2011-12 Fundraising and Funds Dissemination process/Final Board resolutions
The finished Board resolutions on this subject were passed at the meeting of March 30-31st, and are posted below. The originals are posted on the WMF wiki:
- Resolution:Funds Dissemination Committee -- authorizing the creation of a funds dissemination committee
- Resolution:Fundraising 2012 -- defining which chapters process payments through 2015
The Board of Trustees hereby resolves that:
We affirm that all funds given to the Wikimedia movement are given in support of our global projects, in response to the value created by the global Wikimedia movement. Therefore, funds raised via the Wikimedia project sites should be considered to be movement money, not the entitlement of a particular organization or stakeholder. Decision-making about funds dissemination should be broad and inclusive, consistent with our mission, vision and values.
In acknowledgement of the above, the Wikimedia Foundation will set a global revenue target as part of its annual planning process, for all funds raised via the Wikimedia project sites. It will create an annual plan that divides the funds into three types:
- funds for core operations of the WMF. This includes the technical demands of running, maintaining and supporting the project sites, as well as maintaining the basic operations of the organization, such as legal, fundraising, accounting, HR, governance, and communications.
- funds for operating reserves of the WMF. This is to safeguard core operations in the event of unanticipated expenses or a shortfall in future revenues.
- funds for other movement spending. This is for dissemination to all movement entities, including individuals, chapters, other entities, and the Wikimedia Foundation itself, for activities that support our mission.
This revenue target and funds allocation will be approved by the Wikimedia Foundation Board.
To support a broader and more inclusive decision-making process for funds distribution, the Wikimedia Foundation will create a volunteer-driven body (working title: the Funds Dissemination Committee, or FDC) whose sole purpose will be to make recommendations to the Wikimedia Foundation for funding activities and initiatives in support of the mission goals of the Wikimedia movement. All funds raised via the Wikimedia project sites will be distributed via the recommendations of the FDC, with the exception of Wikimedia Foundation core operating costs and the operating reserve as described above.
The work of the FDC should be guided by our principles for funds distribution (as laid out in our January 2012 resolution): to protect core operations, assess impact, promote transparency and stability, support decentralized programs, promote responsibility and accountability, and make decisions openly and collaboratively.
The Board supports the direction of the initial thinking provided by the Executive Director on the design of the Funds Dissemination Committee, and directs the Executive Director to lead the creation of such an FDC. A preliminary plan should be submitted to the Board by June 30, 2012, containing:
- a description of how the FDC will function,
- a transition plan for rolling it out, with a partial rollout in 2012-13 and a full rollout for 2013-14, and
- a process for evaluating, reviewing and making refinements at several key stages.
The Board of Trustees hereby resolves that:
Entities that fundraise using the Wikimedia trademarks must follow our guiding principles for fundraising, as well as the Wikimedia trademark policy and any other applicable policies. All movement entities are free to fundraise outside of the Wikimedia project sites.
Some chapters have developed the capability to collect donations from visitors to Wikimedia project sites ("payment processing"), and other chapters have expressed an interest in doing so.
We believe chapter payment processing should be considered only where it adds sufficient value to the movement to offset the additional significant time and money required from both the chapter and the WMF.
The four chapters that payment processed last year (Wikimedia Deutschland, Wikimedia France, Wikimedia UK, and Wikimedia CH) will continue to be able to payment process, as long as they meet the criteria laid out in the Board's August 2011 letter and sign the annual fundraising agreement. Compliance with the criteria will be determined by the Executive Director.
We ask the Executive Director not to allow any additional chapters to payment process, until the Board revisits the framework for fundraising and payment processing in late 2015 in advance of the November 2016 fundraising campaign.