On boarding new Make Works Regions

A step by step guide which gives an overview of the onboarding process

Due to Make Works’ current limited capacity, we can only support existing regions, and those already in EU Projects which we engage with, e.g. Distributed Design or Centrinno, or the Fab City Global Initiative to set up. Once the Make Works Coordination Team have had a conversation with you about setting up your region and we’ve agreed you will join the network, the following steps will be worked through:

• Sign a contract with the Make Works Coordination Team

• Announce your region is 'coming soon' on Make Works, perhaps draft an initial Story introducing the region's team, area and interest in Make Works

• Order the research from your initial assessment of a Make Works in your region into the manufacturers you want to approach / visit to list

• Begin to develop your Make Works region community

  This might involve attending events, giving talks, starting a newsletter or manufacturers meetup

• Set up social media accounts as required

• Find your team

  You need to cover research, operations, photography, filming if desired

• Work out your budget for the first year

  You can ask us for examples and read Funding & Budgets

• Find funding

  This involves researching different grants, pitching, writing applications, building relationships with funders, read Funding & Budgets

• Establish key partners

  Researching and developing any partnerships if relevant

• Flesh out your initial timelines and goals

  What do you want to achieve and by when? When do you want to launch?

• If necessary, register as a non-profit Company or Organisation and set up a business bank account as necessary

• Agree dates for training with the Make Works Coordination Team

• Receive logins, etc. for Make Works and access

• Setup your Region About page see How to: Region’s About page

• Join the Make Works Network Slack

Then you will be in a position to confidently approach manufacturers to list on your region, and / or invite suggestions, and can begin scheduling visits, etc. to create your first listings and prepare for the launch.

FAQ:

• What support is offered with the onboarding process? The Make Works Coordination Team will support you through the onboarding process - providing documents / access to the website, etc. - and will invite other members of Make Works HQ as required to contribute / advise.

• Are there available guidelines for mapping and gathering information? There is no "one way" on how to map and gather information as it is always depending on the regional context, existing network and approach. However, we are happy to support you or connect you with one of our existing regions to share our insights.

• What training is provided for using the database? This will be dependent on the region and skills in the team. The Make Works coordination team will support you with logins and access to the website, an introduction to how to use and will support you with any questions you may have or issues that arise.

Learn how to manage the Fab City Full Stack workshop outline in the following.