Term / Concept

Definition

Border

Abbreviation to the U.S. - Mexico border region.

Civil Society

This term refers to all of the organizations which are not public or for-profit institutions.

Community Foundations

Nonprofit organizations that are autonomous, tax deductibility, represented by different sectors of society that receives public and private contributions to benefit locally-based initiatives.

Community Outreach

Scope, transcendence and/or social impact of a nonprofit venture.

Corporate Foundations / Corporate Philanthropy

Used when referring to nonprofit organizations that are founded and managed by private corporations.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Company's obligation to be accountable to its stakeholders in its operations and activities with the aim of achieving sustainable development, not only in the economical but also in the social and environmental dimensions.

Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI)

The Index was launched in 1999 to track the financial performance of the world's leading sustainability-driven companies. The Index tracks performance using economic, social and environmental criteria. Companies listed on the DJSI are revised annually.

Globalization

A set of processes leading to the integration of economic, cultural, political, and social systems across geographical boundaries.

Good Business Practice / Good Corporate Citizen

Terms applied to an individual or an organization when contributing positively to a social initiative and fulfill their social obligations.

Gross domestic product (GDP)

The total market value of goods and services produced domestically during a given period. The components of GDP are consumption (both household and government), gross investment (both private and government), and net exports.

In-kind contributions / resources

A service or item donated in lieu of dollars to the operation or implementation of a social project; usually given by the grantee or a third party.

Maquiladora / maquiladora

The term comes from the Spanish word maquiladora, which in colonial Mexico was the charge that millers collected for processing grain. Today, a maquiladora is an operation used for the production of goods based on the temporary importation of raw materials and equipment for transformation in Mexico with subsequent export to foreign markets including the United States.

Matching funds / grants

Funds which must be supplied by the grantee in an amount equal to or a percentage of the award amount in order to receive the award.

Mexican tax code

A mean of summarizing the amount of allowances and deductions due to a taxpayer in Mexico, so as to determine his taxable income.

Multi-sector alliance

A close association between different sectors, created for a common objective.

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement, between Canada, Mexico, and the United States, went into effect in 1994 and created the largest free trade zone in the world.

Nonprofit organizations

A non-profit organization (often called "non-profit org" or simply "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") can be seen as an organization that doesn't have a goal to make a profit.

Per capita income

The per capita income is determined by dividing the aggregate income of any geographic area by the total population in that area.

Peso

Mexico's unit of currency.

Shareholder

Term that is commonly used to refer a person who buys a portion of a public or private company’s capital. In the context of this paper, it applies to individuals and entities that share common objectives and are accountable for attaining the desired outcome of a social project.

Sustainability

A state or process that can be maintained indefinitely. The principles of sustainability integrate three closely interlined elements of the environment, the economy, and the social systems into a system that can be maintained in a healthy state indefinitely.

Tax deductibility

The ability to deduct the amount of contributions given to nonprofit organizations from the individual's / firm’s taxable income.

Third County Company or Operator

Refers to non-U.S. companies operating maquiladoras in the Mexico border region. 

Volunteers

A volunteer is a person who performs or offers to perform a service out of his or her own free will, often without payment.