Strategic partnership between the university and non-profit organizations in the context of implementing the Service Learning program: fulfilling the third mission

The paper examines the transformation of interaction of a university and non-profit organizations from episodic initiatives into strategic partnership, which is particularly relevant in the context of implementing the Service Learning program. The study aims to identify the specific features of strategic partnerships between universities and socially oriented non-profit organizations (SONPOs) as a tool for fulfilling the university’s third mission. The empirical foundation is based on the federal Service Learning program: the study involved 30 SONPOs from the Rostov region engaged in the program during the 2024/25 academic year. Research methods included an analysis of statutory documents regulating the activities of NPOs and a survey of NPO representatives to study their experience of interacting with universities within the Service Learning program. The research results demonstrate that the Service Learning program is becoming an effective tool for solving social problems. Its key significance is manifested in two aspects: firstly, in the development of civic initiative among students; secondly, in the formation of traditions of public service within the university environment as the basis for fulfilling the university’s third mission. The study concludes that the strategic partnership between universities and SONPOs develops into an integrated model of cooperation. This model ensures both the integration of educational processes into the context of state social policy and the training of specialists in line with the current needs of the third sector of the economy. Thus, the study confirms the necessity of a systematic approach to building partnerships between universities and NPOs within the framework of implementing the university’s third mission.