The Rural Spark
The Rural Spark helps economic and community developers in small communities be more productive so they can continue to serve and grow their communities long-term. This is done through online education, coaching, accountability, and networking.
Hi, I'm Jimi, Your Rural Economic Development Ally
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to Rural Economic and Community Development. You are the idea person, the strategic planner, and the one carrying out the plan. Not to mention the marketing person, the banker, the land developer and so much more. It is no wonder practitioners get burnt out and frustrated. That is why I developed an online, educational and networking platform for rural practitioners. Welcome! (Check out my blog post for the full reason "Why" I did this!)
Yes, I'm talking to you! You are an amazing asset to your community.
You are working to grow the community and move the needle forward. The Rural Spark wants to help keep you moving forward.
The Rural Spark can help you excel in this profession, skip learning curves, and make progress that you can see and be proud of. The Rural Spark is here to keep you laser-focused on the end-goal...your community, all while keeping your sanity.
Small communities are constantly compared to larger ones and left feeling they do not measure up. This is not true! Our mission is to destigmatize small and keep the focus on progress.
Small communities can be like one big family. And, sometimes you find yourself in the middle of a family feud. Navigating can be tricky, but we can help.
The Rural Spark also understands that many times you are a one-man-band wearing all the hats. And, it can be daunting. But, your job is vital to the community. You are the spark that lights the flame for amazing things to happen. Your community needs you.
The Rural Spark Membership
The Rural Spark Membership will help you build your community with strategy, networking and education. We will work together and be like a second set of hands for your organization.
The Membership will fast track your efforts, speed up the learning process, and keep you abreast of what is happening in the industry.
The Membership is here to serve you, but it is also a place to network with your peers, forge relationships nationwide, and learn from each other.
The Membership will also serve as a library where communities can access trainings, templates, and documents they might need.
The membership is currently closed to new enrollments, but it will open again soon. Follow the link below for all the details and get on our waitlist. You will be notified as soon as it opens.
The Roadmap Course
Join us for our 8-module, online course, unique to small-town economic and community developers. This course helps ignite your economic development program and take it to the next level. It helps with small town nuances that are faced by community developers. It fast-tracks young professionals and keeps them from reinventing the wheel. It also reminds seasoned professionals why they loved it in the first place. It provides a barrage of resources to add to the EDC toolbox.
Click below to read the full outline of this program and start your learning journey today.
Speaker, Trainer, Motivator
Owner, Jimi Coplen, brings years of experience with small communities. She enjoys sharing that experience with groups through public speaking. She is available to speak to your community in person or virtually, at conferences, and other educational events on a wide range of subjects that affect small communities. She also enjoys being a podcast guest. Please email for more information.
Listen to The Rural Spark Online
The Rural Spark has been a guest on a variety of podcasts. Check out these podcasts and be sure and subscribe.
Get Our FREE e-Book of Helpful Economic & Community Development Information
This booklet contains a variety of templates to help you in your economic development journey and it is FREE!
Click Here for Details
Brad Stanford
“The Rural Spark Live Zoom meetings on Fridays is worth the price of admission alone. The fact that there is a structured course to go with it seems like the icing on the cake, but the course is actually the cake! There is so much value here for your money that you need to stop reading this right now and sign up."
Former Executive Director at Dublin EDC, Owner of Two Story Systems
Mitch Matthews
"Jimi has a passion for growing rural communities. A few years ago, she reached out to me about hosting a Big Dream Gathering in Texas. Her goal was to launch a grassroots effort to bring future entrepreneurs together and give them a safe place to share their big ideas. We worked together and Jimi not only pulled off a great event… but she got a very diverse group of people to come together to dream and support each other. It was incredible. Jimi is a true catalyst for small communities."
Entrepreneur | Coach | Catalyst
Nicki Harle
“After accumulating 17-plus years of professional training & networking and grassroots experience, Jimi has become the consummate rural practitioner. Her rural economic development background has culminated into a wealth of knowledge to share and to provide usable advice for day-to-day challenges and long-range visioning. Jimi knows how to dream big and make it happen. I’ve seen her in action!”
Texas State University System Board of Regents
Former Executive Director & Founder of Texas Midwest Community Network
