The Nonprofit Jargon Dictionary (For Humans)

A field guide to words we pretend are normal.

Nonprofits do extraordinary work, but let’s be honest, we also speak an entirely different language. A language built on optimism, deadlines, acronyms, and meetings that could have been an email but also somehow saved the world.

In the spirit of support (and gentle self-awareness), here’s a nonprofit jargon dictionary written in plain English. No judgment. Just translation.

Capacity Building

What it sounds like: Adding extra storage to a warehouse.
What it actually means: “We want to do more with the same number of people, and ideally, no increase in budget.”
Emotional subtext: You will learn something, stretch beyond your role, and still be asked to send that report by Friday.

Stakeholder Engagement

What it sounds like: A quiet dinner with important people.
What it actually means: “We need a lot of people to care about this, please.”
Emotional subtext: Someone will absolutely bring up a point you didn’t prepare for.

Strategic Alignment

What it sounds like: Chiropractics for your mission.
What it actually means: “Are we doing the thing we said we’d do, or have we drifted into chaos again?”
Emotional subtext: Someone pulls out a strategic plan from 2019 and suddenly everyone is sweating.

Leveraging Resources

What it sounds like: Financial acrobatics.
What it actually means: “We’re going to stretch this grant until it squeaks.”
Emotional subtext: Also, can someone call a volunteer?

Deep Dive

What it sounds like: Scuba gear required.
What it actually means: “Please prepare a presentation nobody has time for.”
Emotional subtext: Bring data. Bring snacks. Bring a life vest.

Funder Expectations

What it sounds like: A reasonable conversation about mutual goals.
What it actually means: “The report is due tomorrow, and they changed the template again.”
Emotional subtext: The template is always changing. It is the law.

Community-Centered

What it sounds like: Heart-forward, justice-based practice.
What it actually means: That, plus several meetings where nobody agrees on the word “community.”
Emotional subtext: The right answer is “ask them,” but somehow this part takes six months.

Outcomes vs. Outputs

What it sounds like: A simple classification issue.
What it actually means: “We are going to argue for 20 minutes about whether attendance counts as impact.”
Emotional subtext: Documentation anxiety is real.

Thought Partner

What it sounds like: A noble intellectual ally.
What it actually means: “Please help me think about this so I don’t lose my mind.”
Emotional subtext: Thank you in advance for not judging my half-formed ideas.

Synergy

What it sounds like: A corporate buzzword from 1998.
What it actually means: “Please collaborate and like each other.”
Emotional subtext: Or at least pretend in meetings.

Pilot Program

What it sounds like: A test run with a clear structure.
What it actually means: “We’re doing our best and hoping nothing catches fire.”
Emotional subtext: The evaluation will be due before the pilot actually ends.

Iterate

What it sounds like: A calm, intentional cycle of improvement.
What it actually means: “We’re changing this again.”
Emotional subtext: Brace yourself.

Scalable

What it sounds like: A strategic growth trajectory.
What it actually means: “We think this could work in other places, but we’re afraid to say it out loud.”
Emotional subtext: Please don’t ask for proof of concept yet.

Circle Back

What it sounds like: A friendly follow-up.
What it actually means: “We didn’t resolve this and I’m bringing it up again, gently.”
Emotional subtext: You knew it wasn’t over.

Elevate

What it sounds like: Lifting something important.
What it actually means: “I’m putting this in front of someone else because I cannot deal with it alone.”
Emotional subtext: Delegation disguised as diplomacy.

Wrap-Up

Nonprofit people use jargon not because we’re trying to sound fancy, but because our work is messy, hopeful, human, and often hard to sum up in plain sentences. Sometimes a buzzy phrase is the quickest way to say, “We’re trying to fix something that matters.”

So, laugh at this list, share it with your team, and recognize yourself in a few terms. But also remember this: you’re doing work that changes lives. You hold communities together. You solve problems others don’t even see.

Jargon or not, your impact is very real. Keep going.