Next Stage - Social Impact Services

Social good strategy to amplify your impact

Values & Culture

The Next Stage Team Welcomes Mishelle Saloj

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We’re thrilled to announce Mishelle Saloj has joined the Next Stage team as our Visual Design Fellow. Mishelle is bringing her graphic design skills all the way from Guatemala, joining us by way of Torrent Academy — a four-year holistic development program, empowering Guatemalan young adults through education, employment, and leadership development.

Introducing Mishelle

Mishelle, currently a student at Universidad Galileo in Guatemala City, Guatemala, is pursuing a degree in Graphic Design and Communication. She looks forward to bringing what she’s learning in the classroom into the workplace as a way to challenge herself and continue her professional growth.

Having joined the team in June 2025, Mishelle shared she sees Next Stage as a space to learn, develop, and gain knowledge from professionals who lead by example. She admires the commitment and dedication of each team member and values the company’s trust in her abilities.

In Her Own Words

“I feel deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of this team and to get to know the people at Next Stage,” says Mishelle. “I know this experience will be marked by valuable learning, significant professional growth, and career development that will allow me to reach new goals.”

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Mishelle!

The Hidden Treasure in Your Nonprofit: Why Frontline Voices Matter

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Did you know there’s a wealth of untapped wisdom within your nonprofit? It’s your staff and team members — especially those most proximate to the work. Their perspective can offer meaningful insights to amplify your organization’s mission. 

But boots-on-the-ground staff, the ones carrying out the mission daily, are often forgotten when an organization’s leadership comes together to refine its programming or engage in strategic planning. They’re often seen simply as the “doers” of the work — the ones who will implement the plans, designed by leadership, that will keep the organization structurally sound and afloat. But when directives come from the top, with a big-boss mindset, organizations lose out on a lot of value.

Without a way to bridge communications between frontline employees and management, nonprofits risk overlooking key insights that would strengthen their organizations’ effectiveness.

Tapping into Frontline Wisdom

When was the last time you invited your frontline employees to the planning table? And not just for a checklist or progress report, but a true engagement of ideas? When was the last time they were truly listened to, with the chance for their ideas to become a part of the organization’s broader plan?

Nonprofit employees actively seek this level of respect and internal goodwill. Your staff wants to contribute to your organization’s mission — and leveraging their wisdom can strengthen your nonprofit’s longevity and effectiveness.

That’s why we published Inside-Out: The Case for Community Voice, to reframe how organizations collect and consider input. For some nonprofit leaders, this requires a mindset shift — a traditional approach would see organizations gathering knowledge and insights at the top, allowing those to then trickle down into their agency’s programs, services and resources. For others, the desire to include and amplify their staff’s voices is there, but they find themselves falling short in executing an effective internal communications process. So, they default to the standard (and comfortable) top-down approach.

But a nonprofit’s internal feedback loop (or lack thereof) plays a key role in organizational strength because it directly relates to an organization’s values and guiding principles.

Building a Stronger Organization from Within

At Next Stage, we use an equation: Values + Processes = Internal Culture & External Brand. We believe living out your values while adhering to a set of protocols and processes is what defines both your workplace culture and public perception. A lack of clearly expressed, well-defined values negatively impacts trust and belonging internally, which then limits outbound engagement for your brand.

I’ve witnessed this misstep firsthand. A client mandated a set of changes to his staff, hoping it would get his team in alignment with his plans. But all this achieved was an increase in employee dissatisfaction and a breakdown in his staff’s trust in the organization’s leadership. As a result, many employees left, and those who remained didn’t feel connected to the company’s culture, mission or values.

For this particular client engagement, I began with a discovery phase. Although standard practice might dictate that a discovery phase should begin with mid-management and executive-level stakeholders, I talked first with the organization’s frontline employees. It might be logical to assume that executives know the most about their organization’s programming, marketing and operations, but I’ve found that’s often not the case. Additional voices must be included to get the whole picture to best support an institution’s strategy, direction, and vision. When you allow frontline workers to relay ideas and share their experiences, it only ever serves to better your organization. Also, starting discovery at the top can allow bias to creep in, so using this nontraditional approach can help mitigate this risk and allow for more robust, productive discussions.

Aligning Values, Culture and Brand

So how do you best listen to the people you entrust with advancing your nonprofit’s mission? How can you use their wisdom and experience to inform your institution’s future direction? Start with the following:

  • Empower your employees to use their voices.
  • Create a safe space for conversation, ideation and belonging.
  • Listen intently. In other words… stop talking so much!

To learn more on this topic, we invite you to join our free webinar, Human Resources & Community Voice: Listening to Your Employees, on August 29 at 11:00 a.m. ET. We’ll explore:

  • Why listening to employees is crucial for effective HR
  • The value of frontline insights and storytelling
  • How to implement a feedback process to foster a positive workplace culture

See you there!

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Next Stage Senior Director of Community Voice Helen Hope Kimbrough centers the perspective and lived experience of others to inform meaningful strategic planning and implementation efforts. Helen also champions diversity, equity and inclusion for societal and organizational change. She serves on the board of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation and Parent Child+ and is the author of four multicultural children’s books. She’s the founder of an independent publishing company and cohost of the Behind The Throne podcast. A graduate of Hampton University, Helen holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. She also has certifications in “Systems Thinking” and “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace” from Cornell University and the University of South Florida, respectively.

Welcome Back, Caylin Haldeman: A New Chapter with Next Stage

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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!

The Next Stage Team Welcomes Nora Hines

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Introducing Nora

We’re excited to introduce Nora Hines — Next Stage’s new Content Manager.

Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Nora developed a passion for supporting children with disabilities through volunteer opportunities with local organizations and nonprofits. These experiences inspired her to pursue a career in speech-language pathology.

After graduating with her bachelor’s from the University of Notre Dame, Nora continued her education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. While there, she worked part-time as an Academic Coach and Editor, assisting student athletes placed at risk of academic probation. This impactful experience sparked Nora’s love of writing and further fueled her desire to support public education systems — particularly those in historically underserved and under-resourced communities.

Upon receiving her master’s degree, Nora moved to San Jose, CA, and worked as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) for a local school district. There, she supported the communication needs of children with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

In 2019, Nora relocated to Charlotte, where she continued her career as an SLP in Title 1 schools for both Cabarrus County Schools and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. During this time, she also began pursuing opportunities to further her education and hone her skills in writing, editing and content creation.

In 2022, Nora began a part-time contract role with a professional writing and editing company, and in 2023, she opted to pursue this role, plus additional freelance opportunities in the content creation and management space, full-time.

In her former role as Lead Developmental Editor, Nora maintained internal style guides and edited case studies, technical blogs and customer reference stories for major enterprise technology clients. She also created a training curriculum and coached newly hired freelance writers and editors. Additionally, Nora leveraged her clinical expertise to support the content marketing needs of small businesses in the continuing education and health care fields. She developed editorial calendars, created social media content, wrote clinical blogs and designed email campaigns.

As Next Stage’s new content manager, Nora greatly values the opportunity to support the company’s efforts to amplify the impact of mission-driven organizations.

In Her Own Words

“I’m thrilled to join the dedicated team at Next Stage and begin this next chapter in my career,” says Nora. “I’m grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to contributing to the company’s mission to support social good organizations in our community.”

The Next Stage Team Welcomes Wendy Orrego

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Introducing Wendy

The Next Stage team is thrilled to introduce Wendy Orrego – our newest member of the team serving as a Visual Design Manager.

Wendy is a skilled art director, graphic designer and project manager who uses visual design to communicate big ideas. From Guatemala City, Wendy most recently managed a team of designers at Tigo Guatemala, a Latin American telecommunications company. She has produced high-quality branding and digital design for nonprofit and private-sector organizations in both English and Spanish.

A graduate of Universidad Panamericana de Guatemala, Wendy holds a degree in Audiovisual Production and is passionate about using design to communicate clearly. An art lover, she uses shapes, colors and typography to visually communicate complex messages in a way that is simple, beautiful and easy to understand. 

Wendy was born and raised in Guatemala City where she lives with her husband. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her extended family, live music concerts and traveling the world (Amsterdam has been her favorite destination so far!)

In Her Own Words

I am very excited to join the Next Stage team and begin this new chapter in my journey. Having collaborated on visual and graphic design projects for nonprofits in the past I’ve learned firsthand the value of supporting social good organizations to amplify the reach of their impact. I believe Next Stage is the ideal place to continue growing and learning from a dedicated and passionate team on how to use my skills to better serve those organizations, the community, and the world.

I’m also excited to collaborate with a team across borders. I’m grateful for Next Stage’s trusting and expanding opportunities for Guatemalan talent. I look forward to building relationships with the team and learning from each other’s unique cultures and experiences.

¡Muy feliz de estar aquí!

Join us in welcoming Wendy to the team!

Embracing the Outsider: The Benefits of Hiring Beyond Industry Boundaries

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As I reflect on my major career shift two years ago from ministry to consulting, and how Next Stage welcomed this “social impact outsider,” to the team, I’m thinking about the mutual ways we’ve benefited from our pairing. I took a risk using my skills and interests in a new environment and, thankfully, it was met with opportunity. I don’t believe that’s the norm and I’d like to see more companies give it a go – for the benefit of someone looking to grow in a new direction and – as I’ll highlight – the benefit of their mission or business.

“Minimum Qualifications”

  • ​​A minimum of 3 years of relevant industry experience
  • Past role in sustainability-focused communications or in a communications role heavily focused on sustainability
  • Knowledge of financial analysis, business planning, marketing planning and execution within big-box format (event management role)
  • Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, journalism or equivalent

The bullet points above were taken from current LinkedIn job listings for the Charlotte region. I don’t want to call out the company or job title but trust me when I say these “Minimum Qualifications” are unnecessary for the roles they aim to fill.

Why? Because there is so much potential for companies when they consider bringing in talent outside their industry. A common theme for today’s workforce is the struggle to keep employees engaged. And maybe one reason is that hiring managers are overplaying experience and downplaying interest when reviewing their candidate pools. (Or asking AI to do that filtering for them. Sigh.)

Three Benefits

I’ve seen – and experienced – many benefits of hiring from outside the bubble, but I’ll highlight my top three.

Fresh Thinking

Many companies talk about wanting to be “ahead of the curve” or “disruptive.” If that’s you, keep this in mind: On teams where every member shares the same background and experiences, it can create an echo chamber of ideas – not fertile soil where innovation can blossom.

In fact, one hint that it was time for me to move on from ministry communications after 13 years was that I could not come up with a new way to announce our Bible study offerings. I lacked fresh thinking and was struggling to overcome the status quo.

At Next Stage, my newness, curiosity and desire for context led me to ask (many!) questions of my teammates: Why is it done this way? Can you explain this terminology? What’s the vibe?

I brought these learnings to the communication I produced for Next Stage and our clients. I found opportunities to unpack what felt like insider language and new nuggets of insight to draw people in. When you’re “in it” for several years, it’s normal to take for granted that folks will understand XYZ about your program, product or mission. In many instances, I didn’t. I figured other stakeholders might not either, or they needed a refresher. Newness became my value-add to our engagements.

Transferable Skills That Get The Job Done

This seems like a good point to clarify that I’m not saying industry or degree experience isn’t useful, but that it shouldn’t be the most important thing for all jobs, or even listed as a minimum requirement that might hold good talent back from applying. For example, I hold a B.A. in Journalism from UNC, with a concentration in Advertising…from ye olde year of 2003. Folks, I never once had to use Photoshop to complete an assignment! My degree, while foundational for my training, now better indicates my interest than my aptitude for designer roles at an ad agency. (Shout out to Canva!) Meanwhile, there are applicants who pursued other degrees in college and then developed a passion for visual design. What sounds better for your needs?

More than industry, I believe intrinsic skills are universally valuable to an organization. Whether it’s communication, problem-solving, or leadership, candidates from outside your go-to hiring bullpen often possess transferable skills that can be seamlessly applied to new roles. Today’s ever-changing world needs workers who can adapt and navigate unfamiliar terrain so be sure you value those intangible qualities as you review a candidate.

Improved Diversity and Inclusion

Onboarding can be arduous, and I know everyone’s plates are already full. It’s tempting to hire someone who needs to learn less so you can get straight to it, but you might miss the opportunity to enhance the diversity of experience, knowledge and overall skillset of your organization if you go that route. Employees from different industries and perspectives can offer insights into customer needs and preferences from their work that can positively shake up “how it’s always been done” at your organization, providing the breakthrough you’ve been looking for in a program or initiative.

Many companies list DEI as a priority and hiring is a critical element of that focus – but the data proves that opportunity can be harder to come by for candidates who are from diverse racial backgrounds, neurodivergent, or who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. From a team culture perspective, embracing candidates from diverse backgrounds and industries fosters a more inclusive workplace culture where all employees feel heard, respected, and empowered to contribute their best work.

For more on building a diverse, thriving workforce, sign up for our upcoming webinar, Community Voice & HR: Listening to Your Employees.

Open the Door

As we reflect on our own experiences and career journeys, let’s consider the benefits of opening doors wider to candidates from outside our industry – and being welcoming teammates to these candidates.

The rewards for both the individual and the organization are worth it.