Stories of Impact – SPARK!: Courtnie Coble
This Story of Impact highlights Courtnie Coble, a 2024 Spark Award Recipient. You can learn more about the Women’s Impact Fund Spark Awards here.
As founder of The Academy of Goal Achievers (TAOGA), Courtnie Coble has spent more than a decade building an organization dedicated to developing youth leaders and preparing them for post-secondary success. What began with 15 students has grown to serve nearly 2,000 in a single year. With that growth came recognition for the organization and its impact, but back in 2024, Courtnie herself was feeling increasingly invisible.
So, when she received a Spark Award as part of the first cohort in 2024, “it was the first time I really felt seen,” she recalls. “Like, no, we see you, the work you’re doing, and we want to make sure you’re rested.”
That distinction mattered. Growing up as the middle child of five, in a tight-knit, church-going family, Courtnie was used to being both a giver and receiver of support in her community. She had been giving, giving, giving to the TAOGA, her team, and the young people they serve, but the Spark Award finally gave her permission to pour into herself instead.
She decided to use the funds to reconnect with something that years of hustle and grind had pushed aside: her female friendships. She invited a group of friends to a cabin on Lake Norman for time together away from their work and responsibilities. Many of the women were also doing community-focused work, and the weekend offered a rare opportunity to simply enjoy one another’s company.
“It filled my cup just to be around my friends,” she says. More importantly, the experience changed how she thought about caring for herself. “My life matters too, and my life matters to everything I’m trying to give to others.”
That lesson has stayed with Courtnie and has shaped her growing involvement with Women’s Impact Fund. Now a three-year member, Courtnie has served on the Spark Committee and the Board of Directors. As a former Spark recipient, she brings a unique perspective to reviewing applicants. She recognizes herself in the women who are building organizations, leading teams and carrying responsibility for their communities. Having been on the receiving end herself, she understands why investing in the leader can ultimately strengthen the organization and community around her.
Through her board service, she’s seen the intentionality behind WIF’s growth and evolution. She’s observed long-time and newer board members listening to one another, navigating differences with respect, and remaining focused on a shared mission. The experience has reinforced for her what is possible when women work together and she dreams of WIF becoming a model for collective women’s philanthropy well beyond Charlotte.
Learn more about Courtnie—and all the 2024 Spark Award Recipients—here.
