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| Object-Oriented |
A method of software-development
that groups related functions and data into reusable chunks.
|
| Objective |
A significant step towards a goal;
or a precise, measurable, time-phased result. |
| Objectivity
|
Emphasizing or expressing the
nature of reality as it is apart from personal reflection or feelings; independence
of mind. |
| Obligations |
Orders placed, contracts awarded,
services received and similar transaction during a given period that will
require payments during the same or future period. Such amounts include
outlays for which obligations had not been previously recorded and reflect
adjustments for differences between obligations previously recorded and
actual outlays to liquidate those obligations.
|
| Observation
Guides |
Forms designed to help the trainer
or supervisor to assess, through observation, the participant's grasp of
the subject(s) being taught. |
| Observational
Research |
A type of informal research that
involves taking note of what can be directly observed or infered. Observational
research can be used to collect more obvious details such as approximate
age, gender and race. |
| OCR |
Optical Character Recognition.
A program that converts shapes and letters into a text document on the computer.
While the program will often have a few errors that need to be corrected,
conversion is faster than typing text manually.
|
| ODBC |
Open Database Connectivity. This
set of application programming interfaces that defines how to move information
in and out of any PC database that supports the standard.
|
| OEM |
Original Equipment Manufacturer.
OEM describes a company that produced hardware to be marketed under another
company's brand.
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| Off
The Record |
The practice of providing confidential
information to journalists on the understanding that it will not be openly
published or broadcast with attribution. |
| Off-Budget
Entities |
The budget authority, outlays,
and receipts of certain Federal entities that have been excluded from budget
totals under provisions of law. At present, off-budget entities include
the Social Security trust funds and the Postal Service.
|
| Offer |
What you want your prospective
customer to do; the second (and second in importance) of the three elements
of direct marketing.
|
| Office
Administration |
Those functions necessary to support
the work of a business, which do not involve direct service activities.
|
| Official
Donations Receipt |
A registered charity issues an
"official donation receipt" to a donor to acknowledge the gift it received
from the donor. The donor needs such a receipt to support a claim for tax
credit or deduction for charitable donations. |
| Officiers |
A listing of the names and positions
of the company's executive officers.
|
| OLE |
Object Linking and Embedding.
OLE allows users to copy objects between applications, with each object
containing enough information about its format and its creation application
to work in a variety of OLE-enabled applications.
|
| On
Call |
A measure has been heard but did
not garner enough votes for passage, so it is placed "on call" while the
author attempts to enlist additional votes. The measure can be brought up
at a later time before the same body for reconsideration
|
| On-the-Job
Training |
The structured provision of training
in skills and knowledge through actual work experience rather than indirect
methods such as workshops, conferences, or simulations. |
| One-Minute
Speeches |
Addresses by House members at
the beginning of a legislative day. The speeches may cover any subject but
are limited to one minute.
|
| Ongoing
Volunteers |
Volunteers that make a long-term
commitment, usually six months or more, to a program or a customer relationship.
|
| Online
Banner Ad |
A stationary (though sometimes
animated) advertisement on a nonrelated Web page that links to an advertiser's
site or a landing page. Banners are the most common type of Web advertising,
and they come in a broad variety of square and rectangular sizes.
, Technology |
| Online
Fundraising |
A method of using the Internet
to find and solicit funds.
|
| Open
Source |
Any program whose source code
is made available for use or modification by users, developers, or hackers.
|
| Operating
Budgets |
Budgets associated with the income-producing
activities of an organization. |
| Operating
Foundation |
Private foundations that use the
bulk of their income to provide charitable services or to run charitable
programs of their own. They make few, if any, grants to outside organizations.
To qualify as an operating foundation, the organization must follow specific
rules in addition to the applicable rules for private foundations. The Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace and the Getty Trust are examples of operating
foundations. |
| Operating
Funds |
Funds to cover the regular personnel,
administrative and other expenses for an existing program or project. |
| Operating
Margin, 5 Year Average (%) |
This value measures the percent
of revenues remaining after paying all operating expenses. It is calculated
by first determining the Operating Margin for each of the last 5 fiscal
years and then averaging the values.
|
| Operating
Margin, TTM (%) |
This value measures the percent
of revenues remaining after paying all operating expenses. It is calculated
as the trailing 12 months Operating Income divided by the trailing 12 months
Total Revenue, multiplied by 100.
|
| Operating
Plan |
A short range, detailed plan,
often with precise specifications of objectives and intended actions. |
| Operating
Support |
A contribution given to cover
an organization's day-to-day, ongoing expenses, such as salaries, utilities,
office supplies, etc. |
| Operating
Support Grant |
A grant made to further the general
purpose or work of an organization, rather than for a specific purpose or
project. |
| Operational
Indicator |
A measure that signifies the extent
to which a program is using resources and conducting activities according
to the work plan. |
| Operational
Information |
Information that is needed to
plan program activities and is used to assess how well a program is functioning. |
| Opinion
Letter |
The formal written opinion from
the CPA or CPA firm, expressing an opinion about the organization’s financial
condition. This opinion can be unqualified (the financials clearly reflect
the financial position of the organization), qualified (states exceptions
where the financials may not be accurate), disclaimed (unable to state an
opinion), or adverse (the financials do not fairly present the financial
position of the organization or there is a question as to whether or not
the organization is a going concern).
|
| Opinion
Surveys |
Surveys used to assess the reaction
of consumers to a change in a product or service. |
| Opportunities |
External forces creating a positive
situation for the organization and/or product.
|
| Opportunity
Cost |
The lost output by choosing one
option over another. |
| Opposition
Clause |
Prohibits retaliation against
employees or job applicants who have opposed an unlawful employment practice.
|
| Opt-In |
E-mail communication the user
has given his/her permission to receive. (The opposite of "spam".)
|
| Optical
Fiber |
Thin filaments of glass (or other
transparent materials) that carry beams of light. Commonly used because
they are less susceptible to noise and interference than other kinds of
cables, optical fibers can transmit data greater distances without amplification.
|
| Option |
A contract right to acquire an
asset or right on or before a fixed date in the future, usually for a price
and terms fixed in the option.
|
| Organic
Growth |
The growth of the company by slow
and steady expansion without purchasing another company.
|
| Organization''s
Legal Name |
The official name of an organization
as listed on an IRS Letter of Determination. |
| Organizational
Behavior |
The system of culture, leadership,
communication, and group dynamics that determines an organization's actions. |
| Organizational
Capacity |
An organization’s capability and
competence as measured by its ability to fulfill its mission and programmatic
objectives through responsible stewardship of organizational plans and resources. |
| Organizational
Chart |
A graphical representation of
how authority and responsibility is distributed within a company.
|
| Organizational
Culture |
The written and unwritten rules
that shape and reflect the way an organization operates. |
| Organizational
Development |
The tools and skills that enable
a board and staff to run a nonprofit organization effectively and efficiently.
Those include: resource development, financial management, strategic planning,
board recruitment and development, and communications. |
| Organizational
Effectiveness |
The ability of an organization
to fulfill its mission through a blend of sound management, strong governance,
and a persistent rededication to achieving results. |
| Organizational
Structure |
The formal system of working relationships
within an organization, showing the reporting relationships between different
functions and positions of the management and staff. This structure is often
represented in the form of a diagram or chart. |
| Organizational
Theory |
The study of human organizations
and groups. |
| Organized
Sectors |
The sectors of a community that
are formally organized. |
| Orientation |
The act of introducing new employees
to their responsibilities, or of retraining current employees. |
| Original
Bill |
A bill drafted by a committee.
It is introduced by the committee or subcommittee chairman after the committee
votes to report it, and placed directly on the Senate's Calendar of Business.
|
| OS |
Operating System. The foundation
software of a computer system, responsible for controlling and launching
the installed applications and computer peripherals.
|
| Other
Earned Revenue |
Other earned revenue is additional
income generated by a program from ancillary activities. |
| Other
Earned Revenue |
Other earned revenue is income
that is generated by a program from ancillary activities such as sales of
T-shirts, box lunches or concessions at a performance. This definition may
vary slightly depending on the format of the specific grant application
or budget you are using.
|
| Out-Tasking |
A word coined to further define
the area to be tasked to an outsource provider.
|
| Outcome
Evaluation |
An evaluation used to identify
the results of a program’s effort. This type of evaluation provides knowledge
about (1) the extent to which the problems and needs that gave rise to the
program still exist, (2) ways to ameliorate adverse impacts and enhance
desirable impacts, and (3) program design adjustments that may be indicated
for the future. S |
| Outcomes |
The measurable results of a project.
The positive or negative changes that occur in conditions, people, and policies
as a result of an organization’s or program’s inputs, activities, and outputs. |
| Outer
Envelope or Mailing Panels |
The outer envelope or the outer
panels of a self-mailer brochure are the first thing the prospective customer
will see. |
| Outlays |
Payments made (generally through
the issuance of checks or disbursement of cash) to liquidate obligations.
Outlays during a fiscal year may be for the payment of obligations incurred
in prior years or in the same year.
|
| Output |
The tangible products of a project
or program activities. |
| Output
Indicator |
A measure showing the product
or accomplishment of the activities of an organization or individual employee,
over a specific period of time.
|
| Outright
Gift |
The simple transfer of gift property
to the donee without any conditions or terms of trust.
|
| Outside
Evaluator |
An evaluator not affiliated with
the agency prior to the program evaluation. Also known as a third-party
evaluator. |
| Over
the Transom |
Unsolicited grant requests received
by a foundation.
|
| Overclocking |
A way to boost the speed of a
computer by changing motherboard settings in order to push components beyond
their rated speeds.
|
| Overkill
vs. Underkill |
In specifying the level of unduplication,
overkill indicates very tight parameters in eliminating names. Underkill
refers to loose parameters in unduplicating names.
|
| Override
a Veto |
If the president disapproves a
bill and sends it back to Congress with his objections, Congress may try
to override his veto and enact the bill into law. The override of a veto
requires a recorded vote with a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
|
| Oversight |
Committee review of the activities
of a Federal agency or program.
|
| Oversight
Committee |
A congressional committee, or
designated subcommittee of a committee, charged with general oversight of
one or more federal agencies activities. Usually, the oversight panel for
a particular agency also is the authorizing committee for that agency’s
programs and operations.
|
| Own
Brands |
Products which have the brand
name of their retailer in them (such as Kleenex).
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Glossary information provided by the Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, a project of the Philanthropic and Nonprofit Knowledge Management Initiative (PNKM) at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership.
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