Website SmallSpark
The organization was formed to bridge the growing technology gap by providing affordable, reliable IT support that empowers low-income families, seniors, small businesses, and nonprofits to access education, economic opportunity, and full digital participation.
About SmallSpark
Reliable technology should not be available only to people and organizations large enough to maintain an internal IT department.
SmallSpark was created to help close that gap. We provide accessible, dependable technology support to nonprofits, underserved small businesses, seniors, families, and community-serving organizations whose ability to operate, grow, and participate increasingly depends on technology.
Our model brings together direct IT services, strategic technology guidance, digital-access initiatives, and pathways into the technology workforce. We aim to provide the expertise of an internal IT department, the perspective of a trusted technology advisor, and the commitment of a long-term community partner.
SmallSpark began operating on a limited basis in 2024. We are now building the relationships, systems, visibility, and financial foundation required to become an established and enduring community resource.
The Opportunity
SmallSpark is seeking a Growth & Development Chair to join its Board of Directors and help shape the organization’s next stage.
This is a board leadership position focused on the full picture of sustainable growth: direct-service opportunities, strategic partnerships, community presence, fundraising, organizational credibility, and long-term capacity.
The Growth & Development Chair will work closely with SmallSpark’s President and Board to determine where the organization should focus, which relationships can move it forward, and how its direct IT services can support both financial health and greater mission impact.
This is an opportunity for someone who wants to do more than advise from a distance. The right person will help SmallSpark become better connected, more visible, more disciplined, and more capable—while preserving the distinction between board leadership and day-to-day staff work.
Why This Role Matters
SmallSpark’s direct IT services are a central lever in its model. A healthy service pipeline can provide the revenue, relationships, experience, and community presence needed to strengthen the organization and expand its mission.
Building that pipeline requires more than routine outreach. It requires trusted relationships, senior-level conversations, clear positioning, credible representation, and a long-term understanding of how individual opportunities fit together.
The Growth & Development Chair will help SmallSpark build those connections. This person will bring judgment, experience, and access to conversations that can lead to new clients, referral relationships, institutional partnerships, funding, sponsorships, and broader community impact.
Key Responsibilities
Growth Strategy
-Partner with the President and Board to develop a practical, multi-year growth strategy for SmallSpark.
-Connect direct IT services, mission programs, partnerships, fundraising, and organizational capacity into a coherent growth model.
-Help identify the communities, service areas, audiences, and relationships where SmallSpark can create the greatest value.
-Advise on the responsible timing and sequencing of new opportunities so that growth remains aligned with SmallSpark’s capacity, standards, and mission.
-Serve as a trusted strategic thought partner to the President as the organization moves beyond its founding stage.
Direct-Service Development
-Help shape the strategy for generating qualified opportunities for SmallSpark’s direct IT services.
-Advise on priority audiences, service positioning, referral channels, strategic partnerships, and community outreach.
-Activate professional and community relationships that may lead to new clients, referrals, collaborations, or mission opportunities.
-Participate selectively in important conversations where senior experience, board presence, or an established relationship can materially advance the opportunity.
-Help SmallSpark develop a clear pathway from initial awareness through assessment, proposal, engagement, and long-term relationship.
-Ensure that the organization’s approach to growth remains consultative, credible, and grounded in service rather than transactional sales pressure.
Strategic Relationships and Community Presence
-Develop relationships with nonprofit leaders, businesses, foundations, community organizations, government stakeholders, professional networks, and other prospective partners.
-Make thoughtful introductions and help open doors to people and institutions aligned with SmallSpark’s work.
-Represent SmallSpark at selected conferences, community gatherings, partner meetings, and other high-value opportunities.
-Help strengthen SmallSpark’s reputation as a trusted technology and community partner.
-Bring what is learned through these relationships back into the organization’s strategy, messaging, services, and decision-making.
Fundraising and Resource Development
-Help build a diversified development strategy that may include individual giving, grants, corporate support, sponsorships, strategic partnerships, and mission-aligned earned revenue.
-Identify and cultivate funders whose priorities align with digital equity, nonprofit capacity-building, community resilience, small-business support, education, and technology workforce development.
-Guide grant-seeking priorities and support proposal development in coordination with leadership and other board members.
-Strengthen SmallSpark’s case for support and help communicate why its model matters.
-Help ensure that funding opportunities reinforce a coherent strategy rather than creating disconnected programs or unsustainable commitments.
Growth Systems and Accountability
-Help establish meaningful measures for outreach, relationship development, direct-service growth, partnerships, and fundraising.
-Review pipeline and development trends at a strategic level, helping leadership recognize where opportunities are advancing, stalling, or being lost.
-Support the creation of repeatable growth and relationship-development practices that can be carried out consistently as SmallSpark expands.
-Provide the Board with clear, decision-useful updates on progress, challenges, and emerging opportunities.
-Help SmallSpark learn from its results and continually improve its approach.
Board Leadership and Governance
-Lead the Board’s growth and development work and help other directors participate productively in introductions, partnerships, fundraising, and community representation.
-Participate actively in board meetings, planning, committee work, and major organizational decisions.
-Exercise sound judgment regarding organizational priorities, risk, capacity, and long-term sustainability.
-Uphold the fiduciary, ethical, and governance responsibilities of board service.
-Help SmallSpark develop the credibility and discipline expected of a durable community institution.
How the Role Contributes
SmallSpark is building a working board, and this is not an honorary appointment. The Growth & Development Chair will be expected to engage actively, use their relationships thoughtfully, participate in selected external opportunities, and follow through on commitments.
At the same time, this is a board leadership role—not a substitute for day-to-day staff capacity. The Chair will not be expected to maintain the CRM, manage routine prospecting and follow-up, conduct every assessment, or personally carry the organization’s entire growth pipeline.
The greatest value of this role lies in connecting strategy to opportunity: helping SmallSpark determine where to focus, opening the right doors, strengthening important conversations, supporting the people carrying out the work, and ensuring that growth serves the organization’s long-term mission.
What Success Could Look Like
During the first year, the Growth & Development Chair will help SmallSpark:
-Establish a clear and actionable growth roadmap.
-Clarify priority audiences, service opportunities, and partnership channels.
-Strengthen the positioning and public narrative around SmallSpark’s direct services and mission.
-Build a more consistent pipeline of qualified service, referral, partnership, and funding opportunities.
-Establish useful measures and board-level reporting for growth and development.
-Develop new relationships with prospective clients, funders, sponsors, partners, and community advocates.
-Create a repeatable outreach and relationship-development model that can be executed consistently as SmallSpark builds capacity.
-Increase SmallSpark’s visibility, legitimacy, and standing within the communities it intends to serve.
-Build a stronger foundation for long-term financial health and mission expansion.
The Person We Are Looking For
Strong candidates may come from business development, strategic partnerships, nonprofit development, philanthropy, professional services, technology services, community engagement, economic development, or a related field.
We are especially interested in someone who brings:
-Experience building trusted relationships and advancing meaningful opportunities.
-The ability to think across mission, revenue, community impact, and organizational strategy.
-A strong professional or community network—or a demonstrated ability to build one thoughtfully.
-Experience turning broad growth ambitions into clear priorities, systems, and measurable action.
-Strong judgment, communication skills, initiative, and follow-through.
-The confidence to represent SmallSpark credibly with executives, funders, community leaders, and prospective partners.
-An understanding of consultative sales, IT services, managed services, or another relationship-driven professional service model, which would be valuable but is not required.
-Genuine alignment with SmallSpark’s commitment to digital equity and community-centered technology.
-Comfort contributing to an early-stage organization where meaningful structures are still being built.
-A collaborative approach and the ability to challenge ideas constructively while remaining committed to shared decisions.
-Prior board service is welcome but not required. Strategic maturity, integrity, initiative, and alignment matter more than a conventional board résumé.
Time Commitment
-Regular participation in Board meetings.
-Ongoing strategic collaboration with the President and fellow directors.
-Selected participation in partner meetings, conferences, community events, and development initiatives.
Approximately 6–10 hours per month, with some variation during major initiatives and periods of organizational growth.
Term
The anticipated term is two years, renewable, subject to SmallSpark’s bylaws and Board approval.
How to Express Interest
Interested candidates are invited to submit a résumé or professional background and a brief statement describing:
-Why SmallSpark’s mission resonates with them.
-The experience, perspective, and relationships they would bring.
-How they would approach sustainable growth for an early-stage organization.
SmallSpark welcomes candidates whose professional backgrounds, community connections, and lived experiences deepen its understanding of the people and organizations it serves.
SmallSpark is a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Learn more at smallspark.org.
To apply for this job email your details to staffing@smallspark.org