Service Level Agreement (SLA)
An agreement, very similar to a contract and usually legally binding that many local authorities have with organisations that provide a specific service.
Signatory
A signatory is the person or people within an organisation with the responsibility for signing cheques, applications or other official documents on behalf of the organisation.
SMART
SMART is a tool used to help create useful objectives. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-limited and are the factors that should be applied to objectives.
SME (Small-medium enterprise)
A term used to describe small, usually young businesses.
Social enterprises
A business with socially beneficial aims that uses its own profits to reinvest into the business or the community.
Social exclusion
A term used in relation to people or communities who for many reasons are unable to play an active part in society or access certain opportunities or services. Social exclusion can happen as a result of poverty, unemployment or many other factors.
Social responsibility
Also sometimes called corporate social responsibility or company giving, a company may feel that they have a responsibility to support the area they operate or are based in. They may then set up a social responsibility policy detailing how they wish to support the community, the environment or other issues of importance.
Sponsorship
Support for a project, cause, event or organisation in the form of money or resources, usually made in return for public recognition of their support.
Stakeholder
Someone who has an interest in an organisation, a service or an issue. This may be the people who run a service, or equally those who use it. Engaging stakeholders is a key part of running a successful project.
Surplus
If in a budget, more money comes in to a project than is spent, the left-over funds are referred to as a surplus.
Sustainable
A term used to describe a project or initiative that has the resources to continue over a period of time.
SWOT analysis
A SWOT analysis is a useful tool to look at how stable a project, organisation or initiative is. It involves listing all of the Strengths and Weaknesses of an organisation as well as any Opportunities for growth and any Threats.