BRIDGE Glossary

Written By Hilliard Drew Galloway

At BRIDGE, we’re calling Jargon Giraffe on ourselves: Below is a list of terms and definitions we use so all folks who apply to our programs, interact with our Community, and work alongside the movement can feel welcome, included, and valued.

Have a suggested term or a different reference? Email us and we’ll keep updating this resource.

  • 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization - A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is typically created for religious, charitable, educational, scientific, and/or educational intent. They are tax-exempt, conduct research, and are limited to an amount of lobbying, advocacy, or political activity. Donations to 501(c)(3) organizations are tax-deductible. Churches, cancer research and support groups, women’s shelters, and mentoring programs for at-risk youth are examples of 501(c)(3) groups (DonorBox).

  • 501(c)(4) Nonprofit Organization - A “social welfare group” that can advocate for causes and propositions, like 501(c)(3)s. However, 501(c)(4)s can also endorse specific candidates – one of the most substantial differences between the two. Examples of this status include political action groups to advance reproductive or civil rights. While nonprofit organizations with this status are also tax-exempt, donations to 501(c)(4) groups are not tax-deductible (DonorBox).

  • Accelerator - Startup accelerators support early-stage, growth-driven companies through education, mentorship, and financing. Startups enter accelerators for a fixed-period of time, and as part of a cohort of companies. The accelerator experience is a process of intense, rapid, and immersive education aimed at accelerating the life cycle of young innovative companies, compressing years’ worth of learning-by-doing into just a few months (Hathaway, Harvard Business Review).

  • Accountability - Accepting responsibility for your actions and repairing any harm you have done (Biel, Harper, How to Be Accountable).

  • Advocacy - Public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy. Advocacy organizations promote active engagement in democratic processes and institutions by giving nonprofits and foundations the confidence to advocate effectively and by protecting their right to do so (Bolder Advocacy).

  • Antiracism - A powerful collection of antiracist policies that lead to racial equity and are substantiated by antiracist ideas (Kendi, How to Be An Antiracist).

  • Base - A large group of people who can be called on to take action for your cause (Sierra Club, powershift.org).

  • Base Building -

  • C Corporation - A type of company that is owned by shareholders. The shareholders elect a board of directors, who decide how the company runs. In a legal sense, corporations are separate entities that can sue and be sued. That means legal and financial liability lands on the shoulders of the corporation, not the business owners (Bench).

  • Community - At BRIDGE, we refer to the group of founders and organizations accepted in each cohort as the “Community” (often with their season and year, such as “Fall2021 Community”). The Community will work together closely during the 6 months to learn from each other, including updates at leadership dinners, time away at the midway retreat, and 1:1 sessions. After graduation, the Community members will join BRIDGE’s alumni program where they will support new founders in future Communities.

  • Civic Engagement - The active participation of people in the decision-making processes that shape their communities and their lives – is critical to a healthy society. In fact, we only realize the full promise of democracy when people participate; when all segments of a community have fair and equal access to institutions of government and meaningful opportunities to voice their opinions about important issues driving the public policy agenda (Funder’s Committee for Civic Participation). See other definitions here.

  • Civic Infrastructure - The institutions, policies, and practices that have the potential to influence whether, how, and which young people participate in civic life. Schools, media, nonprofits, voting laws, local elections offices, and more are part of a community’s civic infrastructure (CIRCLE).

  • Direct Lobbying - Communication with a Legislator that expresses a view about specific legislation (Bolder Advocacy).

  • Early-Stage - At BRIDGE, we consider early-stage nonprofit organizations in the life cycle from Grassroots (idea invention and very early implementation) to Startup (incubation of primary programming and organization) to Adolescent (growing programs and establishing organizational culture, oversight, and accountability). Read more about Nonprofit Lifecycles here.

  • For-Profit Organization - “A for-profit organization exists primarily to generate a profit, that is, to take in more money than it spends. The owners can decide to keep all the profit themselves, or they can spend some or all of it on the business itself. Or, they may decide to share some of it with employees through the use of various types of compensation plans, e.g., employee profit sharing” (Free Management Library). At BRIDGE, we often (but not always) categorize Community members who sell or intend to sell a service or product as a for-profit organization.

  • Fundraising - The process of soliciting financial support and is an essential way for most nonprofits to bring in revenue for their organization’s mission. Fundraising is about so much more than just asking for money. It also consists of ways for charitable organizations to build relationships, bring in foundation support, and attract new donors (Nonprofit Quarterly).

  • Goals - Goals are a concrete way to drive results, but without an explicit equity and inclusion component, goals won’t produce better outcomes for marginalized communities, address disparities, or create belonging (The Management Center). At BRIDGE, we support Community members as they set, measure, and achieve SMARTIE goals: Strategic, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic, Time-bound, Inclusive, and Equitable. More about the SMARTIE model here.

  • Grant - A financial donation given to support a person, organization, project, or program (Association of Fundraising Professionals).

  • Grassroots Lobbying - Communication with the public that expresses a view about specific legislation and includes a call to action (Bolder Advocacy).

  • Limited Liability Company (LLC) - A business structure in the United States whereby the owners are not personally liable for the company's debts or liabilities. Limited liability companies are hybrid entities that combine the characteristics of a corporation with those of a partnership or sole proprietorship (Investopedia).

  • S Corporation - “A special tax designation granted by the IRS that lets corporations pass their corporate income, credits and deductions through to their shareholders. Generally speaking, S corporations don’t pay income taxes. Instead, the company’s individual shareholders split up the income (or losses) amongst each other and report it on their own personal tax returns, letting them avoid double taxation” (Bench).

  • Voter Education - The act of informing voters about the process of voting, including voter registration, voting in-person, voting by mail, voter identification requirements, ballot education, and issue education.

  • Voter Mobilization - The act of encouraging and supporting eligible voters to go cast their ballot in an election. Also known as voter turnout.

  • Voter Registration - The act of registering eligible voters to vote in upcoming elections.

Coming Soon:

  • Grassroots

  • Multiracial

  • Pronouns

  • Progressive

  • Nonpartisan

  • Organizational Culture

  • Power Building

Hilliard Drew Galloway
Previous

Jargon Giraffe