Glossary: Organization Hierarchy Terms

Use this glossary to understand key terms related to how nonprofit organizations are structured and related in Blackbaud Verified Network.

Note: Affiliations on a nonprofit profile (such as "Religious" or "Fraternal") is a different concept from chapter/affiliate organization relationships. For information on profile Affiliations, see Complete Compliance Agreements and Affiliations .

 

Term	Definition
Chapter	A related account under a parent or national organization. A chapter does not hold its own tax-exempt status and operates under the larger (parent) organization. Chapters are nested under their parent in My Nonprofits and have their own profiles and administrators, but inherit key information from the parent such as registration authority, eligible-for-giving status, and compliance responses. A chapter can have only one parent and cannot have chapters of its own (one-level hierarchy only).
Affiliate	Used interchangeably with chapter to refer to a related account under a parent or national organization. The terms "chapter" and "affiliate" are synonymous in Blackbaud Verified Network and describe the same organizational relationship.
Parent organization OR National office	The primary organization that has one or more chapters or affiliates under it. The parent organization holds the tax-exempt status and sets key organizational attributes (such as registration authority and eligible-for-giving status) that its chapters inherit. In My Nonprofits, chapters are nested and displayed under the parent organization's entry.
Stand-alone nonprofit	An organization that holds its own tax-exempt status and does not operate under a larger parent organization. A stand-alone nonprofit may have chapters or affiliates under it, or it may exist independently.
Sponsored organization	An organization that appears in My Nonprofits but is sponsored or managed by another organization on your behalf. Sponsored organizations are similar to chapters in that they appear nested under a parent entry, but the relationship and permissions may differ depending on the sponsorship arrangement.
Multiple organizations	When a single user or administrator manages more than one nonprofit organization using the same login email. This may include managing a parent organization, its chapters, stand-alone nonprofits, or sponsored organizations — all from one My Nonprofits list. To manage a specific organization or chapter, you must switch to administering that account.