We’re thrilled to announce Caylin Haldeman is rejoining Next Stage as our Director of Strategy.

Introducing Caylin

Caylin is no stranger to Next Stage; she was the firm’s first hire in early 2017. A fresh transplant from Philadelphia, Caylin had already established a deep commitment to helping nonprofits grow through work experiences in direct service, consulting and grantmaking with organizations like Broad Street Love, Frontline Solutions and the GreenLight Fund. She quickly found her roots in Charlotte and advanced in her role at Next Stage, playing a key part in many client engagements. She helped define the firm’s strategic direction and supported the design and implementation of early versions of Next Stage's collaboration management platform Cultivate Impact™. 

During the pandemic, Caylin nurtured an interest in community-centered design and the intersections between social impact and technology. She joined fundraising software platform Flipcause in 2021, where she managed business development efforts, supported sales operations and built partnerships with small nonprofits across the country. Caylin then transitioned from partnerships into the product-design side of the tech-for-good space. She joined Resilia, a startup focused on nonprofit capacity building, as the company’s first UX Researcher. While there, she managed research strategy and operations and launched a cross-functional Voice of the Customer program.

Caylin’s core values of community, belonging and investment in local systems led her to seek opportunities more deeply rooted in Charlotte and the greater Southeast. Most recently, Caylin stewarded grantmaking processes and project management with the United Way of Greater Charlotte. 

In her new role as Director of Strategy, Caylin looks forward to merging her background in design and nonprofit organizational development to work alongside Next Stage’s talented team and lead initiatives focused on growth and innovation.

In Her Own Words

"I’m thrilled to return to Next Stage at this particular juncture in the company’s evolution. The landscape of social good work is continuously shifting, and I’m excited to join a growing team that has demonstrated a commitment to placing belonging, equity and courage at the forefront of our strategic initiatives,” says Caylin. “I admire Next Stage’s purpose — building belonging at the intersection of social good — and am eager to roll up my sleeves and contribute to this important work.”

Please join us in extending a warm welcome back to Caylin!