2024 Social Good Forecast for Businesses

2024 Social Good Forecast for Businesses

With the year winding down, the Next Stage team is looking at the road ahead. What will change about social impact efforts in 2024? What will CSR leaders prioritize? How will nonprofits evolve to meet new challenges and change? In this ‘2024 Social Good Forecast...
Our 2024 Social Good Forecast

Our 2024 Social Good Forecast

One of Next Stage’s annual traditions is this blog post. We think about what’s ahead for social innovators everywhere. This year, we’re breaking from our usual ‘trend’ language – because we don’t believe that anything on this list is temporary – and...
Announcing The UnFundable Project Top 10 Finalists

Announcing The UnFundable Project Top 10 Finalists

If you’ve been following along, you know we’re in the middle of our first grant initiative – The UnFundable Project.  In October, to mark our upcoming 10th anniversary, we invited Mecklenburg County nonprofits to apply for a $10,000 grant for a project that...
So, You Want to be on a Board?

So, You Want to be on a Board?

As a member of the Next Stage team and experienced board member, I often receive inquiries about how to become a part of a board. How do you find a good fit and learn the right tools? Today’s blog is all about my own journey with boards, along with some tips on...
Practice Gratitude with Next Stage

Practice Gratitude with Next Stage

Caught in the whirlwind of tasks and responsibilities, it’s easy to overlook the significance of pausing to express gratitude. Maybe it seems trivial, but taking time to acknowledge and appreciate the good things in our lives – not only at Thanksgiving but...
Impact Report Essentials

Impact Report Essentials

With the end of the year quickly approaching, nonprofit and CSR teams are turning their attention to impact reporting. And while it’s not quite ‘report season’ yet, savvy teams will begin considering what to report – and more importantly, what story to tell.  To...
Southside Homes: A Catalyst of Hope

Southside Homes: A Catalyst of Hope

“You all really did a great job with the film. It brought me back to my childhood.”  A former Southside Homes resident expressed this after the screening of the documentary, Southside Homes: A Catalyst of Hope. Additional Southside Homes residents shared similar...
Undeniable Support for The UnFundable Project

Undeniable Support for The UnFundable Project

The UnFundable Project Last week, we closed the application period for Next Stage’s first grant process, The UnFundable Project. We set out to celebrate our 10th Anniversary by granting $10,000 to a nonprofit for a project that has typically been viewed as...
Inside Out: The Case for Community Voice

Inside Out: The Case for Community Voice

Trust in US systems is at an all-time low.  We know the needs of our communities are greater than ever before, but faith in institutions such as government, nonprofits, the education and justice systems and media are lower than ever before. Many of us are feeling the...
Next Stage is Hiring a VP, Impact for Nonprofits

Next Stage is Hiring a VP, Impact for Nonprofits

As we approach our tenth anniversary, Next Stage has accomplished much since it was founded. We have worked with more than 200 nonprofits across the Carolinas to build game-changing strategy and the organizational tools to realize those plans. In recent years,...
UrbanPromise Charlotte Deepens Impact

UrbanPromise Charlotte Deepens Impact

UrbanPromise Charlotte (UP) is a nonprofit that provides youth and students the spiritual, academic and social development necessary to help them become strong leaders and invest back into their communities. Nearing their 10th anniversary, UP has experienced rapid...
An Argument for Trust-Based Philanthropy

An Argument for Trust-Based Philanthropy

Last week we did a thing – we announced The UnFundable Project, an opportunity for a Mecklenburg County nonprofit to receive a $10,000 allocation from Next Stage for a project “that would typically struggle to receive investment in a traditional grantmaking process.”...