Chapters Committee/Reports/2006-11-18

September and October were rather slow months for ChapCom. The intensity of our work varies depending on chapters news and the Foundation ongoing events. The Wikimedia board retreat in Frankfurt at the end of October brought a few pieces of the chapters puzzle into place and consequently, more work for the chapters committee.

Here's what we were doing these past few months...

Approval of Wikimedia Nederland

The process of bylaws approval for WMNL began back in late August and was finished in the first week of October. Things went very smoothly from ChapCom's standpoint and after the board passed the appropriate resolution we welcomed a new chapter into the fold.

Status: Completed

Trademark agreement with Wikimedia Polska

After months and months of problems, this deal finally happened. At this last stage this wasn't really a ChapCom matter in the strictest sense and is included here because the agreement originally went through ChapCom and it came to be largely thanks to ChapCom efforts (i.e. Delphine's).

Status: Completed

Generic chapter agreement

This document is what an organization needs to sign in order to become an official Wikimedia Chapter. It deals with issues like logo and trademark usage, good conduct and reporting back to the Foundation (namely, ChapCom). Our work on this is done, final review by chapters members and approval by WMF's legal counsel are the next steps.

Status: In progress

Formal recognition of Wikimedia UK

Another first for us. WMUK will be the first chapter to sign the new chapter agreement. They have been waiting for formal recognition for quite some time now and we want to make it happen as soon as possible. The final signature will happen as soon as the chapter agreement has been agreed upon by all parties.

Status: In progress

Approval of Wikimedia Taiwan

The first non-european chapter is a big deal for us. Our Taiwanese friends have submitted an English version of their bylaws. We have started to review them but the current process will take a little time as some points need to be cleared and adjusted in the Taiwanese bylaws, as always finding the right balance between local law and everyone's interests.

Status: Completed

The Package

This is the single most important thing since the formation of ChapCom!

We're working to create a single set of documents and reference materials for prospective chapters. It will comprise of the following:

• requirements for future chapters (What a chapter must have)
• guidelines for future chapters (What a chapter should have)
• step-by-step chapter creation guide (How to go about setting up the organization in 5 or 6 easy steps)
• chapter FAQ (Everything you may ever want to know about Wikimedia chapters)

The first two will have to be approved by the board after we're done with them.

After we publish this chapter creation will be as simple and easy as never before. Hopefully, this will result in more chapters being created...

Status: In progress