glossary
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Capability Scotland
A body that provides a broad range of services to adults and children with physical and/or learning disabilities. They are located in Edinburgh although they have services throughout Scotland. (Their website is http://www.capability-scotland.org.uk/).
Capacity
FINANCE. When applied to income, it is the maximum achievable. E.g. for ticket sales it is a full house multiplied by the top price charged for each seat.
Capacity Building
Capacity building is about taking action to encourage and support the growth of skills, information, knowledge and confidence at a community level. It is concerned with investing in the development of local people's ability to participate within the community.
Capital
FINANCE. The funds invested in a business to enable it to buy fixed and current assets with which to run it.
Capital Expenditure
FINANCE. Amounts spent upon fixed assets, whose use is for more than one year and whose cost is written off, i.e. allocated, over its working life.
Capital Funding
Grants normally come in one of two varieties, Capital or Revenue funding. Capital funding is used to purchase fixed objects e.g. computer, equipment, lighting. (See further information on this website).
Capital Grant
A grant made for Endowments, buildings, equipment or construction projects. (See more information on this website).
Case Law
LEGAL. The body of decisions made by appellate courts which represents interpretations of statutes, regulations and constitutions. Also known as the Common Law. (For further legal information on volunteering see the Euro-Volunteer Information Pool at http://www.euro-volunteer.org).
Cash
FINANCE. Money deposited in a bank and items that a bank will accept for immediate deposit, such as paper money, coins, checks, and money orders.
Cashflow
FINANCE. The movement of funds in and out of the group, by way of cash, cheques and other bank debits and credits.The cashflow should be large enough to pay the expenses of the income producing property (mortgage payment, maintenance, utilities, etc.).
Cashflow Forecast/Statement
FINANCE. Compiled from the budget and other relevant information, its function is to help to predict when remedial action is needed -to avoid a bank overdraft or to invest Surplus funds at a beneficial rate of interest. The point is that some items of income and expenditure will not occur in cash terms in the period to which they relate. E.g. grant cheques may be received before or after their period.
Charitable Corporation
A kind of Nonprofit Corporation which exists to support charitable causes. Same as Charity Organisation.
Charitable Status
That of the Charity Organisations.
Charitable Trust
A small group of people (the trustees) who administer and hold legal ownership of the organisation's property (money, land, property etc.) and administer it for the purposes the trust was set up. (See VAN briefing no. 22).
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)
An international non-governmental organisation which provides specialist financial services to other charities and their supporters. (See http://www.cafonline.org/).
Charities Evaluation Services (CES)
Umbrella body for charities. CES' aim is to help other charities in order to make them more effective and efficient. (Further information at http://www.ces-vol.org.uk/main.htm).
Charity Commission -England and Wales
The statutory organisation that regulates charities. It seeks to ensure that charities operate within a framework that enables them to work effectively for the purposes for which they were set up. (Further information at http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/tcc/ccabout.asp; and in VAN briefings no. 55 and 22).
Charity Organisation
Body with purposes covered by the four heads of charity: the relief of poverty, the advancement of education, the advancement of religion and other aims beneficial to the community. Organisations set up for the benefit of the trustees or of individuals are excluded. (See VAN briefing no. 22, 'Getting Charitable Status').
Charity Regulation Authority (CRA)
Proposed new name for Charity Commission.
Charity Times
Periodical magazine and online information resource covering the full range of UK voluntary sector management issues, and host of the UK Charity Awards. (http://www.charitytimes.com/).
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
A professional body for those involved in the management and development of people. (Visit CIPD's website at http://www.cipd.co.uk/).
Children's Fund
Government initiative to support the provision of preventative services for 5 to 13 year olds at risk. (See http://www.cypu.gov.uk/corporate/childrensfund/index.cfm for further information).
Comission for Racial Equality (CRE)
A publicly funded, non-governmental body set up under the Race Relations Act 1976 to tackle racial discrimination and promote racial equality. (Further information at http://www.cre.gov.uk/index.html).
Common Law
LEGAL. The decisions of appellate courts which, collectively, constitute case law. In some cases, common law fills in the gaps in the meaning and application of statutes; in other cases, the law is assembled largely or exclusively from common law. Tort law, in particular, is comprised largely of case law or common law. (A complete glossary on legal information for volunteers is available at http://www.ptialaska.net/~jdewitt/vlh/Supplement/VLHGlossary.html.
Communication Cost
FINANCE. This is the term for the cost incurred for telephone service, local and long distance telephone calls, telegrams, facsimile transactions, postage, and the like.
Community
1. All the people living in a specific locality; 2. A specific locality, including its inhabitants; 3. A group of people with a common heritage or characteristics, whether or not living in the same location; 4. A body of nations unified by common interests.
Community and Voluntary Forum for the Eastern Region (COVER)
An umbrella body that represents and co-ordinates a wide range of voluntary and community groups in the six counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. It's aim is to maximise, encourage and develop the impact of voluntary organisations and community groups on social, economic and environmental policies affecting the Eastern Region. (Visit them at http://www.cover-east.org/).
Community and Voluntary Organisations Sedgefield (CAVOS)
Umbrella organisation for community and voluntary organisations in Sedgefield Borough.(Contact them at http://www.cavos.org.uk/main.html).
Community Business Scotland (CBS) Network
CBS Network supplies support and services to Community Businesses, Social Firms and other Third Sector organisations in Scotland and the whole UK. (More information at http://www.cbs-network.org.uk).
Community Development Foundation (CDF)
The national expert agency for Community Development. (Contact them at admin@cdf.org.uk).
Community Development Trusts
Local agencies for the regeneration of declined areas. Uually formed within the community concerned, and controlled by reidents of the area. (For further details, or the names of local examples, enquire at DTA).
Community Empowerment Fund (CEF)
Government fund to help the voluntary and community sector in the 88 most deprived local authority areas get involved in the work of their local strategic partnership. (See http://www.neighbourhood.gov.uk).
Community Enterprise in Strathclyde (CEIS)
Based in Glasgow, CEiS provides development and support to the local social economy and also takes a policy-influencing role alongside other organisations at both local and wider levels. (Contact them at http://www.ceis.org.uk/).
Community Foundation
The one-stop solution for those who want their giving to be for the lasting benefit of their local community. Gifts in cash, trusts, bequests, shares or proprty all help create permanent endowment funds, whose earnings meet local needs while respecting donors' wishes. (See CFN and their webpage at http://www.communityfoundations.org.uk/).
Community Foundation Network (CFN)
An umbrella body that provides support for Community Foundations. (Further information at http://www.communityfoundations.org.uk/).
Community Fund
CF gives Lottery money to charities and to voluntary and community groups. (See their website at http://www.community-fund.org.uk).
Community Involvement
For grant seeking purposes, it means that members of the community participate in the activities of your grant project. (See Grant).
Community Matters
Formerly known as the National Federation of Community Organiations, is the national resource and umbrella agency for community organisations. (See http://www.communitymatters.org.uk/).
Community Outreach
The abiblity of the presenter to identify undeserved groups in its community, involve these groups in project planning and marketing and publicise the project to targeted, undeserved populations and the general public.
Community Sector
Those organisations active on a local or community level, usually small, modestly funded and largely dependent on voluntary, rather than paid, effort. Can be seen as distinct from the larger, professionally staffed agencies which are most visible in voluntary sector profiles. Hence the phrase 'voluntary and community sector' to encompass the full range. (See http://www.volresource.org.uk).
Community Sector Coalition (CSC)
A national federation of resource and umbrella agencies promoting the interests of the community sector, as distinct from the voluntary sector. (Contact them at csc@communitymatters.org.uk).
Community Service Volunteers (CSV)
A UK charity 'dedicated to giving everyone the chance to play an active part in their community though volunteering, training, education and the media'. They have offices in Wales and Scotland. (Visit their website at http://www.csv.org.uk).
Community Strategy
All local authorities in England are legally charged to prepare a Community Strategy, the aim being to co-ordinate the work of key partners to create better places for people to live in. Local Strategic Partnerships (see below) have a key role in this task. (Further details in VAN briefing no. 62; and check www.hmso.gov.uk for legal information).
Community-Based Organisations (CBOs)
These are voluntary not-for-profit non-governmental organisations with aims and activities limited to a locality that has a unique identity, as a city or a - more often - a neighbourhood or a housing area within a neighbourhood. In some cases, CBOs are also defined by being a membership organisation with restrictions on membership, e.g. housing associations with membership restricted to local residents. While an NGO targets certain issues, a CBO usually puts emphasis on holistic improvement of quality of life in a neighbourhood, although the focus can cover anything from heritage preservation to social inclusion. (See http://www.ensure.org).
Compact
An understanding between government (national or local) and the voluntary sector (in the guise of its representative bodies or via wider consultation) on how relations between the two should be conducted (e.g. funding doesnt prevent organisations from expressing views on policies). (See http://www.volresource.org.uk).
Company Limited
In England and Wales, companies can be constituted as a Company Limited by Guarantee by having a group of Members and a minimum of two Directors who can be paid of employed by the company. (See VAN briefing no. 23).
Compensatory Damages
LEGAL. Damages a wrongdoer is required to pay to a victim to compensate the victim for the consequences of the wrongdoer's actions or inactions. There are many different kinds of compensatory damages, based upon the kinds of injuries that have been sustained. (Glossary, focused on volunteering, available at http://www.ptialaska.net/~jdewitt/vlh/Supplement/VLHGlossary.html. Legal information for European volunteers at http://www.euro-volunteer.org).
Connexions
A Government initiative intended to guide and support young people aged 13 to 19. The service is to be delivered primarily through a network of Personal Advisers. (See Connexions webpage at http://www.connexions.gov.uk/).
Consideration
Legal. In the context of a contract, some right, interest, profit or benefit accruing to one party or some forbearance, detriment, loss or responsibility given, suffered or undertaken by the other. The thing that is exchanged in a contract.
Consortium of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Voluntary and Community Organisations (CLGB)
The Consortium is a membership network of over 250 groups working in lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) communities around the UK. (More information at http://fp.lgbconsortium.plus.com/).
Constitution
A legal document setting out what your group does, its aims and how it intends to achieve them; how decisions are made; and who your group is accountable to. (See VAN briefing no. 55, Constitutions Clarified; for model constitutions check, e.g. http://www.hawaii.edu/caps/rio/riopdf/appendixI.pdf).
Consultant
One who gives professional advice or services.
Contingency
FINANCE. In budgeting, the addition of an amount of expenditure for use in case costs exceed budgets.
Copyright
Volunteers who are not legally employees own the copyright or intellectual property rights to any work they create for the organisation unless they explicitly assign the copyright to the organisation. (See www.volunteering.org.uk).
Core Costs
FINANCE. Core costs are the bills that have to be paid. Core costs might include the salary of the administrator or other staff. Once the core costs are covered, the organisation can start to think about the extra work it can get involved with. Many groups feel that it is much easier to find funding for new projects than it is to cover core costs.
Corporate Veil
LEGAL. The general rule that members of a nonprofit corporation (and the shareholders in a for profit corporation) are not liable for the debts of the nonprofit corporation beyond the extent of any financial commitment they may have made to the nonprofit corporation. (A glossary on legal terms is available at http://www.ptialaska.net/~jdewitt/vlh/Supplement/VLHGlossary.html; General information on volunteering in the UK is available at http://www.volunteering.org.uk).
Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE)
CPRE 'exists to promote the beauty, tranquillity
and diversity of rural England by encouraging the sustainable use of land and other natural resources in town and country'. (See CPRE's website at http://www.cpre.org.uk/).
Council for Voluntary Service (CVS)
A CVS is a voluntary organisation which is set up, owned and run by local groups to support, promote and develop local voluntary and community action. CVS support their members by providing them with a range of services and by acting as a voice for the local voluntary and community sector. (See NACVS and their webpage at http://www.nacvs.org.uk/).
Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) Scotland
CVS exist to support voluntary action at local level. (See www.cvsscotland.org.uk/).
Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations (CEMVO)
Created, together with the Ethnic Minority Foundation (EMF), to enable the social regeneration of black and minority ethnic communities. (See http://www.ethnicminorityfoundation.org.uk/ceomessage.htm).
Craft-form umbrella body
See 'Umbrella body'
Cross-sectoral
Two or more sectors work together. For example, the public sector(like the municipality) working with the private sector (profit making businesses) or the voluntary sector (not for profit businesses, charitable organisations, residents groups).
Cultural Capital
Idea championed by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, who makes distinction between material wealth and cultural assets of a particular class. Bourdieu reasoned that culture adds to the wealth of a particular class. Class differences in cultural capital are rooted in network differences.