Flavia Gheorghe leads AmpliFY ONG, where she builds connections between people, ideas, and resources to help NGOs grow their impact. After more than 10 years in tech, in roles such as software engineer, team lead, and product owner, she transitioned into the NGO space, driven by her experience in volunteering and her desire to contribute to meaningful change.

AmpliFY ONG is an initiative of BCR Social Finance and How to Web, supported by BCR and ERSTE Foundation. It brings together a community of 900+ NGOs across Romania, offering access to resources, support, and collaboration opportunities to help them grow their impact.

ERSTE Foundation What personally motivates you to work in this space and what is one belief about the NGO sector you wish more people challenged?

Flavia Gheorghe I grew up with strong examples in my family of helping others, but I only rediscovered how meaningful that is later, through volunteering. What motivates me most is seeing how much potential exists in the NGO sector and how much more impact could be unlocked with the right support and connections. One belief I wish more people challenged is that NGOs are driven by hidden interests rather than genuine intent. In Romania, this lack of trust is still very present, so I often encourage people to try volunteering and experience the work from the inside.

»What motivates me most is seeing how much potential exists in the NGO sector and how much more impact could be unlocked with the right support and connections«

EF What gap did AmpliFY ONG see in the Romanian NGO ecosystem that other organisations or programmes were not addressing?

FG Romania has many strong capacity-building programs, but they are often time-bound. We saw the need for a constant layer of support, a space where organizations can access help, resources, and connections exactly when they need them. We also saw an opportunity to strengthen collaboration and encourage a more entrepreneurial mindset within the sector. Our goal is to support organizations in moving from isolated efforts towards more strategic, sustainable, and scalable impact.

EF Hack for Facts brings together NGOs, journalists, and technologists. What dynamics did you observe when these groups worked together, and what insights did that give you about fighting misinformation?

FG Developers were highly engaged when working on real problems, while journalists were excited to have allies, as they often work with limited resources. A key insight is that misinformation is a big data problem, tracking connections across large datasets is almost impossible without technology. Even one strong collaboration between a journalist and a developer can unlock powerful investigations. Equally important is using tech to increase transparency, because trust is essential in reducing vulnerability to misinformation.