Médecins Sans Frontières

MSF UK-IE needed a flexible, economical solution to help with coordination and administrative duties. FYXER’s model ensured MSF UK-IE fulfilled its obligations in a cost-effective manner.

Who?

Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) is one of the largest and most well-respected non-profit organisations in the world. Established in 1971, MSF delivers emergency medical aid to the world’s most vulnerable people when they need it most, often operating in areas affected by armed conflict, natural disasters and epidemics.

Why they came to fyxer

In addition, MSF associations are almost entirely funded by private donors, with as many resources allocated to humanitarian activities as possible. As such, MSF UK-IE only spends 2% of its funding on office management. With its support team working at capacity, MSF UK-IE needed a flexible, cost-effective solution to help with coordination and administrative duties. They turned to FYXER.

A worldwide humanitarian organisation, MSF is made up of 24 independent associations all bound together by MSF International in Geneva. Each association is responsible for carrying out MSF’s charter and principles, while also sharing resources and expertise with all those under the MSF umbrella. As such, coordination both within and between associations is crucial to the success of the movement.

How we made a difference

FYXER ensured MSF UK-IE fulfilled their obligations in a cost-effective manner. At a time when existing support structures were working at capacity, FYXER provided respite for the support team without implicating a pause in any workflows.

FYXER’s straightforward and flexible pricing was a key benefit to an organisation that works so hard to keep administrative costs to an absolute minimum. With a team of Fyxers there are no recruitment fees, office overheads national insurance, pension and PAYE contributions.

Finally, for us one result that stood out was that through our services MSF UK-IE staff were able to have more flexibility and freedom to take annual leave. We want our service promise, freeing you to focus on what really matters, to mean not only a more fulfilling work life but also greater freedom to do whatever you want outside of the office.

WHAT we did

FYXER was brought on board to support the association’s internal EA team; we curated a team of Fyxers with a range of skills matched to MSF UK-IE’s needs. The primary focus was to provide procedural, administrative and personal support. From working with sister organisations in Holland to liaising with the association’s large network of field staff, office staff, volunteers and researchers, FYXER supported MSF UK-IE’s internal and external coordination ensuring both channels worked effectively.

This could take the form of providing diary management services and inbox support to the Head of HR or covering for the over-stretched EA team. The latter allowed team members to take annual leave or head out on overseas secondment without the need to make a new hire or see a slowdown in operations. FYXER also supported the team in their administrative duties, even attending meetings in person to take notes and ensure the smooth flow of events when MSF personnel were away.

SERVICES

  • Executive
  • Personal
  • Business

TYPE

  • Managed Service

WORKSTREAMS

  • Diary management
  • Travel planning
  • Administrative support
  • HR

Executive Director to MSF UK-IE

Vickie Hawkins

“Given the size and scope of MSF’s operations, we needed a fast, responsive service that could provide support when we needed it. With FYXER, that’s exactly what we got. Straight from the off, they reduced the pressure on our support team, carrying out tasks professionally and to a very high standard”.
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