What an amazing year 2021 has been for Next Stage! We’ve experienced growth in our team with the additions of Christine Eubanks and Helen Hope Kimbrough, the publication of Profit & Purpose, the launch of our Social Impact for Business service line, and countless moments of impact and community advancement. Today we want to reflect and share our top 10 blog posts of the year. Thank you to everyone who has read, shared, watched, commented or liked our content. We truly appreciate all of your support!

1. What Keeps Charlotte Leaders Up at Night?
This reflection was also one of our favorites of the year! In this post, Josh checked in with a range of Charlotte-area social good leaders to find out what issues were front of mind for them. Check out what leaders had to say about tackling the big stuff, a sense of urgency and how to tell what is really making an impact.

2. The Missing Ingredient Holding Charlotte Back
In July, Josh reflected on social capital, the rise of community-based organizations and the one ingredient he believes is keeping Charlotte from maximizing its social good efforts (You’ll have to click the link to find the missing ingredient – no spoilers here!)

3. Oh Boy Here We Go Again
As COVID numbers rose again in August, our team wondered what this would mean for the emotional well-being of caregivers across Charlotte. After nearly eighteen months of navigating pandemic conditions, many social good leaders were understandably exhausted – and this post explored what taking good care of your own team could look like.

4. DEI Trust The Experts
In her very first Next Stage blog, Helen examined what it might look like to advance DEI efforts in both our nonprofit and private sector organizations. A year after the murder of George Floyd many organizations have made statements – but what comes next?

5. The New Landscape For Social Capital For Companies And Nonprofits 
Just a few weeks ago, Josh tackled what may be around the corner for social capital efforts in both nonprofits and companies. (Spoiler alert: It has to do with mutuality and we’re going to be talking a LOT more about this in the New Year!).

6. Why Corporate Impact Deserves a Seat at the Leadership Table
In September, Next Stage launched Social Impact for Business, a service line designed to support social impact efforts at companies. In this post, Janet explores the challenges of many corporate social responsibility leaders and how giving them a seat at the leadership table could change entire businesses for the better.

7. Why Asset Framing Is So Important
Storytelling is a critical part of any social good effort – but how we tell those stories is even more important. In this blog, Helen explains the concept of asset framing and provides some practical tips for organizations who want to tell more equitable stories.

8. Belonging Together: How Kinship Fuels Change
Kinship and mutuality – there are those words again! In August, Helen took a deep dive into what kinship could look like on a local level and why ‘belonging together’ is critical to any community effort.

9. Beyond the T-shirt Logo: How to Build Effective Partnerships
This is one of our favorite lines at Next Stage – the sponsored t-shirt construct is quickly giving way to a more relational nonprofit/corporate partnership. Check out this blog for Janet’s take on how to intentionally cultivate these partnerships.

10. Taking Care Of Your Well-Being In The Workplace 
Well-being was a hot topic this year for good reason. In honor of National Wellness Month, our team shared some thoughts and videos on how to take better care of ourselves at work during a particularly stressful year.