Frequently Asked Questions

The Sparks Impact Fellowship is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, and operates with a pan-African philosophy. Sparks have been placed with organisations around the world, and we've had Sparks in several African countries, including Kenya and Zimbabwe. In future, we hope to build hubs across the continent.

Yes, where your placement allows it. We don't require Sparks to be on-site unless their host organisation does, so whether you work in person, hybrid or remotely depends on your placement.

Typically, Sparks are part of the fellowship for a year, in line with our annual cycle. Depending on placements and the opportunities that come up, it can be shorter or longer.

Yes, once you're placed. For the length of your placement you're paid monthly, either as an employee of The Sparks (South African citizens and residents) or as a contracted consultant. We pay a living wage: the pay needed for you and your family to reach a frugal but dignified standard of living. We do this because unpaid internships have long kept the people best placed to drive change out of this sector. Your pay is confirmed when we make you an offer. If you're a Spark who hasn't been placed yet, we may be able to arrange a stipend in specific circumstances.

There are four quarterly learning modules (Systems Thinking, Impact Measurement and Management, Impact Storytelling, Finance for Social Enterprise), plus personal and professional development throughout the year. Each is delivered by a practitioner with sector experience and assessed through applied work that your host organisation can put to use, rather than through exams.

Once you're placed, the fellowship is usually full-time: you work with your host organisation during normal working hours, and Fridays are your training day with The Sparks. If you're a Spark hoping to be placed, we expect you to be available to start full-time when a suitable match comes up.

Fridays are our training day. Throughout the fellowship, Sparks come together on Fridays for our technical modules, training and community building, and you're expected to keep Fridays free for this for the whole fellowship. Some learning can be done in your own time, but Fridays are when most of it happens.

We aim to match each Spark with an impact organisation from our partner network, though a placement isn't guaranteed. Once placed, you work embedded within that organisation, contributing to real projects and deliverables, supported by ongoing check-ins with the Sparks team and a dedicated supervisor within your host organisation.

Pricing depends on the placement format, working pattern, duration, level of Sparks management and any funding or subsidy involved. Up to 90% of the programme contribution pays a living wage to the placed Spark. A short conversation with our team will clarify the pricing that applies to you.

Host organisations are asked to provide a named supervisor who commits to regular structured check-ins with the Spark, typically once a week. We handle all programme coordination, training scheduling, and general support so your team's commitment stays focused on the work that matters.

Fridays are a Spark's training day: it's when we run our technical modules, training and community building, and we ask host organisations to keep Fridays free for this throughout the placement. A full-time Spark works with your organisation on the other four days of the week. Some learning can be done asynchronously, but most of it happens on Fridays.

Onboarding, access to the systems and people they need to do the work, a genuine project with clear deliverables, and a named supervisor. The Sparks team handles the Spark's pay, training, and all administrative coordination. Your role is to be a strong host, not an HR department.

For capacity and fellowship placements, your organisation provides day-to-day line management. For project placements, a Sparks project lead provides active delivery oversight, and your organisation still provides a project owner and access to the organisational context the Spark needs.

A managed placement means Sparks remains involved before, during and at the end of the placement. We support matching, contracts, preparation, professional development, check-ins and performance, helping you and the Spark build a successful working relationship.

Sparks helps resolve problems as they arise and will explore alternative arrangements where appropriate. We can't promise an automatic replacement in every case, but we stay closely involved so issues get addressed quickly rather than left for you to manage alone.

We have internal performance management processes and meet with each Spark regularly to track and manage their progress, alongside their learning modules, placement deliverables and feedback from their supervisor. We also keep in touch with alumni after the programme.

Yes, and we hope you will: building long-term careers in impact is one of the key goals of the programme, and most often Sparks keep working with their host organisation after the placement. There's no obligation to offer a job, and a placement fee may apply depending on your contract.

Beyond the immediate contribution to your work, hosting a Spark builds your pipeline of mission-aligned talent. You get early access to high-potential candidates you've worked with directly, which is a far more reliable signal than a CV and interview. Host organisations also become part of an active network of impact leaders, which opens doors to peer learning, co-funding, and partnership opportunities within the Sparks ecosystem.