Words used in this guide

Plain-language definitions for the terms you may encounter.

Word	Meaning in this guide
Collective	A group working towards a shared purpose.
Administrator, or admin	Someone with permission to manage a collective’s page and review expenses.
Contributor	Someone who supports the collective with money, time or other help.
Financial contributor or donor	A person or organisation giving money to support the mission.
Fiscal host	The legal organisation that administers funds under an agreed hosting framework.
Fiscal hosting	The arrangement that lets a group administer funds without its own separate legal organisation.
Fund	A structure used to support a programme or distribute grants under agreed conditions.
Grant	Funding awarded for a purpose under the applicable grant conditions.
Regranting	Distributing funding onward to other initiatives.
Expense	A request for a payment from the collective’s budget.
Reimbursement	Repayment of an expense someone has already paid on the collective’s behalf.
Invoice	A document requesting payment for completed work or another documented expense.
Payout	The transfer used to pay an approved request.
Due diligence	Checks to understand an initiative and whether funds can be administered responsibly.
Safeguarding	Steps to protect people from harm.

OCE is a fiscal host. Open Collective is the platform used to record financial activity. See who does what.

If a word still makes a page difficult to understand, tell us.