September 2, 2025
10 to Watch 2025: Fueling Community Transformation, One Leader at a Time
At United Way of the Greater Triangle, we believe in the power of people—especially the visionary leaders who are building the solutions their communities need most. That belief is at the heart of 10 to Watch, a program we launched in 2018 to identify, support, and amplify under-represented nonprofit leaders and the high-impact organizations they lead.
In 2025, we’re proud to welcome the fourth cohort of 10 to Watch: ten dynamic, mission-driven leaders who are driving change family by family, neighborhood by neighborhood, community by community. These leaders aren’t waiting for permission or validation—they're doing the work. What they need is partnership, early-stage investment, access to resources, and an expanded network to help scale their vision. That’s what 10 to Watch provides.
In 2025, we’re proud to welcome the fourth cohort of 10 to Watch: ten dynamic, mission-driven leaders who are driving change family by family, neighborhood by neighborhood, community by community. These leaders aren’t waiting for permission or validation—they're doing the work. What they need is partnership, early-stage investment, access to resources, and an expanded network to help scale their vision. That’s what 10 to Watch provides.
And the results speak for themselves.
Since the program began:
- Participating organizations have experienced an average of 243% revenue growth within five years of entering the cohort.
- Charitable contributions for these organizations increased by over $763,000 on average.
- 29 of the 30 alumni are still actively leading or working in the Triangle’s social sector.
- The leaders’ platforms have expanded nationally, appearing on CNN, Good Morning America, Forbes, and even on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Take Hope Renovations, for example—a 2021–2022 cohort member. Their dual mission of training underemployed women in the trades and repairing homes for seniors and individuals with disabilities saw a 439% increase in revenue over two years. That’s not just growth—that’s generational impact.
This level of transformation is only possible through powerful partnerships. We’re especially grateful to Google Fiber, a continuous supporter of 10 to Watch from the beginning, and a recent contributor of $40,000 toward our 2025 cohort. Their investment doesn’t just support individual organizations, it helps build a more just, equitable Triangle for all.
This level of transformation is only possible through powerful partnerships. We’re especially grateful to Google Fiber, a continuous supporter of 10 to Watch from the beginning, and a recent contributor of $40,000 toward our 2025 cohort. Their investment doesn’t just support individual organizations, it helps build a more just, equitable Triangle for all.
We created 10 to Watch because we saw a gap. Under-represented leaders were building incredible organizations but lacked access to traditional philanthropic pipelines. Eight years later, this initiative is not only closing that gap—it’s opening new doors.
At United Way of the Greater Triangle, we see uplifting and galvanizing communities not as a responsibility, but as a necessity. We are proud to walk alongside these leaders and their communities as they chart a future rooted in justice, equity, and opportunity.
This is more than a program. It’s a movement. And we’re just getting started.
Posted by Crystal WIlson, Chief Outreach Officer, United Way of the Greater Triangle.
