Key terms

Challenge

A challenge is a description of a short project that volunteers do on Laurels to support a nonprofit. A well-written challenge will enable a competent professional to create a useful response in one sitting (typically under an hour).

Collection

A group of challenges. Collections can be oriented around one larger goal (eg, "improve my website"), or around a common general theme (eg, "good challenges for nonprofits to start with").

Nonprofit

A 501(c)3 organization, based in the US and serving primarily US constituencies. We may broaden this definition later, but this is where we're starting.

Pro bono

A corporate term for volunteer professional work. The term has historically been limited to just the legal profession, but Laurels is designed to expand it to include a broad range of skilled professions.

Response

Volunteers solve nonprofits’ challenges on Laurels by sending a response to that challenge. These responses are typically sent via a collaborative document (eg, a Google Doc) that can accommodate back-and-forth comments if either party has follow-up questions.

Team

A group of colleagues (usually at a company) who work together to solve challenges on Laurels. Individuals on teams can respond to challenges individually or in small groups.

Volunteer

A professional who uses Laurels to support nonprofits, together with their colleagues on a team.