CO3 was formed in 1985 as the Association of Senior Officers of Voluntary Organisations (ASOVO), by a group of chief officers who started meeting to share good practice, information and peer support, to help them be more effective.  We then became the Association of Chief Officers of Voluntary Organisations (ACOVO) in 1986 and developed the organisation to provide support and development to chief officers in Northern Ireland’s voluntary and community sector. In May 2007 ACOVO was renamed CO3 Chief Officers 3rd Sector.

With financial support from the Voluntary & Community Unit of the Department for Social Development, Lloyds TSB Foundation for NI, as well as sponsorship and member subscription, CO3's capacity to deliver services was been enhanced in recent years.  Membership numbers have increased substantially, from 60 in 1998 to 250 in 2010.

As we are now entering our 24th year in existence, we are looking forward to celebrating and marking our 25th year- so watch this space for more info!