September 14, 2023 | ESG
What Hybrid Means to Us Earlier this year, Next Stage moved into its own dedicated office space. We had previously moved between co-working facilities, but the growth in our team suggested the need for a permanent home. Having just passed the six-month mark, I can...
September 12, 2023 | Planning & Implementation
The Announcement When our team works on strategic planning projects we almost always get asked the same question at the end. “How can we ensure our team is implementing this plan with energy and processes that work for the long haul?” It’s a challenge that every...
September 5, 2023 | Thought Leadership
When Next Stage does strategic marketing work, we recommend that nonprofits share their expertise and elevate their brand by leaning into Thought Leadership. Leaders often feel excited by this recommendation – and completely overwhelmed. Some fear that content...
August 29, 2023 | Thought Leadership
The Seven Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being by Josh Jacobson Frankly, sometimes I feel burdened by my calling. It would be so much easier to develop a simple approach to our work at Next Stage and just put it all on cruise control. Why work so hard? I feel...
August 22, 2023 | Thought Leadership
On Friday mornings, our team gathers for coffee in the office. We use this time to catch up about the week, share our weekend plans and debrief on client projects. We’re fortunate that a lot of organizations invite us to partner in their work. This year alone, we’ve...
August 17, 2023 | Corporate Impact
The way the private sector companies and social good organizations work together is changing. Next Stage frequently helps to develop partnerships between companies and nonprofits. As self-confessed ‘impact nerds,’ we count ourselves lucky to facilitate these...
August 17, 2023 | Communications
Did anyone have “Billion Dollar Barbie Blockbuster” on their summer 2023 bingo card? Can’t say I saw that coming. But perhaps I should have given the extraordinary marketing efforts that created a pink wave of consumerism and social media buzz in the months leading up...
August 7, 2023 | Values & Culture
What if rest is the productivity tool we’ve been missing? This summer, I read “Rest: Why you get more done when you work less” by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. With this book (and several studies and news articles) I’ve been reflecting on where rest fits into my life....
August 1, 2023 | Talent
As Next Stage approaches our tenth anniversary, we have been excited to innovate and explore the ways social impact is changing. The challenges and systems that are communities are working to solve are more complex – and more intersectional – than ever. We...
July 25, 2023 | Community Voice
When the Next Stage team hosted Justin Taylor from Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont a few weeks ago, we were shocked to learn more about the ‘benefits cliff’ in North Carolina and other states. The term refers to the sudden loss of benefits...
July 20, 2023 | Corporate Impact
“Thank you for your courage in attending this session.” When presenting on the addendum to our Profit & Purpose report, I start by acknowledging the audience. At a time when corporate social responsibility is making headlines for the wrong reasons,...
July 18, 2023 | Community Voice
Written by: Brooke Lackey In my first week as Next Stage’s Community Voice Fellow, I was given my main task of the summer: to explore the Albemarle corridor, one of six Corridors of Opportunity in Charlotte. I was to get knee-deep in the demographics, history and...
