Archive for the ‘Daily Definition’ Category

An Import is…

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

An import is something that is brought into a country from another country. For example, true Champagne is only produced in the Champagne region of France, so if you want it and you live outside of France, you have to import it.

A Credit Rating is…

Friday, September 18th, 2009

A credit rating is like a grade given to a person, business, or even a country, that says how likely that person is to make payments on a loan as promised. Credit ratings for people are called credit scores and are maintained by credit bureaus like Experian and TransUnion. Credit rating agencies like Moody’s or Standard and Poor’s give ratings to companies and countries that tell investors how safe it is to buy their securities, like bonds or stocks.

A Campaign is…

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

A campaign – in the nonprofit world – is a specific series of planned actions to address a particular issue. For example, an environmental organization might launch a campaign to lower carbon emissions from factories or to stop the deforestation of old growth forests.

“Bricks And Mortar” is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

“Bricks and mortar” is nonprofit slang that refers to grants for physical things (like buildings and roads) that a charitable organization might want to build – in a sense, it’s anything that could involve actual bricks and mortar.

A Preliminary Proposal is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

A preliminary proposal (also known as a letter of inquiry) is a short, informal outline of how grant money would be used by the organization that receives it. The purpose of a preliminary proposal is to see if a foundation is interested in the full proposal and might want to award a grant. It’s like reading the back cover of a book to decide if you want to read the whole thing.

Environmental Impact is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Environmental impact is any change to the natural environment caused by the activity of people, businesses, governments, organizations or any other entity. Environmental organizations can have beneficial environmental impacts, but businesses that pollute and people that litter have negative environmental impacts.

Open-loop Recycling is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Open-loop recycling is when one material or product is recycled into the same material over and over again. For example, glass bottles can be recycled into more glass bottles many times.

Close-Loop Recycling is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Close-loop recycling is when one product is recycled into a completely different product that could be recycled, but won’t necessarily be. One example of close-loop recycling is when car tires are shredded, ground and turned into filler to make artificial turf fields.

Food Insecurity is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Food insecurity is when people are on the verge of going hungry or are not able to get nutritionally adequate food. People who aren’t sure how they are going to afford their next meal and are consistently struggling to get sufficient quantities of healthy food are considered food insecure.

Pollution is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Pollution is the introduction of harmful or poisonous substances into the environment like litter, car emissions, or industrial chemicals and waste. Pollution can come from many different sources and can destroy habitats entirely or just make places less healthy for humans and other animals to live. Pollutants from mines and other industrial sites have in many instances caused birth defects and increases in the frequency of cancer and other diseases for nearby populations.