Moving organizations towards virtual work environments is progressing in fits and starts. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many scaled back work-from-home policies. While virtual work presents challenges, it also offers opportunities for greater efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and reach—advantages traditional workplaces often cannot match.
In this issue of Community Magazine, we explore a fundamental question: Does a workplace still need to be a place?
From its inception, AMPLIFY Girls was intentionally designed as a virtual organization. By embracing a virtual structure from the start, it has operated efficiently while expanding its reach cost-effectively, allowing the team to focus on making a virtual organization work.
A Closer Look at the Co-CEOs 
Zack Fowler and Lucy Minayo are co-CEOs of AMPLIFY Girls, bringing a collaborative leadership style to guide the organization’s strategic growth. Together, they share a passion for amplifying the voices of community-driven organizations serving adolescent girls.
Zack has two years as Head of Strategic Partnerships at AMPLIFY Girls and is a seasoned nonprofit professional with experience in gender, health, and education initiatives across four continents.
Lucy is a human rights lawyer with over twenty years of experience in the development sector. Before joining AMPLIFY Girls, she served as Executive Director of NurtureFirst, a global funder and capacity-builder for home-based childcare providers.
Source: www.amplifygirls.org/
Why Go Virtual
Q: The decision to be, from the outset, a virtual organization is unusual. Why did the governance of AMPLIFY Girls take this avant-garde step?
(Zack): Working remotely was never really a choice for us; it was a necessity. We set out to build an international team that brought together deep expertise and lived, on-the-ground experience. That meant having team members based in Africa to help shape strategy for African organizations, while also drawing on the networks, experience, and access to resources of early contributors in Canada and the United States. Given these goals, a remote structure was the only way to ensure all those voices were in the room.
Q: Adopting a virtual approach can be controversial. What were the main concerns and opportunities, and how were they addressed?
(Zack): I don’t think we ever considered anything other than this.
Q: As a virtual organization, HR must approach workforce formation differently. How do you communicate this to candidates and onboard people virtually?
(Lucy): This approach isn’t unique, particularly in the African development context, where remote work has become the norm. As a result, we haven’t faced challenges in presenting this model to potential colleagues or team members at AMPLIFY Girls, and it aligns well with broader trends among funders.
These conversations have been relatively straightforward, and the flexibility of the model is a strong draw. When engaging potential collaborators, we emphasize the opportunities that flexibility creates, which has helped us build a diverse and dynamic team we’re excited to work with.
Q: In terms of reaching talent, how has being virtual extended or impeded this reach?
(Lucy): Virtual work hasn’t impeded our ability to reach talent at all. If anything, it’s expanded by removing geographic limitations and allowing us to focus purely on finding the best people for the role, regardless of where they’re based.
(Zack): Our East Africa team is spread across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. For example, our Head of Communications is based in Uganda—not because we relocated the role there, but because the strongest candidate was already there, and our model allowed us to hire without geographic constraints.
Q: Similarly, how has being virtual affected the organization’s staff demographics in terms of gender and geographic diversity?
(Zack): From a gendered, feminist perspective, remote work is a powerful driver of accessibility—especially for women at different stages of their careers or family lives. I’ve seen this firsthand throughout my career, having worked remotely long before AMPLIFY Girls.
Many women step away from the workforce to have children and later face barriers to re-entry. Remote work offers the flexibility that makes returning possible, allowing us to recruit mid-career women who are ready to re-engage but may not be able or willing to commit to rigid hours and long commutes. Several of these women have become exceptional members of our team—talent we likely would have missed if in-office work were required.
(Lucy): There’s also another side to this conversation: remote work creates an opportunity to challenge gendered narratives about roles within the home. It opens space for a more equitable sharing of family responsibilities and makes those shifts more visible and achievable.
In this sense, remote work is deeply deconstructive. It has the potential to reshape how we think about work, family, and community, and to help redesign societies that are more equitable and inclusive. By doing so, it expands access to opportunities for people who were previously excluded from the workforce due to the kinds of constraints Zack mentioned.
Defining the Virtual Work Environment
Q: Does AMPLIFY Girls use any fixed physical locations?
(Zack): We don’t have permanent physical space, though we do occasionally use shared spaces. For example, when it makes sense, we’ll bring the Nairobi-based team—our largest cohort—together at a co-working space or even coordinate a shared lunch at a nearby café.
While our team spans multiple countries, these informal meetups allow for in-person connection from time to time. Overall, our model remains fully flexible and truly remote.
Q: Is there an established periodicity for in-person meetings and activities?
(Lucy): Over the past two years, we’ve been able to make in-person connections more regular. We hold an annual meeting that brings the full team together in one physical space, and we also organize additional in-person gatherings around specific activities or events. The annual meeting, however, remains the fixed point on our calendar.
As Zack mentioned, teams in Nairobi and Tanzania have had more opportunities to connect locally. With five staff members in Nairobi and two in Tanzania, it’s been easier for those groups to meet and collaborate face-to-face when needed.
Q: Are these organized on a unit or cross-unit collaboration?
(Zack): Most of the time, we stay on schedule with our in-person gatherings. We’ve just returned from our annual year-end strategy retreat, where the entire international team comes together to reflect on the past year and plan ahead. These retreats are intentionally flat in structure, with no hierarchy or segmentation; everyone is in the same room, collaborating and contributing equally.
Q: Are there standards where AMPLIFY Girls defines a virtual workspace?
(Zack): We don’t provide strict guidelines or standards; what we offer is more of a resource. Staff receive an annual and monthly stipend to invest in their home office, helping create a comfortable space for remote work.
We do have expectations around communication—responsiveness, clarity, and participation—but physical setup is flexible. We don’t monitor backgrounds, seating, or location.
For example, even before I started working in AMPLIFY Girls, a remote team member with chronic pain would sometimes take meetings lying on the floor, saying, “Today is a floor day.” Her setup allowed her to participate fully, and we welcomed it. Flexibility like this is exactly what remote work is meant to support.
Q: Is virtual work typically carried out at home or in other locations, and is the choice a decision of the staff member or the organization?
(Zack): Absolutely. I’ve worked while traveling, from coffee shops, and all over the place. I often joke that my only in-person colleagues are the baristas at the café down the road—I see them more than anyone else during the week!
(Lucy): That’s what makes remote work so interesting. While many organizations see it as disruptive—prescribing where you sit, how you present yourself, or even what you wear—remote work shifts the focus. It asks organizations to prioritize results and outcomes over rigid, visible routines.
Q: Are there guidelines that define the physical attributes of an effective virtual workplace?
(Lucy): One requirement we do have for some roles is location. Certain staff need to be ordinarily resident in a specific town or area—not to limit flexibility, but to ensure practical accessibility: reliable internet, the ability to attend in-person meetings, and other role-specific needs.
Q: How does AMPLIFY Girls assist a staff member in setting up a virtual workplace?
(Zack): We provide an annual stipend for home office setup and a monthly stipend for communications, internet, and related expenses, added directly to everyone’s pay. An HR specialist manages this, having established the standards a few years ago. The amounts are based on averages from similar organizations, reflecting typical practices in the field.
Managing the Virtual Work Environment
Q: Is there a clear understanding of virtual work etiquette, including expectations for hours and availability across time zones, disconnecting, camera use in meetings, and professional appearance?
(Lucy): Sometimes I wonder if we’re at the other end of the spectrum. We’re fortunate to have a highly responsible team that approaches remote work thoughtfully. While contracts outline general hours, there’s built-in flexibility: team members are expected to be available during the day for meetings and timely responses, but we don’t prescribe exact hours or require strict time-tracking. At AMPLIFY Girls, the focus is on the work being done and the outcomes being delivered.
(Zack): That’s true, especially for me, since I’m 11 hours behind the East Africa team. Today, for example, I’ll have a heavy morning of meetings from 6:00 to 11:00 AM my time, but I’ll handle a few tasks later, around 4:00 or 5:00 PM, when the rest of the team is asleep. Remote work lets me balance real-time collaboration with tasks I can do at my own pace, seamlessly.
(Lucy): Another advantage of remote work is nearly 24-hour coverage of the CEO role. It’s an often-overlooked benefit, the ability to respond across time zones and ensure the right people are available when needed.
Q: That’s certainly an advantage. At our organization, we require people to turn on their cameras for virtual work to maintain eye contact. Does AMPLIFY Girls have a similar requirement?
(Zack): We do require cameras in specific instances, but otherwise, team members have flexibility, and usage usually ends up about 50/50. During weekly or biweekly meetings with team-building or reflection activities, we ask everyone to turn cameras on and engage fully. For routine check-ins or quick updates, we’re much more flexible.
Q: How does AMPLIFY Girls prepare new hires for virtual work?
(Zack): Our onboarding emphasizes the systems we use to stay connected. While every workplace introduces new hires to tools, for us, it’s front and center—team members rely on them to connect, coordinate, and collaborate, sometimes more than in-person organizations.
For example, getting someone up to speed on Slack channels and WhatsApp groups is the virtual equivalent of walking around the office and learning how work gets done, so it’s a key focus from day one.
Q: How are issues around stress and isolation in a virtual work environment managed?
(Lucy): Sitting in the same physical space doesn’t automatically prevent isolation, and the same is true for remote work. To stay connected, we hold biweekly team meetings and use tools like Slack and WhatsApp to coordinate across units. Supervisors keep in touch, and everyone has ways to check in with one another.
Isolation isn’t just about distance—it’s cultural, shaped by practices that foster inclusion, safety, and connection. This includes creating space for staff to reach out, providing mental health support, and encouraging collaboration and care.
We do our best to address this, though it’s not perfect. We continuously learn and adapt to improve the remote experience for our team.
Q: How are issues related to pay equity and equivalent worth addressed in a virtual environment? Are issues related to variances in cost of living a factor?
(Lucy): At AMPLIFY Girls, our compensation philosophy is simple: equal pay for equal work. Salaries aren’t adjusted based on location; instead, we aim for fair remuneration for all staff and address equity within existing pay bands. Equity considers factors like experience and length of service, but the core principle remains: doing the same work means being paid the same.
Q: The three markets are quite different, with Nairobi more robust than Kampala or Dar es Salaam. Do you base compensation on Kenyan levels, or do you also consider international pay benchmarks?
(Lucy): We recently completed a job evaluation and compensation review, which was very illuminating. For example, Nairobi is a dynamic market with significant pay differentials. When setting midpoints, we averaged across various markets to determine rates that make sense for the organization. In less defined markets, individuals may benefit, but we aim to balance interests and ensure no one is undervalued simply because of where they’re located.
Q: Salaries are obviously subject to taxation, which varies by country. How do you ensure staff clearly understand your pay philosophy, how it’s applied, and that it’s fully transparent?
(Zack): We do exactly that. At our recent strategic retreat in Nairobi, we held a session laying everything out plainly—our philosophy, why we chose it, and what it means in practice.
We encouraged the team to speak up if they had questions or concerns, aiming to prevent anyone from leaving thinking, “I’m not happy with this,” without saying anything. Any changes to our structure or philosophy are fully transparent, and we have no issue explaining how and why these rates are set.
Q: At least internally, do you publish your pay scale?
(Zack): Yes, the pay scale, yes.
Q: How are issues around benefits related to insurance and pension addressed?
(Zack): We manage this by using different employment structures in different locations, ensuring full legal compliance and accountability with our staff. A central HR specialist supports the organization as a whole, while local HR support helps navigate location-specific issues. For example, our Nairobi-based specialist advises on tax changes and their impact on Kenyan staff—not to set compensation, but to ensure compliance and fairness across locations.
Lessons Learned
Q: What has been the greatest challenge virtual work poses for building and sustaining cohesion within a team and across the organization?
(Zack): One of the biggest challenges of remote work is maintaining energy, focus, and continuity on a single issue. Team members may join a conversation late, step away, or return the next day, while others have continued the discussion.
The challenge is ensuring everyone stays informed, invested, and comfortable contributing. Sometimes this means pausing to bring people up to speed so no one is left behind. Remote work requires intentional reintegration to make sure every voice is heard and no input is lost.
(Lucy): A big part comes from my years of doing remote work. Without daily in-person interaction, it’s sometimes hard to know what people are thinking or feeling. Cameras may be on or off, and it’s not always clear if someone is disengaged from the process, the work, or the team.
What’s helped me is assuming good intentions—that everyone is committed to the mission and doing their best. That mindset has been invaluable in guiding me to support the team effectively.
Q: Does the absence of a physical center to the organization pose any difficulties in engaging with clients and collaborators?
(Zack): I don’t think so—if anything, it’s a huge benefit. Just today, we met with people across multiple countries. Working with team members in different international locations is a priority for us, and I honestly can’t imagine doing that in person. Remote work is clearly advantageous.
(Lucy): Of course, there’s another side—the human connection that sometimes only happens in person. Virtual engagements often lay the groundwork, but in some cases, face-to-face meetings truly unlock a relationship.
Remote work hasn’t been a barrier for us; no one has said, “We don’t want to work with AMPLIFY Girls because we’re remote.” Instead, we see in-person and remote interactions as complementary, using each strategically when it adds value.
Q: Is the concept of career different in a virtual organization?
(Lucy): The building blocks are the same, whether I’m working in-person or remotely.
(Zack): For me, the biggest benefit of always working remotely is that my career feels inherently open. I wouldn’t hesitate to consider opportunities in other locations or work arrangements. One challenge has been location filters on job sites, though more platforms now offer remote options, which helps.
Remote work has given me flexibility in both personal and professional life and the ability to build connections across locations. Over the past ten years, I’ve worked remotely for two nonprofits while living in three different states across various time zones—and it never affected my ability to work effectively.
Q: Overall, is being virtual a necessary challenge or an asset in maintaining and building AMPLIFY Girls’ corporate culture?
(Zack): Every model has pros and cons, but for us, remote work is overwhelmingly an asset. If we were forced to go fully in-person, I honestly don’t know how we’d manage it—and I wouldn’t want to. Shifting away from remote work would be extremely detrimental. Even considering a change would likely confuse our team, partners, and funders, who might wonder why we’d abandon the structure we’ve carefully built.
(Lucy): It also reflects our philosophy on administrative costs and serving partners. We don’t believe in spending resources to build that kind of infrastructure when those funds could be better used directly for, or in service of, our partners.
This interview is part of the inaugural edition of Community Magazine, Birches Group’s publication on workforce management. Subscribe to receive the full issue and future updates. Subscribe here
About John Hanley
