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Three Sector Initiative Among Business, Government, and Nonprofit Sectors

Confronting Changing Roles and Relationships

Three Sector Initiative Purpose
To address the value of collaboration among the three sectors of society and create strategies by which leaders from each of the three sectors can address important civil issues in concert.

Background Statement
As we enter the 21st century, it is clear that the roles among the three sectors (business, government, and nonprofit) have begun to blur. Each of these sectors operates in a new and changing context marked by the promise and threat of the information age. This context, which may seem obvious, is an important influence on both the way we do business and the business we must do. How are the roles of each sector related?

The Project will:

Explore new and evolving relationships among the three sectors;
Recognize the value added by working together; and
Discuss best practices in working together and identify opportunities for future initiatives

The partner organizations have been working together to examine the changing interaction among the three sectors. In 2000, the group published its findings in a joint statement, Changing Roles, Changing Relationships: The New Challenge For Business, Nonprofit Organizations, and Government. Following publication of the report, the group convened the following three meetings to share its findings and expand the conversation:

June 15, 2000, in Washington, D.C.: Examining the Impact of "The New Economy" On the Roles and Relationships Among the Three Sectors—event hosted by the Council on Foundations and the National Governors' Association. Download a PDF version of this report.
July 17, 2000, in Charlotte, North Carolina: Ways in Which the Three Sectors Can Work Together to Promote "Civil Society"—event hosted by the National Council of County Officials and the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits. Download a PDF version of this report.
December 14, 2000, in Kansas City, Missouri: Collaborating for Regional Progress—event hosted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Download a PDF version of this report.

The initiative has published the following publications:

Working Better Together: How Government, Business, and Nonprofit Organizations Can Achieve Public Purposes Through Cross-Sector Collaboration, Alliances, and Partnerships
Changing Roles, Changing Relationships: The New Challenge For Business, Nonprofit Organizations, and Government

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