The Next Step
EIN: 20-1750945
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
The Next Step is an organization in St. Louis dedicated to helping individuals in recovery from alcohol or substance use disorder. Recognizing the importance of education in rebuilding lives after addiction, The Next Step provides support to individuals who have completed 12-step recovery programs and wish to pursue further education. The individuals in our program do not have the financial resources available to reach their educational goals. By providing academic and vocational scholarships, The Next Step empowers individuals to achieve their educational goals and move forward in their recovery journey.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Scholarship Fund
We provide tuition assistance for individuals who are active in a 12-step recovery program and pursuing an academic or vocational education. All funds are paid directly to the educational institution and can be used for tuition or books.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of academic scholarships awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Substance abusers, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people, Students
Related Program
Scholarship Fund
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
While the total number of scholarships awarded decreased in 2022, the number of applicants remained steady. Fewer scholarships were awarded because the applicants did not qualify.
Total dollar amount of scholarship awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Substance abusers, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people, Students
Related Program
Scholarship Fund
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Next Step's goals encompass both broad outreach and targeted assistance. We want to reach every individual in the St. Louis area who is in a 12-step recovery program from alcohol or substance use disorder and requires financial support to pursue education. This involves identifying and connecting with these individuals through various channels, such as recovery support groups, treatment centers, and community outreach programs.
Once individuals in need are identified, The Next Step seeks to provide them with the necessary funds for tuition and books, ensuring that financial barriers do not hinder their educational aspirations. The organization establishes scholarship criteria to ensure that the assistance reaches those who can benefit the most from it.
Additionally, the organization wants to identify other regions where we can offer assistance. In 2024, fundraising and scholarships applications were opened to the Kansas City region.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
To reach its goals, The Next Step employs several strategic approaches:
a. Expanding Community Outreach: The organization aims to increase awareness of its services among qualified individuals in the St. Louis and Kansas City regions who need financial assistance for education. This involves utilizing various media platforms, such as print and social media, to reach a wide audience. Personal contacts with organizations and individuals with links to people in recovery can also facilitate targeted outreach efforts. By expanding community outreach, The Next Step can ensure that those who require assistance know the support available to them.
b. Continuing and Expanding Fundraising Efforts: The Next Step maintains its fundraising efforts while seeking expansion opportunities. This includes soliciting individual contributions from donors and corporations throughout the year. Additionally, the organization hosts a fundraising event each October to generate further financial support. By continuing these efforts and potentially expanding them, The Next Step can increase the resources available for scholarships and tuition assistance, thus enabling more individuals to pursue education post-recovery.
c. Developing New Fundraising Sources: The organization actively seeks new avenues for fundraising to augment its existing efforts. This includes implementing a planned giving program and encouraging individuals to include The Next Step in their estate plans. Pursuing grants from family foundations provides another potential source of funding. Moreover, increasing sponsorship levels for the annual fundraising event can attract larger contributions. Additionally, recruiting new board members and ambassadors with connections to large donor bases can broaden the organization's fundraising network.
d. Investments: The Next Step has begun investing funds to create a passive income source from interest.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Next Step's organizational structure includes an active, all-volunteer board of directors that provides management guidance and contributes to the administration of fundraising and scholarship programs. The Executive Director leads the organization in implementing strategies and overseeing operations. Additionally, two part-time employees are a Director of Marketing/Fundraising, responsible for fundraising initiatives and special events, and a Director of Administration/Scholarships, managing operations and scholarship programs.
Scholarship recipients must volunteer at special events, enabling the organization to raise funds with minimal overhead costs. Furthermore, an outside accounting firm provides financial support, ensuring effective utilization of funds.
This structure facilitates efficient management and operation of the organization's programs, allowing The Next Step to effectively support individuals in recovery through education while maintaining financial responsibility and maximizing fundraising efforts.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since its founding in 2005, The Next Step has made significant strides in supporting individuals in recovery through education. Over the years, the organization has awarded 832 scholarships and distributed over $1.9 million in tuition assistance, demonstrating its commitment to helping individuals rebuild their lives post-recovery. In 2023 alone, The Next Step awarded $247,450 in funding to 73 individuals enrolled in 12-step recovery programs.
Looking ahead, The Next Step aims to expand its impact by reaching more individuals in need within the community and providing larger scholarships. One key initiative in this expansion plan is to extend the scholarship program to the Kansas City region. By accepting applications from individuals in this area for the 2024 scholarship cycle, the organization hopes to broaden its reach and support more individuals on their journey to recovery through education.
Through these efforts, The Next Step continues to fulfill its mission of empowering individuals in recovery to pursue education and build brighter futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2023 info
875.70
Months of cash in 2023 info
17.5
Fringe rate in 2023 info
8%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
The Next Step
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Feb 01 - Jan 31
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Feb 01 - Jan 31
This snapshot of The Next Step’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
Profitability info | 2017 | 2018 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
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Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $49,559 | $41,442 | $39,840 | $79,125 | $118,167 |
As % of expenses | 35.8% | 25.1% | 20.5% | 39.5% | 41.9% |
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $49,559 | $41,442 | $39,450 | $78,017 | $115,696 |
As % of expenses | 35.8% | 25.1% | 20.2% | 38.8% | 40.6% |
Revenue composition info | |||||
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Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $187,885 | $206,405 | $236,219 | $279,329 | $400,330 |
Total revenue, % change over prior year | 0.0% | 9.9% | 0.0% | 18.3% | 43.3% |
Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Investment income | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
All other grants and contributions | 99.9% | 98.4% | 99.7% | 85.2% | 82.2% |
Other revenue | 0.0% | 1.5% | 0.1% | 14.8% | 17.8% |
Expense composition info | |||||
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Total expenses before depreciation | $138,326 | $164,963 | $194,779 | $200,204 | $282,163 |
Total expenses, % change over prior year | 0.0% | 19.3% | 0.0% | 2.8% | 40.9% |
Personnel | 16.9% | 22.5% | 19.9% | 22.9% | 22.2% |
Professional fees | 9.4% | 3.2% | 4.3% | 4.5% | 3.1% |
Occupancy | 2.2% | 1.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Pass-through | 66.7% | 64.2% | 66.1% | 65.1% | 63.5% |
All other expenses | 4.8% | 8.3% | 9.7% | 7.6% | 11.0% |
Full cost components (estimated) info | 2017 | 2018 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
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Total expenses (after depreciation) | $138,326 | $164,963 | $195,169 | $201,312 | $284,634 |
One month of savings | $11,527 | $13,747 | $16,232 | $16,684 | $23,514 |
Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $2,129 | $0 | $0 |
Total full costs (estimated) | $149,853 | $178,710 | $213,530 | $217,996 | $308,148 |
Capital structure indicators
Liquidity info | 2017 | 2018 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Months of cash | 17.9 | 18.0 | 13.4 | 17.5 | 17.5 |
Months of cash and investments | 17.9 | 18.0 | 13.4 | 17.5 | 17.5 |
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 18.2 | 18.3 | 13.7 | 18.1 | 17.8 |
Balance sheet composition info | 2017 | 2018 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
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Cash | $205,970 | $247,662 | $218,314 | $291,903 | $410,705 |
Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Receivables | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $0 | $0 | $2,130 | $2,130 | $2,130 |
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 18.4% | 38.3% | 58.4% |
Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
Unrestricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total net assets | $210,220 | $251,662 | $224,914 | $302,931 | $418,627 |
Key data checks
Key data checks info | 2017 | 2018 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
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Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Darcy Glidewell
Darcy joined the board of The Next Step in 2014, and is the pro-bono executive director. She has a 15-year career in retail merchandising and sales and owned a large ProSource Wholesale Floorcovering franchise. Darcy sold her franchise in 2006 and now owns two small businesses. Darcy also volunteers in many other community organizations, including a previous board position for Congregation Shaare Emeth, a current board position for a floorcovering industry-related scholarship organization, Girl Scouts, and the school where her two daughters attend.
Darcy is passionate about both education and recovery from substance abuse. She believes that individuals in recovery continue to stay sober and become productive members of our community when they better their lives through their education and careers. Her dream is to help every person in recovery in the St. Louis community with financial needs achieve their educational goals.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
The Next Step
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
The Next Step
Board of directorsas of 03/15/2024
Board of directors data
Darcy Glidewell
The Next Step
Term: 2024 - 2025
Sandy Wool
The Next Step
Term: 2024 - 2025
Bob Callahan
Sandy Wool
Ron McKenzie
Mark Leadlove
Alan Carney
Stephen Irwin
Richard Knott
Jay Winig
Darcy Glidewell
Kevin Ellege
Christy Ivory
Jeff Wist
Ron Wiese
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/15/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.