrant and present in a global world.

-A social and environmental view that suggests understanding territory as a space to live and act, while it is preserved and maintained.

-The inte rest of t he ci vil society in s ocial wel fare unders tood in a gl obal way: health, education, culture, social services, etc.

-More s ocial d emands, with l imited pu blic re sources, that can lead t o outsourcing the services, not because of effectivene ss o r quality bu t because it is cheaper.

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3. The improvements in organizations

-People in organisations: th e p olitics of managem ent and development o f people fostering m ultidisciplinary tea ms that contribute with training, knowledge, professionalization and eth ics are to be stud ied in depth. This implies w orking a spects like gender perspective, the clarifying of the industrial framework, involvem ent an d promoting of the volunteering and the participation of the users.

-Diversification of the economic resou rces: to start up action s fo r fundraising or sponsorship, for exa mple, to work w ith as much independence as possible.

-The int ernal or ganisation o f entities: t he work w ith strategic view ha s to help to strengthen aspe cts like sp ecialization, the uniqueness, the collaboration with other inst itutions o r the dive rsification of the ways employed for fundraising. The efficiency, the proximity and the territoriality, the implementation of quality systems, the improvement of the government organs, a mong oth er aspe cts, to rein force the a ctions carried out in the third sector without lo sing their own values and stud ying in d epth th e coherence and the transparency.

-The need of communication: it has to be understood as a key element for the organ isations of the th ird se ctor. It is n ecessary to de velop management action s of the tradema rk, especia lly in the case o f small organisations.

4. The development of the legal framework

-Significant legi slative measu res th at are being de veloped or formu lated again and that have to help in the developm ent of the third sector. Fo r example, the Statute reform was mentioned, the Law of social services, the dependence Law and the checking of the performance of the LISMI.

-The starting up of different plans, that imply several opportunities for the sector. For example, the Action Plan for inc lusion and social cohesion, the Plan for supporting the third se ctor from the public sector, an d an agreement between the third sector and the private sector, the director plan for immigration and cooperation were mentioned.

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OTS Collections The publications of the OTS are the too l to communicate, to share and to debate the knowledg e around the non pr ofit world. Short bo oklets, ea sily read about themes of interest for the third sector.

OTS Research papers

The col lection “OTS Re search Papers” con sists o f several bo oklets that come fr om the line s of resea rch that the OTS works on. In this collection, documents of research p resented i n confe rences, fi eld work re sults, monographics and synthesis documents can be found.

OTS Debates

The booklets of this collection collect and summarize the main contributions, ideas and conclusions of the acts and activities organized by the OT S. The de bate g enerated around so me of th e transver sal them es of the third sector is capitalized.

OTS Experiences

The co llection “ OTS Exper iences” colle cts the g ood practices, cases and examples of conc rete actions of the entities. The organisation s th emselves are the main protagonists; they share their experiences and learnings so t hey can b e usef ul fo r t he r est of the t hird se ctor entities.

Our mission

The Observatorio del Tercer Sector is a research centre specialized in the third sector, without a financial aim and independent, with the objective of deepening and increasing the knowledge of this sector and working for improvement in the performance of non-

profit organizations.

Fields of works

THE STRUCTURALIZATION OF

THE THIRD SECTOR For example, themes such

as sector diagnostics, identification and

visualization of umbrella organizations, third sector

and society...

THE PERFORMER OF THE ORGANIZATION

For example, themes such as government organs, quality, organizational reflections, volunteers, transparency, impact, management and personnel development

AREAS OF INTEREST OF THE THIRD SECTOR

For example, themes such as youth, cooperative development, ethical

banking, the environment, social, cultural, etc.

Research, conferences, workshops, teaching, publications, organizational escort,…

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