60 seconds with kelly brooks: “i love seeing possibility on a blank sheet of paper.”

In honor of National Nonprofit Day later this month (mark your calendars for August 17), we are spotlighting the people who have dedicated their lives to making their communities better—people like Kelly Brooks.

In 2012, she founded SHARE Charlotte to address a growing need: Charlotte neighbors needed an easy way to connect with local nonprofits that needed volunteers. The platform launched with 87 nonprofit partners; now, they partner with 600+ local nonprofits. 

Today, Kelly is the Managing Director at Reemprise Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to identifying high-potential funding opportunities that generate lasting impact in Charlotte. Their approach to philanthropy is something we appreciate on so many levels: depth over breadth. 

We need more thinkers and doers like that in the world – people who appreciate going deep versus going wide. Thank you, Kelly, for being such a good example of that level of making things happen. 

– toth shop team

toth shop (ts): You joined Reemprise Fund in 2023. What was it about the organization or the mission that drew you to it? 

Kelly Brooks (KB): I met Charlie Elberson, the founder of Reemprise Fund, around 2014, when I was building SHARE Charlotte. We quickly connected over our shared love of marketing and supporting local nonprofits and knew our entrepreneurial spirits were aligned! Reemprise has always had a unique approach to philanthropy – entirely based on the relationship with the organizations it serves. Most of those organizations are scrappy and early-stage, led by the most innovative and resourceful leaders in Charlotte. 

One of my favorite parts of my work at SHARE was getting to know and spend time with these leaders, mostly founders solving complex problems on the margins. Their ingenuity was (and is) jaw dropping! Now, with Reemprise I get to work with them every day, all day. We have the opportunity to both understand their business, the challenges that go along with it, and then support them in whatever way they need us – building their business capability, making introductions, offering a shoulder, grant dollars, or whatever they need. 

This work feels like a natural progression for me, and I am blessed by it and feel called to do it.

ts: Through Reemprise Fund, you’ve built relationships with countless nonprofit leaders, collaborators, and funding partners in Charlotte. What’s been the most surprising or rewarding part of this? 

KB: It’s likely not new news to anyone, but Charlotte is a big small town. There are relatively small degrees of separation between people. I feel incredibly grateful to have built the relationships I have and even more appreciative that I can share my network. I work hard to build trust with people. I hope everyone in my life feels and truly believes my genuine interest in connection and my desire to serve in whatever capacity I can to support them.

On the flip side, this big, small town can be separated – by the people on the inside and the people on the outside. On the outside is a huge desire for access, relationships, information and involvement. I feel like I’m somewhere in the middle and have a responsibility to serve as a bridge between those groups.

I see two distinct groups on the outside: the smaller nonprofits on the margins and the people who want to be involved and need some guidance. On one hand, I love being able to connect our nonprofit partners with the resources and relationships that will help them move forward. On the other, I am gratified to be able to introduce my friends or other potential philanthropists to the nonprofit world here in Charlotte. It is such an incredible ecosystem full of goodness, and I understand it well enough to help guide people towards more meaningful involvement.

ts: Part of the Reemprise approach is valuing “depth over breadth.” In a data-driven world obsessed with scaling, why does this work best for Reemprise Fund and how do you practice it? 

KB: Our whole approach is about deep relationships, deep involvement, and deep impact. The only way you get deep impact is through the other two. That takes time…and patience…and care.

Turnstile numbers (i.e., counting how many people came through the door) have their place, but the organizations we work with have typically chosen a different path. They’ve chosen to know fewer people yet serve them deeply. They build relationships, understand the complexity of their lives, and provide holistic support. That work is difficult on many levels. It takes a very long time and a lot of care.

ts: Prior to working in nonprofits, you held positions at both NASCAR and Seventeen Magazine. What lessons did you carry from these roles into the nonprofit world? 

KB: My career hasn’t taken a linear path and has included a wide variety of experiences. Ultimately, everything I learned is poured into the work I’m doing now. And if I really look for a thread I guess I could find a love and desire to build things. Whether it’s creating new roles where there weren’t ones before, new projects that haven’t been done before – seeing possibility on a blank sheet of paper.

That aligns so beautifully with the relationships I have with the founders and leaders I work with now. I know what it’s like to build things, including a nonprofit organization. I know how hard it is. It’s relentless, exciting, overwhelming, gratifying, all of it at the same time. I feel incredibly grateful to give them permission to take even a moment of time to breathe, to set aside all the tasks (we call it “franticity”!), to acknowledge how far they’ve come, and help them square up to keep going.

We need them to keep going; Charlotte needs them to keep going, but that’s only possible when we get involved and help.

ts: Every person we interview answers this same question last – Mile 18 is generally considered to be one of the hardest miles in a marathon. You’re hitting a wall. You’re forced to dig deep. What’s mile 18 in your line of work, or at a point in your career, and what do you tell yourself when you find yourself in the middle of a mile 18?

KB: Honestly, at that point, you’ve got to rise up – elevate yourself, pull yourself out of the weeds, get reoriented with the bigger picture. Then turn toward yourself and ask, “what do I need right now?” That is a moment to make sure you are ok and your needs are met. 

Unfortunately, many of us ignore the exhaustion, the aches and pains, which isn’t helpful to anyone. In airplane speak, it’s a time to make sure your mask is on to ensure you can help others. Some of the best advice I ever received was the answer to that question – “do I need a nap, a snack or a hug?”