From Program Participant to Strategic Partner: BEN Colorado Welcomes Working Within as New Development Partner
When Charlyn Moss joined the Denver ScaleUp Network (DenSUN) in 2024, she was at a pivotal crossroads. Her company, Working Within, was in the midst of refining its focus, gaining traction, and determining how best to scale in a specialized space.
“I entered the Denver ScaleUp program at a time in my business when I needed to make some key decisions to enable scale,” Charlyn shares. “My company was recovering from trying to do too much with too little and we were just re-establishing ourselves as experts in a niche market, nonprofit fundraising.”
The program gave her the space and the support to do exactly that. During her presentation for BEN Days, the final session of the DenSUN experience, Charlyn outlined her vision for Working Within’s future. The response from BEN Advisors was immediate and affirming.
“I was able to explain this during my BEN Day at the end of the Denver ScaleUp program,” she recalls, “and the positive feedback I received from the room came perfectly timed. I really needed to hear someone say that there was a need and a vast market for our services.”
Among those listening closely was BEN Colorado CEO Mick Freeman, who approached Charlyn shortly after the cohort wrapped.
“It was at my Denver ScaleUp graduation event where Mick told me he wanted to have a conversation about the services we provide to nonprofits,” Charlyn says. “After going through a transitional period, he let me know that BEN was looking to reactivate their nonprofit arm, focusing on creating and demonstrating their social impact in Colorado as a premier entrepreneur support organization. Of course, I was all in!”
Now, that conversation has evolved into a strategic partnership. BEN has officially engaged Working Within to lead the organization’s development efforts, bringing in professional expertise to help craft an intentional fundraising strategy and communicate BEN’s impact with greater clarity and reach.
“Now, Working Within is partnering with BEN Colorado to ensure that funders are well aware of the work they've done and continue to do for Colorado's entrepreneurs,” Charlyn notes. “We serve as a walking testimony!”
What This Means for BEN Colorado
Since its founding, BEN has focused on supporting Colorado’s entrepreneurs with expert advising, hands-on programming, and the community and accountability leaders need to scale. But internally, BEN has rarely had dedicated support for its own development work–until now.
With Working Within stepping in as a strategic partner, BEN will have a clear, actionable development strategy and the infrastructure to back it up. This includes:
Storytelling and Impact Communication: Refining BEN’s Theory of Change, crafting a compelling social impact narrative, and producing marketing and fundraising materials to tell BEN’s impact story more effectively.
Fundraising Strategy Development: Building a 12-month fundraising strategy, including plans for foundation and corporate giving, alumni engagement, Colorado Gives Day, and an aligned grant pipeline.
Relationship Management: Guiding funder outreach and alumni engagement, supporting the cultivation of philanthropic partnerships, and helping BEN develop long-term systems for funder stewardship.
Grant Support: Identifying aligned grant opportunities, crafting strong proposals, and positioning BEN for funding from major institutions and foundations.
This partnership marks a full-circle moment and the kind of entrepreneurial connection BEN exists to foster. It’s one thing to support a founder’s growth. It’s another to have that founder turn around and help support yours.
With Working Within on board, BEN Colorado is stepping into a new chapter: one with a broader development strategy, more intentional storytelling, and the long-term sustainability to keep growing our impact across the state.
We’re no longer working without. We’re Working Within.