Archive for the ‘Needs Link’ Category

What is microfinance?

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Microfinance is a way of providing financial services like savings accounts, loans, and insurance to poor people around the world. It is aimed at people who may not qualify for typical financial services because they have limited resources or there are no financial institutions where they live.

By not being able to access financial services that are available to most everyone in more developed countries, these people have little means of improving themselves and their society. The goal of microfinance is to break this cycle of poverty by empowering people who have great ideas, no matter how poor, with the tools and resources to achieve them.

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.

Recycling is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Recycling is when used products and materials are processed and made into new products or materials that can be purchased or donated and used again. This reduces waste and lowers the environmental impact of resource consumption.

A Security Deposit is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

A security deposit is a form of collateral, or item of value, that is pledged when making a financial agreement. It can be used for a range of business agreements, such as contracts, rentals, or purchases. For example, when you rent an apartment, you have to put down a security deposit, and if you do damage to the apartment or stop paying rent, the deposit is forfeited.

Cash Flow is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Cash flow is the amount of cash that is generated and used by a company over a certain period of time. It is calculated by adding any non-cash charges, such as depreciation expense, to the company’s net income after taxes.  This is why earnings and cash earnings are not always the same!