There are a few voluntary sector, public sector, funding (pdf) and social enterprise jargon buster sites around. My personal favourite is this wiki-one that anyone can edit and add to.
One of the labyrinthine jargon challenges is the acronyms that pervade the sector, and all the different government departments. I realised this the other day when I was discussing the cabinet reshuffle with a colleague the other day, and there was a truly horrific sentence that went something along the lines of:
“so the VCGU has gone to the OTS; and so has the SEU, from the DTI; what about the ACU (or ACD)?: that’s moved from the Home Office, but has it gone to DCLG (previously ODPM) or also gone to the OTS?”
Well, quite. Now some of the sector specialists out there will simply nod sagely at this and understand every word. But new entrants to the sector, as many of our students are, find this an incomprehensible lingo-babble…and rightly so. So I’m thinking of an acronym buster for social entrepreneurs, that tells you your DWP from your DTI, your SEEDA from your SEEM, your GLA from your LEGI, and your LSP from your LSC.
So here’s a start:
ACEVO Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations
ACF Association of Charitable Foundations, and also Adventure Capital Fund
ACU Active Communities Unit (part of Active Communities Directorate, previously in Home Office)
ALM Action Learning for Managers
Bassac British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres
BitC Business in the Community
BLF Big Lottery Fund (also Black Londoners’ Forum)
BME Black and Minority Ethnic
BURA British Urban Regeneration Association
CAF Charities Aid Foundation
CBI Confederation of Business Industry
CDF Community Development Foundation
CEMVO Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations
CES Charities Evaluation Services
CIC Community Interest Company
CPD continuing professional development
CRT Coalfields Regeneration Trust
CRU Civil Renewal Unit
CSR Corporate Social Responsibility
CSV Community Service Volunteers
CVS Council for Voluntary Service
DCLG Department for Communities and Local Government
(was ODPM – Office of the Deputy Prime Minister)
DCMS Department for Culture, Media and Sport
DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(was MAFF / DETR)
DfES Department for Education and Skills
(was DfEE)
DfT Department for Transport
DoH / DH Department of Health
DSC Directory of Social Change
DTA Development Trusts Association
DTI Department for Trade and Industry
DWP Department for Work and Pensions
OK – for now, that’ll do. Will be updated in time….
