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There are big E and little e evangelicals. (Sort of like a big C Catholic always means Roman Catholic, while a small c catholic usage can get you into a flame war if you aren't careful.)

The NAE is evangelical in the small e sense - what you would probably consider conservative 'born again' protestant, but there are many small e evangelicals who aren't part of the NAE.

Small e evangelicals would also include conservative members of the mainline protestant denominations who still adhere to traditional Christian beliefs.

Big E evangelicals are generally distinguished from the Reformed (Lutheran and Calvinist) traditions. Generally, they will follow a dispensational 'Left Behind' theology.

I'll use my church as a specific example. The church membership is broadly evangelical. You have to be a professing Christian to join. The officers, on the other hand, have to subscribe to the historical Reformed standards, so I would not classify the church as a big "E" Evangelical body (although it is associated with the NAE.

To try to answer your question more directly, evangelical (small e) can be used to denote any protestant (even high church in its broadest sense), can be used as shorthand for 'conservative protestant' (whatever that may mean), it can mean non- high church protestant, non - mainline protestant, or it can mean non -reformed protestant. With so many possible meanings, I can see why you could be confused.

It can also be used as part of a name of a church body, such as Evangelical Lutheran (a fairly liberal mainline body) or Evangelical Presbyterian (a moderate group that probably wouldn't fall into an Evangelical (big E) grouping.)