October 9, 2023 | Community Voice
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...
October 3, 2023 | Thought Leadership
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.”...
September 26, 2023 | Thought Leadership
Next Stage will celebrate its 10th birthday in 2024! And to mark a decade of social impact work and partnerships, we want to give back to the community that has given so much to us. As a result, we’ve designed a grantmaking initiative like no other -The UnFundable...
September 19, 2023 | Community Voice
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” – Harper Lee “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” is a timeless expression that carries a strong sentiment – don’t judge me – you...
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 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 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....
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,...
