Why FieldWorks?
In 2016 FieldWorks was born out of our frustrations from having worked in a system that feared losing what it had more than it dreamed of what it could achieve.
There are over 10 million alternatives to international charities that work each day to make their communities a little bit better and are better placed to see it through. They’re the ones who can’t pick up and leave when funding finishes; when the media quietens; when the politics shift. They live and breathe “the problem” every day, fighting for change and for their communities, regardless of support.
But they are overshadowed in a system that doesn’t reward them. A system that doesn’t “serve” them.
The complexity of social change requires versatile actors well connected to their communities to have a reliable support network to call upon. A network that comes together to serve them. Built on complementarity and collaboration that allows those organisations to connect with each other cross-cause and border. To share knowledge; to adapt and diffuse solutions; and to develop strategic partnerships.
We didn't want to, we couldn't, fight an existing system that had no incentive to change.
So we decided to help create a new system.
We started FieldWorks.
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete”
~ Richard Buckminster Fuller
Our Vision
A fair eco-system that champions, nurtures and rewards those who are most responsive to their community’s social needs.
Mission
To unlock the potential of diverse, ambitious and impactful locally led non-profits by empowering and networking them to the world’s most progressive funders.
We are a Social Enterprise
Our aim is to promote the success of FieldWorks for the benefit of our NGO members as a whole and, through our business and operations, to have a positive material impact on society and the environment, taken as a whole.
As a social enterprise, we reinvest a majority of our profits to achieve sustainability, grow our reach and ensure the fulfilment of our mission.
OUR TEAM
With a collective experience of over 20 years with INGOs in over a dozen countries, we've lived many of the challenges that come with trying to achieve social change on the ground
Co-founder / Chief Idealist
Federico Motka
Federico is a veteran aid-worker from war zones to natural disasters, from Afghanistan, to Myanmar and Haiti. Federico believes in the power of grassroots organisations and the rights of recipients of aid. Loves Maps.
Co-founder / Chief Sceptic
Chris Man
Chris is an ex-management consultant turned aid-worker. He spent 10+years leading teams in international development contexts & believes in humanitarianism, data, efficiency, standardisation, and innovation. Loves Excel.
Chief Technology Adviser
John Spicer
MSc in Computer Science at Imperial College London, John has over 10 years software development experience. Passionate about development challenges, Castles and learning Welsh
OUR ADVISORS
Leaders in their own right, our advisors come from across the private and not-for-profit sector. They hold us accountable to our vision and guide us to achieving our mission
Stefaan Poortman
Executive Director
World of Children
Cheryl Martin
Director of Brand & Communications
The Donkey Sanctuary
Amina Swanepoel
Co-founder & Executive Director,
Roots of Health
Marcus Swanepoel
Director of Strategy, Finance and Operations, Roots of Health
Weh Yeoh
Co-Founder, WhyDev
Founder, OIC Cambodia
Paco Enriquez
Executive Director
Asociación BPD