Glossary

 A set of shared assumptions and values within an organisation. A ‘strong’ organisational culture is believed to motivate employees and improve their performance. It refers to how people dress, act or carry out their jobs, and how they relate to each other and the outside world.

Philanthropy literally means a ‘love of humanity’, so philanthropists are generally people who give large sums of money to improve others’ welfare and well-being.

Literally a ‘love of humanity’. It usually refers to people giving large sums of money to improve others’ welfare and well-being.

A complex term used to denote influence, control or domination.

Creating a professional structure for an organisation through new systems, procedures, training and so on in order to improve confidence and the status of the organisation and its staff (and volunteers). The voluntary sector developed a set of National Occupational Standards for its managers.

Information gathered from research using interviews, photos, film, diaries and so on. The data tends to be visual or written rather than numerical.

This is a charity that meets the legal definition of a charity and then registers with the charity commission for their nation (there are separate charity commissions for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). Not all charities are registered and very small ones are not eligible to register.

A particular way of studying something. Examples of research methods include interviews, surveys, focus groups, analysis of documents and so on. Research methods can be quantitative (involving numbers through surveys) or qualitative (finding out about people’s experiences and how they make sense of the world).

The trust, connections, bonds or ties between people in a particular place, as well as the networks or organisations that bring people together. Where social capital is deemed to be low, people are perceived to be alienated and levels of prosperity and economic growth are also low. Voluntary organisations often aim to improve social capital in the areas where they work.

People in society feel integrated, included, and have a shared sense of belonging.