Chapters meeting 2009/Committees

On this page, participants of the Chapters meeting 2009 are collecting possible ideas and interested participants for committees.

Notes

Any one person can realistically only be in one committee. Committees meet at different times over the course of the chapters meeting and often simultaneously. Also, the point of the exercise is to have committee members who can focus on one issue and get actual work done.

For purposes of discussion, compromise, and agreement, there's generally an optimal number of people in a committee (6-7). If there's too many people there, discussion can easily be endless and many members may not be engaged at all. If there's too few people, the outcome may not be agreeable to the whole assembly. We therefore should be mindful not too make these committees too big. There's also the fact that there are several topics with similar importance and need for participation. If everyone sat in a committee, these other topics would be left uncared for.

Participants in a committee are a subset of the whole assembly, yet have to produce something the whole assembly in general can agree on. It therefore makes sense that committee members talk to people outside of the committee about their interests, concerns, and needs. As chapters, we have to allow for a certain amount of faith that these committees will work for the best of our interest. That faith can only be supported if there's dialogue happening between committee meetings.

Topic: Joint fundraising activities between the Wikimedia Foundation and the chapters.

To recap last year's experience during the fall online fundraising campaign.
To discuss needs and expectations for future joint campaigns
To develop a list of requirements for such campaigns
To agree on a common understanding for each participant's roles and responsibilities
To propose the findings to the general assembly of chapters attending
To negotiate with the Wikimedia Foundation on those points still contentious
To present to the chapters a plan of action for the fall fundraising campaign

Topic: Cooperation and collaboration between chapters beyond the annual meeting

To discuss current practices among those chapters already engaging in business activities
To present chapters' and the Wikimedia Foundation's concerns, issues and hopes regarding business activities
To develop a set of parameters within which business activities by chapters could and would be supported
To propose the findings to the general assembly of chapters attending
To negotiate with the Wikimedia Foundation on those points still contentious
To present to the chapters an agreeable framework

At the meeting:
- To discuss the expectations of the chapters and the Wikimedia Foundation in regards to the chapter-selected trustees
- To develop a proposal for a selection process taking into account such expectations
- To present the proposal to the whole assembly for discussion and approval
After the meeting:
- To facilitate the adoption of the process in the selection of trustees
- To serve as liaison for the board during the selection process
- To present, at the conclusion of the process, the selected candidates to the board

To share experiences and ideas on working with
- Museums
- Libraries
- Galleries
- University departments
- Schools
- Non-profit civic groups
General ideas on how to help institutions become a fuller part of the Wikimedia community