2018 Revenue strategy

2018 Revenue strategy

Background

Scenarios for 2031

Strategy

In 2017, the Wikimedia movement engaged in a wide, collaborative strategy process that culminated with nearly a hundred independent organizations worldwide agreeing on a common strategic direction for the 2030 horizon.

The Wikimedia Foundation's Board of Trustees was among the groups that endorsed the strategic direction. In 2018, they released a statement "setting forth [...] a clear mandate for the Wikimedia Foundation to invest the resources necessary to support the growth and evolution required for the next chapter of Wikimedia’s future."

The Statement endorsing future resourcing and direction of the organization specifically recommended that the Foundation "Support the fundraising team in raising additional funds beyond what is called for in the annual plan to prepare us for future growth", "Increase revenue as needed to support investment and growth", and "Explore alternative revenue streams for the Foundation and movement".

Following this directive, and as part of its own strategic planning process, in 2018–2019 the Wikimedia Foundation developed a Revenue strategy for the next 3 to 5 years. This revenue strategy was developed using the “Wikipedian process”, by conducting research to review the past, examine the present, and explore options for the future. The resulting strategy was completed on Meta in spring 2019.

Individual decision-making can be impeded by bounded rationality and selective exposure. An additional concern when discussing specialized topics as a large group is the information deficit of its members and the communal reinforcement built in the group over time. In order to mitigate those limitations, this strategy attempts to frame each issue by situating the Wikimedia Foundation in its broader landscape, as a way to increase the information available for decision-making.

This work was led by Guillaume Paumier and the Advancement Department, in collaboration with relevant teams and departments at the Foundation, and with support from external subject matter experts.

See also

• Historical data
• Paths (draft)
• Notes (draft)

Notes and references