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==Background==
==Background==


Wikimedia is experiencing dramatic growth and is becoming a constellation of projects. Wikipedia is now one of the most visited sites on the web, with large audiences in all main languages. Wikimedia chapters have opened in New York and a number of countries and New York. In the next five years the movement could grow many fold with a particular focus on developing markets such as India, Brazil, and Arabic-speaking Middle East & North Africa.
Wikimedia is experiencing dramatic growth and is becoming a constellation of projects. Wikipedia is now one of the most visited sites on the web, with large audiences in all main languages. Wikimedia chapters have opened in a number of countries and New York. In the next five years the movement could grow many fold with a particular focus on developing markets such as India, Brazil, and Arabic-speaking Middle East & North Africa.


The structure of the Wikimedia movement has evolved organically. The Wikimedia Foundation, a US-based nonprofit owns and operates Wikipedia. It is a relatively small organization that has only begun to expand its role in the movement over the past 2-3 years. The board of Wikimedia Foundation includes members representing chapters and editors as well as experts who bring specific capabilities to Wikimedia. There is a committee of chapters.
The structure of the Wikimedia movement has evolved organically. The Wikimedia Foundation, a US-based nonprofit owns and operates Wikipedia. It is a relatively small organization that has only begun to expand its role in the movement over the past 2-3 years. The board of Wikimedia Foundation includes members representing chapters and editors as well as experts who bring specific capabilities to Wikimedia. There is a committee of chapters.

Revision as of 06:43, 30 September 2010

The following is a draft for a formal proposal to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees, concerning the Movement Roles process.

Background

Wikimedia is experiencing dramatic growth and is becoming a constellation of projects. Wikipedia is now one of the most visited sites on the web, with large audiences in all main languages. Wikimedia chapters have opened in a number of countries and New York. In the next five years the movement could grow many fold with a particular focus on developing markets such as India, Brazil, and Arabic-speaking Middle East & North Africa.

The structure of the Wikimedia movement has evolved organically. The Wikimedia Foundation, a US-based nonprofit owns and operates Wikipedia. It is a relatively small organization that has only begun to expand its role in the movement over the past 2-3 years. The board of Wikimedia Foundation includes members representing chapters and editors as well as experts who bring specific capabilities to Wikimedia. There is a committee of chapters.

The roles of the chapters are not well defined. Chapters are independent legal entities outside the US with assorted agreements with the Wikimedia Foundation. Most chapters are in Europe. One chapter, Germany, has its own staff. Funds raised outside the US by chapters are currently split evenly between the local chapter and the Wikimedia Foundation in the US. One chapter, New York, is in the US. Decision-making within or among chapters does not follow consistent rules.

The strategy for the growth of the Wikimedia movement calls for an expansion of the activities of chapters and for the growth of new chapters (or chapter-like entities) in developing countries. This growth could increase complexity and confusion among all of the entities within the Wikimedia movement.

The Wikimedia Foundation is considering the right structures and systems for the Wikimedia movement now, for the next five years, and beyond. The right structures and systems will build coherence. The April Chapters meeting also discussed this issue.

The Wikimedia Foundation board has passed two resolutions.

  • In February the minuted resolution is ‘That the Board has received the January 25, 2010 “Strategy Memo” from the strategy project team, and thanks everyone involved worldwide for their extraordinary contributions thus far. The board hereby directs the Executive Director to proceed with the development of the 2010-2015 strategic plan. The board affirms the importance for a strong decentralized movement structure and its own responsibility to lead on organizational development of the international Wikimedia movement and directs the Executive Director to dedicate necessary resources to this.’
  • In July “Arne informed the Board that Jon Huggett was engaged as a consultant and project manager on the Movement Roles II project. The Board of Trustees voted to approve the creation of a Board workgroup to manage the movement roles project and develop recommendations that will lead to a formal resolutions to be considered by the Board of Trustees. Arne Klempert was appointed Chair of the workgroup with Bishakha Datta and Samuel Klein as participating members. The workgroup committed to presenting their first recommendations during the October Board of Trustees meeting.’

At Wikimania on July 9 an initial group met to plan the movement roles project. The minutes of this meeting are at X. Subsequent discussions constituted a workgroup, detailed below, to develop this proposal.

Purpose of the movement roles project

  1. Clarify roles and responsibilites of different organizations, groups and people working to support the international Wikimedia movement.
  2. Set up the Wikimedia movement for growth and success in its mission to bring the sum of human knowledge to all people, which will require yet more scaling and reach in those parts of the world as yet less able to use Wikipedia.
  3. Help Wikimedia achieve its full potential by remaining coherent as it grows. Avoid the risk of drowning in its own complexity, or fragmenting into a set of vaguely related but incoherent affiliates working towards similar goals.
  4. Tackle emerging issues now, when they can be solved more easily, rather than letting them fester and become harder to solve.

Deliverable

Recommendation for a Charter for the roles of the entities of the Wikimedia movement worldwide

  • Enable the Wikimedia movement to scale its impact and order of magnitude (more than to deliver a consensus among current stakeholders)
    • Allow the development of Wikimedia structures not just in the current settings, but also investigate other models that allow a strong global network including currently underrepresented regions
  • Build on fundamental best principles, not incremental changes from current structures and systems
  • Be clear and endorsable by anyone in Wikimedia movement
  • Need no revision for at least 3-5 years
  • Define shared principles for all entities in movement
    • common statements of mission and intended impact
    • shared values, including shared values of Wikimedia reputation
    • operating rules for transparency, etc.
    • minimum standards to join, stay, or be asked to leave
    • minimum standards for legitimacy or “representativeness”: membership, membership fees, time commitments, election of board and officers, etc
  • Define roles and responsibilities for each type of entity in Wikimedia movement including
    • Wikimedia Foundation
    • chapters: national, sub-national
    • other groups, new types of entities
    • future governing bodies (chapter committee, chapter/volunteer council, etc.)
  • Define scope of activities for each entity
    • at a minimum, what must each entity do - what is negligence of duty
    • at a maximum, what must each entity not do - what is over-reach
    • which activities are its choice but not obligation
  • Specify roles and responsibilities for entities with regards to:
    • fundraising (e.g. 50:50 split between foundation and chapters, etc.)
    • reporting, transparency, accountability
    • contractual: license fees, trademarks, use of brand
    • mutual support among Wikimedia movement entities: how is each responsible for enabling others
    • life cycle of chapters: where is the responsibility for potential, new, nascent, dormant, moribund or defunct chapters
    • relations with volunteers otherwise unaffiliated within the Wikimedia movement
    • relations with entities beyond Wikimedia movement
    • oversight: who is responsible for monitoring, auditing and ensuring compliance
  • Define where key decisions for the movement are made (e.g. for money, resources, use of name, new initiatives):
    • by the Wikimedia Foundation
    • by the Wikimedia Foundation with other entities
    • by other Wikimedia entities: chapters, committees, etc

Key Issues

  1. What roles in the Wikimedia movement should be played by:
    • National chapters
    • Subnational chapters
    • Chapter committee and other groups among chapters
    • The Wikimedia Foundation
    • Other and new entities
  2. What are the rights and responsibilities of entities in the Wikimedia movement:
    • Rights of chapters and other entities to represent and initiate partnerships on behalf of Wikimedia in their countries
    • Responsibilities of chapters to dues paying members, other volunteers in the country, and the rest of the Wikimedia movement
    • Rights to use the brand name
    • Responsibility to raise money to support Wikimedia worldwide
  3. How should decisions be made within the Wikimedia movement
    • Which decisions should be made within chapters and other entities
    • Which decisions for the movement should be made by Wikimedia Foundation
    • Which decisions for the movement should involve chapters and the Wikimedia Foundation
    • What process should chapters and the Wikimedia Foundation follow to make decisions together
  4. How money should flow within the Wikimedia movement
    • Where is the responsibility for raising money: Foundation; chapters, old and new
    • How much money raised by any entity is shared with the movement
    • How transparent do entities need to be with money they retain
    • How are movement costs distributed among entities
  5. How can the Wikimedia movement build coherence as it grows, not confusion
    • Leadership in an increasingly global movement
    • Clarity of focus on goals for impact
    • Strength of complementary relationships to bind the movement
  1. What changes need to be managed for existing chapters
    • “Grandfathered” roles, duties or rights for existing chapters
    • “Sunset” schedule for “grandfathered” arrangements
    • A process for changing from current to future arrangements

Operating Principles

The project will reflect the board affirmation of “the importance of a strong, decentralized movement structure and its own responsibility to lead organizational development of the international Wikimedia movement”

  1. The process will be transparent, incorporating the input of any and all interested parties.
  2. A workgroup will make sure that steady progress is being made towards the determined goals. This workgroup is responsible for making a recommendation, reflecting input, and presenting a “neutral” view when inputs and perspectives conflict.
  1. The Wikimedia Foundation Board will consider the recommendations of the workgroup in the context of all input before deciding the new charter for the Wikimedia movement worldwide

Stakeholders

Key stakeholders will include the Wikimedia Foundation (board and staff), Wikimedia chapters (both existing and in active development, Chapters committee - formally a part of Wikimedia Foundation (as a board committee), unaffiliated volunteers, and informal groups which are looking for organizational participation or recognition.

Approach

To address these issues will require a mixture of facts, frameworks and facilitation.

  1. Together we will develop a fact base of:
    • Current and projected needs of Wikimedia entities and movement members
    • Best demonstrated practices within Wikimedia and from global movements
  2. To facilitate decisions we will employ select frameworks, such as:
    • Decision-making roles, e.g. RAPID
    • Effectiveness in global NGO networks

Timing

This work will tackled in phases, separated by the milestones of Wikimedia meetings. The main deliverable from each phase will be the preparation for decisions at the meeting.

  1. Steering Committee Meeting, Jan 2011
    • Review of needs of Wikimedia movement
    • Analyze best demonstrated practices
    • Develop hypotheses for decision-making processes
    • Sketch out initial draft of charter
  2. Steering Committee and Chapters Meeting, March 2011
    • Discuss draft of charter to be recommended by Wikimania 2011
  3. Wikimania, August 2011
    • Recommend charter to Wikimedia Foundation board for approval or amendment
    • Announce board decisions to all attending Wikimania

Workgroup

The workgroup to make sure that steady progress is being made to develop the charter will include:

  • Alice Wiegand (Wikimedia Deutschland Board; Compass 2020)
  • Arne Klempert (Wikimedia Foundation Board)
  • Austin Hair (Facilitator)
  • Barry Newstead (Wikimedia Foundation staff)
  • Bence Damos (Wikimedia Hungary Board; Chapter Committee Member)
  • Bishakha Datta (Wikimedia Foundation Board)
  • Galileo Vidoni (Wikimedia Argentina Board; )
  • Jon Huggett (Facilitator)
  • Morgan Chan (Wikimedia Hong Kong Board; Chinese Wikimedia Conference)
  • SJ Klein (Wikimedia Foundation Board)