For six years, Spark Teams have brought SVP Partners and nonprofit leaders together to build capacity, strengthen organizations, and tackle the challenges that can stand in the way of greater impact.
Launched in 2020, Spark Teams are short-term, project-based engagements that connect the professional expertise, skills, and perspective of SVP Partners with the evolving needs of SEED20 alumni and SVP Investees. Over the course of 4–10 weeks, a small team of Partners works alongside nonprofit leadership on a specific organizational challenge, offering strategic thought partnership and practical support designed to create value that lasts beyond the engagement itself.
What Spark Teams Do
Every organization has different needs, so every Spark Team looks a little different.
Spark Teams provide focused support in areas such as:
- Board Governance
- Fundraising & Development
- Strategy & Planning
- Operations
- Finance
- Marketing & Communications
Partners are matched with projects where their experience and skills can provide meaningful value, working alongside nonprofit leadership to develop practical recommendations, tools, and strategies tailored to the organization’s needs and goals.
The work is about more than producing a final deliverable, too. Each engagement is designed to strengthen the organization’s internal capacity, leaving nonprofit leaders with knowledge, systems, and strategies they can continue using long after the project concludes.
Along the way, relationships grow too. Partners gain a deeper understanding of the organizations and leaders serving our community, while nonprofits gain trusted thought partners invested in their continued success.
See a Spark Team in Action
For Digi-Bridge, a Spark Team provided an opportunity to strengthen the internal systems needed to support the organization’s continued growth.
Hear directly from Alyssa Sharpe, CEO of Digi-Bridge, about her organization’s Spark Team experience and the impact of working alongside SVP Partners.
Our Impact
Since launching in 2020, Spark Teams have completed:
62 nonprofit engagements
3,092+ hours of skilled volunteer service
$680,000 in estimated consulting value
Behind those numbers are stronger systems, new strategies, trusted relationships, and lessons that continue well beyond individual projects.
Six Years of Building Capacity Together
What began in 2020 as a new way for SVP Partners to share their expertise has grown into one of SVP Charlotte’s defining programs.
Explore the stories, relationships, lessons, and lasting impact behind six years of Spark Teams.
Read the Spark Teams Impact Story →
Apply for a Spark Team
Spark Teams are available to SEED20 alumni organizations and prior SVP Investees seeking strategic support around a specific organizational challenge.
SVP Charlotte is honored to have served these local nonprofits by working side by side together on strategic short-term projects to address critical organizational challenges.
The in-depth discussions and expertise from the Spark Team has provided us with the tools and expertise to realign our board and staff roles and practices, building the framework for continued growth through programming and operational excellence.
Beth Morrison, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Charlotte
