Through my novice social entrepreneur memories, I misconstrued nonprofit language and terms for a long time. They don't operate in isolation. They're posed in a question. The asker is looking for something specific.

1. What's your cause? - I always interpreted this as your organization. You thought so too? That's partly right. There's one tiny thing. Yep, listen to the podcast.
2. Do you have financial reports? - my interpretation was a P&L (aka, profit and loss), or a donor report. Those are financial outputs any financial system can print out. Listen in to SEwNAW.
3. Is the money for capacity building? - initially my thoughts this meaning was building my community center. Boy, was I wrong with this one. Than I thought it was about operations. No sir. No ma'am. The explanation is better in audio.  (haha, now I'm smiling because this is getting funny)
4. Are you a grassroots organization? - I'm saving this buzzword for last. It's a critical misnomer. This term is tossed around way too much.

With technology at your fingertips, do your best to understand the language. Doesn't matter if you're in the middle networking or talking with a grantor, ask questions to ensure you're clear. Clarity is key.

Click here to read the blog, http://nwebsterllc.com/4-misconstrued-terms-in-the-nonprofit-industry/.