Bodies, other than public authorities or local authorities, that carry out activities otherwise than for profit.
Independent voluntary or community groups that are not for profit organisations formed by people who have come together of their own free will to respond to issues regarding the quality of life of themselves or fellow citizens.
The community sector differs from the voluntary sector, which is defined as: 'groups whose activities are carried out other than for profit but which are not public or local authorities. These organisations would normally be formally constituted and employ paid professional and administrative staff. They may or may not use volunteer help.' (See also Formal volunteering, Informal volunteering and Volunteer Involving Organisation). (Community Development Foundation)
The 161,000 incorporated non-profit organizations, plus the estimated thousands of unincorporated volunteer community groups. Otherwise known as the community-based-sector, the nonprofit sector, the third sector or the public benefit sector. While the sector is broad and diverse, one feature all organizations have in common is a reliance on volunteer boards of directors to govern their activities. The term "voluntary sector" comes from this common feature.
There are many definitions and refinements of this term, with often a wide and a tight/core version. One approach is by reference to what the other sectors cover e.g. private/commercial, state/public and informal (family, friends) - what is left is voluntary! That gives the derivation of the term 'third sector' too (the informal tending to be ignored). Another issue in defining the sector is that although many feel voluntary organisations are distinctly different from private and public ones, the boundaries actually are unclear - for example where would you put universities? It is more of a continuum than a set of discrete boxes. A definition used by SCVO states that a voluntary organisation is: non-profit distributing, non-statutory, autonomous, may be charitable. Also see Community Sector re Voluntary and community organisation. Hence VSO - Voluntary sector organisation (only seen in government documents) - more usually taken to mean Voluntary Service Overseas.
The voluntary sector is comprised of self-governing organizations that exist to serve a public benefit and generate social capital. The Voluntary Sector relies heavily on the efforts of volunteers in carrying out its mandate. In addition, it is independent of the formal structures of government or the profit sector. Some organizations are registered charities, some are incorporated non-profit organizations, and others still exist independent of these classifications. Organizations may range from small community-based groups to large, national umbrella organizations, and their work may include delivering services, advocating on behalf of community causes, encouraging self-help, facilitating international, community and economic development, advancing religious faith and practice, or raising funds and providing financial support to other voluntary organizations. Although many organizations rely on paid staff to carry out their work, all depend on a volunteer board of directors to provide governance.
The voluntary sector of a nation's economy consists of those entities which are not for profit and yet, at the same time, are not agencies of the state - e.g. charities, volunteer community centres and religious organizations. They may, in some countries, be subject to state scrutiny if they wish to qualify for charitable status.
