StepUp Wilmington

What StepUp Wilmington does

StepUp Wilmington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit workforce development organization (legal entity: Phoenix Employment Services of Wilmington, Inc.) founded in 2003 in Wilmington, NC, serving the Cape Fear region. The organization provides free job training, placement, and career advancement services to individuals facing employment barriers — including those affected by incarceration, homelessness, recovery, domestic violence, or limited professional networks — through a portfolio of interconnected programs. Core programs are Jobs Week (a 32-hour intensive employment training workshop covering resume writing, interview prep, and job search strategies), CareerUp (a three-phase, 36-week career development program for working adults focused on personal development and financial literacy), Teen Programming/Future Leaders (youth career readiness with paid internships), Restoring Opportunities Internships (ROI) for high-achieving low-resource high schoolers, and CareerUp MealTrain (community building). Beyond Talent, launched in June 2021 as an alternative-staffing job placement division, functions as both an employer talent pipeline and a self-sustaining earned-revenue stream.

Name

StepUp Wilmington

Legal name

Phoenix Employment Services of Wilmington, Inc.

Website

https://stepupwilmington.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

StepUp Wilmington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free job training, placement, and career development services to individuals facing employment barriers in the Cape Fear region, serving 20,000+ lives and placing 2,111 jobs since 2003.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Services (5613), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Job Placement, Matching & Career Navigation Services (EDAAAOAL), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Mentorship & Coaching (Career, Academic, Industry-Specific) (EDAMAKAA)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Job training programs
• Career coaching services
• Employment placement services
• Community nonprofit programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization accepts individual donations through various methods including credit card/PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, check, and stock gifts. Monthly sustainer programs allow donors to make recurring contributions.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate supporters contribute at various tiers (Champion $9,000+, Advocate $6,000, Investor $3,000, Job Creator up to $1,500) with corresponding benefits including recognition, job placement outcomes, and social impact metrics.
3. Annual Fundraising Luncheon: The largest annual fundraising event serving as the primary source of support for the entire year, bringing together supporters, sponsors, and community members.
4. Foundation Grants: The organization receives grants from foundations including The Endowment which awarded $6 million to 8 New Hanover County nonprofits including StepUp Wilmington.
5. Beyond Talent - Social Enterprise: Beyond Talent serves as the job placement division for StepUp Wilmington, building off existing training model. Since August 2020, Beyond Talent secured 20 contracts with companies and placed 23 candidates, creating a self-sustaining funding stream.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

StepUp Wilmington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free workforce development services to job seekers in the Cape Fear region. Its core offerings are Jobs Week, a 32-hour intensive employment training workshop covering job search strategies, networking, resume writing, professional dress, interview prep, and addressing criminal history or employment gaps; CareerUp, a three-phase career development and financial literacy program; Teen Programming (Future Leaders) including the Restoring Opportunities Internships (ROI); and Beyond Talent, a job placement division that places candidates into employer contracts using an alternative staffing model. All services are provided at no cost to participants.

Product overview

StepUp Wilmington is a workforce development nonprofit that offers a portfolio of interconnected programs designed to help job seekers achieve employment and career stability. The core offerings include Jobs Week (a 32-hour employment training workshop covering resume writing, interview prep, and job search strategies), CareerUp (a three-phase career development program focusing on personal development and financial literacy), Teen Programming/Future Leaders (youth career readiness and internship support), and Beyond Talent (a job placement division launched in 2021 that serves as both an employer talent pipeline and a funding mechanism). Additional support services include mock interviews, 1x1 coaching, networking opportunities, and professional development workshops. The organization maintains an 80% one-year job retention rate and has placed over 2,111 jobs since 2003.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beyond Talent: Job placement division for StepUp Wilmington that builds off the existing training model using an alternative staffing model with market-based approaches focusing on an individual's long-term success. Inspired by Cara Connects in Chicago.

Products and services

• Jobs Week
• CareerUp
• Teen Programming (Future Leaders)
• Beyond Talent
• Restoring Opportunities Internships (ROI)

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% one-year job retention rate
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and historical.

• Live Oak BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer partner providing internship and job shadowing opportunities for teen program participants. Live Oak Bank is listed as a Champion-level corporate supporter.
• Novant HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare employer partner for teen programming providing job shadowing and internship opportunities. Listed as a corporate supporter and board member organization.
• Ward & Smith Law FirmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm partner providing internship and job shadowing experiences for teens in the program.
• MegaCorpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer partner and Champion-level corporate supporter providing employment opportunities and internship placements for program participants.
• AvanceCarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare employer partner providing internship and job shadowing opportunities for teen program participants.
• Monteith ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction employer partner providing internship and job shadowing opportunities for teens.
• LS3PcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture/engineering firm partner providing internship opportunities and listed as Investor-level corporate supporter.
• EmergeOrthocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare employer partner providing job shadowing and internship opportunities for teens.
• Thalian HallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government/arts organization partner providing job shadowing opportunities for teen participants.
• Dawson MedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare employer partner providing internship and job shadowing opportunities.
• United BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial institution partner providing internship opportunities and listed as a corporate supporter.
• Sandy Paws Animal HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterinary partner providing internship opportunities for teen participants.
• Lighthouse FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative industry partner providing internship and job shadowing opportunities for teens.
• Cape Fear Community College (CFCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner in expansion of Jobs Week courses. Partnership announced July 2025 to expand workforce development programming. Success story participant Maleta is enrolled at CFCC pursuing Associates degree.
• StepUp Ministry (Raleigh)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2013, StepUp Wilmington began partnering with StepUp Ministry in Raleigh, one of the leading job placement organizations in NC. This collaboration brought stronger programming, data tracking emphasis, increased capacity, and clearer vision. The relationship includes collaboration with StepUp NC network.
• Phoenix Employment Ministry (Predecessor)historicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded as Phoenix Employment Ministry in 2003 by Rev. Don Skinner. Later integrated operations of Hometown Hires (United Way program founded by Ben David and Chip Mahan) in 2015.
• Wave TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransportation partner providing bus passes to program graduates to address transportation barriers to employment.
• Beyond TalentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched June 2021 as the job placement division for StepUp Wilmington. Since August 2020, secured 20 contracts with companies and placed 23 candidates at average wage of $13.20/hour. Inspired by Cara Connects in Chicago using alternative staffing model.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free IT and tech workforce training with employer placement. Similar free-training-to-placement model and employer-driven revenue, focused on a higher-skill niche that complements but overlaps with StepUp Wilmington's barriered-population mission.

Broad incumbents

• Fedcap: Large national nonprofit operating workforce development, vocational rehabilitation, and education programs for people facing barriers to employment. Comparable in mission, target population, and employer placement services but operates at far greater scale across many geographies.
• Year Up: National nonprofit providing intensive workforce training, mentorship, and corporate placement for young adults facing opportunity gaps. Operates a similar training-to-placement funnel model and competes for the same corporate Champion-tier sponsors and foundation grants, though at far greater scale.
• Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina: Regional Goodwill operating job training, placement, and reentry services across eastern NC including the Wilmington area. Broader portfolio of retail-funded workforce programs serving similar barriered populations and competing for the same employer partners and grants.
• United Way of the Cape Fear Area: Local United Way that historically operated Hometown Hires, whose operations were integrated into StepUp Wilmington in 2015. Remains a regional funder and potential partner/competitor for workforce development grants.

Direct peers

• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing employment services specifically for people returning home from incarceration, mirroring StepUp Wilmington's Returning Citizens segment. Direct overlap in target population and employer-facing placement services.
• StepUp Ministry: Raleigh, NC-based nonprofit workforce development organization offering job training, placement, and career advancement programs. StepUp Wilmington's named partner since 2013 and part of the StepUp NC network; operates essentially the same Jobs Week / CareerUp model in a different NC geography.
• Cara Connects: Chicago-based nonprofit social enterprise (formerly Cara Collective) that combines workforce training, placement, and an alternative staffing agency, and was the explicit inspiration for StepUp Wilmington's Beyond Talent division. Directly comparable operating model with earned-revenue placement arm serving people facing employment barriers.

Others

• The Harrelson Center Partner Nonprofits: Wilmington-based collaborative nonprofit campus that has recognized StepUp Wilmington as Partner of the Year and houses multiple social service and workforce partners. Thematically related ecosystem enabler in the same Cape Fear region rather than a direct workforce competitor.

Regional players

• Cape Fear Community College Workforce Programs: Local community college in Wilmington, NC that operates workforce training pathways and is a named strategic partner for expanding Jobs Week courses. Comparable in serving the same Cape Fear region with overlapping training offerings; complements rather than directly competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StepUpILM
• Facebookfacebook.com/stepupwilmington
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stepupwilmington

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about StepUp Wilmington