We’re unveiling our most-read blogs of 2023, taking you through a curated journey of our year’s most engaging and influential content. From groundbreaking insights in community voice to evolving trends in workplace culture, these blogs have captivated our readers and significantly impacted the social good landscape.
In 2023, the Next Stage team published 50 blogs – not too shabby! We take pride in producing content that’s timely, helpful and interesting for our social good community. We hope you’ve benefitted from something you’ve read this year.
This week, we took a look at the data to find the most popular blogs. It was a great reminder to us to keep writing from a place of learning and passion – every one of these pieces came from our teams’ favorite topics.
There were some surprises; we had no idea so many of you felt strongly about bereavement policies! But overall, we learned that Community Voice, workplace culture and how to communicate your impact were important topics to many of you.
Check out what made the list – then tell us what you want to read about in 2024!
The Compliment That Isn’t Really a Compliment
There’s one ‘compliment’ that always prompts a record scratch for the Next Stage team. And it’s one that people often use with the best of intentions: “That organization is so great! They are a best-kept secret.” In this blog, Janet breaks down why this isn’t the compliment people intend, why we believe your organization is worth making noise about and what you can do to turn this ‘compliment’ around.
Doing Bereavement Better – And Why It Matters
Bereavement seems like an outlier here – but it shows the desire for a workplace culture that puts people first. As Haley wrote, “A good bereavement policy is sort of like having an emergency kit in your home. You feel a lot more at peace knowing it’s there, but you hope you never have to use it.” Check out the post to learn more about how strong, human-first policies can change your workplace culture.
The Moneyball of Social Impact
In this post, Josh explores the hidden side of social impact and challenges commonly held beliefs about nonprofits. He takes inspiration from some of his favorite things – Moneyball, the Pittsburgh Pirates and a podcast – to break down some of these beliefs and to reframe perspective.
How to Build Culture Through Workspace
Next Stage hit a major milestone this year when we moved into a brand-new office space on Central Avenue. In this video blog, Haley and Candice talk about the intentionality of creating a space, how it informs workplace culture and some things you can do to make culture more tangible.
Community Voice is Not a Trend
If you know Helen, you know that she eschews ‘trends’ in favor of long-term change – an idea we can all get behind. In her words, “Let’s start by acknowledging that Community Voice should not just be a trend for 2023, but a constant staple in our community work that inspires trust and hope. Let’s validate and see the people we want to serve through a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion and representation – while building trust and co-designing together.”
How to Barbie Without a Baller Budget
This summer we saw a ‘pink wave’ of Barbie, fueled by social media buzz and a top-tier cast of characters that we all embraced. In this post, Susan encourages nonprofits to lean into their brand and personality, while having fun with marketing efforts. Nonprofits may not have Barbie’s baller marketing budget – but your creativity and inclusivity mean that “you are Kenough.”
Where Are the Good Apples in the System?
In this bold reflection, Helen takes on systemic change in response to the murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police. Through the lens of this traumatic event, she explores the messiness of systemic change and challenges us to consider how we might be part of that change.
Southside Homes: A Catalyst for Hope
This fall, Helen and Janet had the opportunity to work on a documentary about Southside Homes. In this post, Helen explores what that process was like and what we learned from the experience. Check out this blog to view the short film and to learn more about the historic Southside Homes.