Glossary of terms

A

ACAS

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service - an independent and impartial organisation that helps to improve the working life of employers and employees 

Agenda

A list of meeting items or activities

AGM

Annual General Meeting -  a yearly meeting of the general membership of an organisation  

Audit

An official, and usually independent, inspection of an organisation's financial accounts

B

Board

An appointed or elected group of individuals that has overall responsibility for the governance of an organisation

C

Code of Conduct

A set of rules that members of an organisation or people with a particular job or position must follow

Collaboration

A group of people or organisations that have come together to contribute their expertise for the benefit of a shared objective, project, or mission

Committee

A group of people appointed for a specific function by a larger group, typically consisting of members of that group

Community First East Lothian

The voluntary organisation that provides access and support to community & volunteer led activities and services in East Lothian

Community Justice Scotland

The public body that plays a central role in the continual improvement of Scotland’s justice system by providing leadership, support, advice and training

D

Data Protection

The process of protecting sensitive information from damage, loss, or corruption

Donations

Something that is given to a charity, especially a sum of money, to help the charity further its cause

E

Eco-system

A group of people or group of organisations that work and interact with each other in the same environment

Empowered

Having the knowledge, confidence, means, or ability to do things or make decisions for oneself

F

FOIA

Freedom Of Information Act - a law providing general right of access to all types of recorded information held by most UK public authorities

Fraud

Wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain

G

GDPR aka The General Data Protection Regulation

The rules for complying with, and demonstrating compliance with, all data protection principles

Grants

A sum of money given by a government or other organisation with grant-giving powers for a particular purpose

H

Lobbying

The activity of trying to persuade someone in authority, usually an elected member of a government, to support laws or rules that give your organisation, community or cause an advantage

L

Locality

Refers to a city, town, suburb or other locality in which a person resides or an organisation operates

M

Merger

A combination of two things, especially organisations, into one

P

Pantry

A room or place near a kitchen where food is available

Partnerships

An association of two or more people or organisations as partners

Prosperity

The condition of being successful, flourishing, or thriving, especially financially

PVG aka Protecting Vulnerable Groups

The government scheme for assessing and ensuring the suitability of individuals to work with children or protected adults

R

Resilient

Able to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened

S

Safeguarding

Protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of children, young people and adults, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect

Senior staff

Individuals who provide leadership and guidance to employees with less seniority

Social Enterprises

A business with social objectives, where maximising profits is not the primary goal 

Strategic

The ability to lead people, teams and organisations, in a way that advances primary missions and goals and creates advantage for the long term

SWOT analysis

A planning tool for identifying the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats involved in a project or organisation

T

Tax

A compulsory financial contribution to the government, levied on workers' income and business profits, or added to the cost of some goods, services, and transactions

Third Sector

A collective term for charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups

Trust Funding

Financial support from trusts and foundations that are empowered to make grants to organisations and/or individuals for charitable purposes

TSI aka Third Sector Interface

Describes a single point of access for support and advice for the third sector within local areas. There is a TSI in each local authority area in Scotland

V

VAT aka Value Added Tax

Tax added to most products and services sold by VAT-registered businesses and organisations

Volunteering

Doing something, especially for other people or for an organisation, willingly and without being paid to do it

W

Workshops

Workshops are learning events organised for groups of people to develop certain skills, gain knowledge and provide hands-on experience to the participants

Y

Youth Development

Growing and developing the skills and connections that young people need to take part in society and reach their potential