Our Growing Co-Operative
In March this year, we saw society transform beyond recognition. There was a need to pivot and respond so rapidly that most people didn’t pause for long enough to really acknowledge the change surrounding us.
At DOT PROJECT all we knew was that there was a need for us to take heightened responsibility and intensify our support to organisations through these times of change.
“2020 has highlighted why DOT PROJECT exists” — Co-Founder, Cat Ainsworth
One way we have grown our response, is through growing our team. This year has demonstrated how strong relationships and deep networks can enable us to find the best skills to meet the needs of communities and the civil society organisations that support them.
Over the past few months we’ve welcomed new Members to our co-operative who are equally committed to supporting charities and communities hardest hit by COVID-19. Each of our Members has individual expertise and a unique story to tell but together, we share a vision and purpose. Together we are supporting organisations across the social, public and education sectors to thrive and be their digital best. Our whole is greater than the sum of our parts.
“Our strength lies in our people, our growing team of Members” — Co-Founder, Annie Legge
Our Members
As such, 8 incredibly intelligent and empathetic individuals have joined Co-Founders Annie and Cat to form our team of 10! We asked each new Member how they felt about joining our small but thriving co-operative and these are the responses we received:
Danny Hearn
I’m a creative thinker that enjoys being challenged to collaborate and co-create interesting responses to complex problems with a human centered approach. I have over 19 years experience in design roles for various high profile high street retail and travel brands as well as for agencies and startups.
My focus has primarily been in user centered design, managing teams, setting design practices, speaking at design events as well as co-founding a few community tech and design groups. After a period of reflection I felt it was important for me to find work that better aligns with my values, which is how I found DOT PROJECT.
I’ve been helping support charities and organisations to develop their own user insight capability and confidence. I’ve worked on a range of projects including helping SARSAS to role play and develop a new chat service, researching user insights to help co-ops UK to redesign their new website, presenting interactive case study sessions to Peer brokers and developing design led support programmes for cohorts with the Esmee Fairbairn Digital Programme.
It’s human. Everyone is aligned around similar values and principals. We do great work for great people that are providing support to the most vulnerable areas of society. There’s also a really flexible and supportive environment and culture that works really well for me.
Kirsty Cameron
I am a digital leader, sense maker, agile practitioner and change agent. I have a background in project and programme management with experience leading digital and change programmes and a special interest in the intersection of people, tech and ways of working
At DOT PROJECT my role is varied — I use my experience to help charities navigate their digital journey, building capability and confidence in their people. I believe in the importance of making connections and building relationships. People are at the heart of everything we do.
Recently I’ve been working in supporting charities who have been funded by The National Lottery Community Fund Digital Fund on their digital journey, listening to what their emerging needs are and aiming to ensure that we are able to offer the right support to them at the right time.
I’ve also been collaborating with other DOT PROJECT Members to deliver a digital product management training programme and currently working on delivering a digital strategy programme for charities. Additionally part of my role is around the ops and delivery within DOT PROJECT so will often be immersed in the detail of budgets and project plans!
I love the truly collaborative (and hugely supportive) way of working at DOT PROJECT. We all have our own areas of expertise as practitioners but regularly check in on anything we’re working on and build and iterate our work collectively as we go.
Alex Mecklenburg
I’m an Organisational Change Consultant & Relational Coach with 25 years of digital transformation, marketing and branding experience. I focus on relationship-centric change management and believe we need to develop new relationship models to achieve sustainable systemic change.
At DOT PROJECT I design and deliver ‘collective change initiatives’ — from learning journeys and training courses to organisational coaching programmes that support teams, leadership and boards.
I love working with DOT PROJECT as we are all inherently curious and believe deeply to the importance of human relationships and collective action.
Heloise Ardley
Having met Annie and Cat a couple of years ago, I immediately was drawn to the DOT PROJECT’s values, purpose and vision on responsible technology. It aligns well with my personal values and why I started consulting independently in order to truly help people and organisations to change in a meaningful, sustainable and humane way.
As a Member of the DOT PROJECT, I hope to bring my creativity and strategic thinking as well as a “get it done” approach in order to help the co-op deliver on its objectives and supports our clients in their digital journeys.
Matt Hardy
I’ve been passionate about technology from an early age. My career to-date has been focussed on creating technical and marketing solutions to drive growth in commercial organisations, with the combination of these two disciplines fulfilling my innate sense of logic and creativity.
Having seen the impact of the work delivered by DOT PROJECT, I wanted to support them in bringing these passions to the organisations that they support. The Members’ ethos, values, passions and sense of purpose is both admirable and infectious so I’m delighted to join them in their mission.
Chris Charlton
I’m a hands-on, delivery focussed technologist regularly refreshing my skills in Development, Security and Cloud technologies. I’m at the time in my career where I want to share some of the skills and learnings I’ve made across my career into organisations and to people that would not normally be able to afford those kinds of skills, and where spreading that knowledge can potentially do real good across communities.
I want to make more of a difference into real people and their lives!
Jonathan Legge
I’m a forward-thinking performance and growth focused CFO with over 30 years’ experience mainly across creative, PR and marketing services businesses.
I act as the CFO for the DOT PROJECT supporting and advising the Members. At the moment working on two main pieces of work, firstly ensuring the processes and systems are robust and ready for the businesses growth and secondly working on the impact of doubling the number Members.
DOT PROJECT’s whole purpose is centred on helping, mentoring, improving and solving problems for others and other organisations, in particular charities who very much need their support.
Holly Simmons
The moment I started working with Annie and Cat I was overwhelmed by their infectious energy and their desire to drive genuine social impact. 2 years later, it’s these qualities that still fuel my motivation for joining DOT PROJECT.
The co-operative has always been built upon such profound core values, but now it stands on even stronger foundations. There is nothing more powerful than a team of individuals who unite their different skills for a shared purpose and I am so excited to join DOT PROJECT at this critical time of growth and learning.
