Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/AfroCROWD:Continuing to Champion Communities of African Descent on and in Wikimedia and Improving the relevance of Wikipedia and open technology to communities of Color/Final Report

Final Learning Report

Report Status: Under review

Due date: 30 July 2024

Funding program: Wikimedia Community Fund

Report type: Final

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General information

This form is for organizations, groups, or individuals receiving Wikimedia Community Funds or Wikimedia Alliances Funds to report on their final results.

Name of Organization: AfroCROWD
Title of Proposal: AfroCROWD: Continuing to Champion Communities of African Descent on and in Wikimedia and Improving the relevance of Wikipedia and open technology to communities of Color
Amount awarded: 145000 USD, 145000 USD
Amount spent: 0 USD

Part 1 Understanding your work

1. Briefly describe how your proposed activities and strategies were implemented.

Part 6: Financial reporting and compliance 30. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. $0.00 31. Local currency type: USD 32. Please report the funds received and spending in the currency of your fund. We recommend you use the template provided or the format you used to present your initial budget. If you use Google Sheets please remember to provide the link and share access with us in the configuration of the shared document on google. You can leave it as open access for anyone with the link to view or add this email: communityresources@wikimedia.org.

Please note: If you upload a Financial report document to Fluxx, put Financial report as the file label. All files with this label will be automatically uploaded to Google Drive and publicly shared on Meta-Wiki. If you do not want your file to be uploaded to Google services, use your preferred service and indicate the public link below. 32A. UPLOAD DOCUMENTS AND FILES 32b. Provide a link to your final financial report file. 33. If you have not already done so in your budget report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. 34. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund? : 35. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement? Yes 36. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement? Yes

37. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United State Internal Revenue Code ("Code")? Yes 38. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here.

Thank you for taking the time to share all your learning and reflections. We look forward to our conversation so that we can learn more from you and share with other communities in the Wikimedia movement.

2. Were there any strategies or approaches that you felt were effective in achieving your goals?

Some effective strategies and approaches that were implemented for AfroCROWD include:

Collaboration with cultural institutions and community organizations: Partnering with these organizations helped to reach a wider audience and engage individuals who may not have otherwise been aware of or involved in the project. Outreach efforts targeting the African diaspora community: By specifically reaching out to people of African descent, AfroCROWD was able to create a sense of community and solidarity around the goal of increasing representation online. Providing resources and training: Equipping participants with the necessary tools and knowledge to contribute to online platforms effectively was essential in empowering them to share their perspectives and information. Focusing on highlighting the contributions and achievements of people of African descent: By centering the project on celebrating the accomplishments of marginalized communities, AfroCROWD was able to inspire participants and promote a more inclusive space.

Overall, these strategies helped AfroCROWD achieve its goals of increasing representation and diversity, empowering individuals to share their stories and knowledge, and fostering a sense of community and connection among participants.

3. Would you say that your project had any innovations? Are there things that you did very differently than you have seen them done by others?

The project has used innovations some of which are and are not unique to AfroCROWD. We were able to innovate in the following ways :

We have been able to perform as a hybrid space using innovations for telecommunications. For example, we still actively use ZOOM and Google Workspace to allow our team to work interactively and internationally in one space. We have continued working with Dashboard and other tools and program resources made available for the Wiki Community. Separately, we’ve used an innovation that has been helpful to us is the use of translators and interpreters in the online space to allow for wider community connection and outreach beyond our locales.

Having interpreters available in our meetings and events has allowed us to reach a wider audience while quite a few of us are bilingual, having translators available allowed us to be able to participate and manage the flow of information without as many pauses due to the language barrier. We’ve even had translators in meetings and preplanning to improve that process as well. AfroCROWD also has a tutorial in different languages and using the tutorials in tandem with our face to face work has been a great tool to allow participants to go beyond the gravity of our events to be able to connect with assistants at any time in the day or night. This also allows newcomers the 1 on 1 help they need beyond our meetings and events as well. We are looking forward to doing it more on that area.

4. Please describe how different communities participated and/or were informed about your work.

AfroCROWD actively engages participants through community workshops, events, social media outreach, podcasts, and talks, as well as partnership support and training. Key initiatives include: Participation in prominent conferences such as Wikiconference North America, Wikipedia Day at Columbia University, and Wikimania in Singapore Collaboration with partners in Africa to support in-person participants in editing notable Africans and African women on Wikipedia Organization of photo walks to enhance Africa's representation and support people of African descent on the platform Involvement in the Wiki movement beyond AfroCROWD through partnerships with other organizations Support for participants from various regions, including a partner in Haiti and individuals from Cameroon, the Congo, and Benin Plans to expand their reach in the Caribbean region

Through these efforts, AfroCROWD aims to promote a more inclusive and diverse representation on Wikipedia, empowering individuals to contribute to the platform and amplify the voices of marginalized communities. Additionally, in our efforts to expand into French and beyond, AfroCROWD has included translators who play a crucial role in making AfroCROWD accessible to more potential users and partners throughout Africa and the African diaspora.

5. Documentation of your impact. Please use the two spaces below to share files and links that help tell your story and impact. This can be documentation that shows your results through testimonies, videos, sound files, images (photos and infographics, etc.) social media posts, dashboards, etc.

Upload Documents and Files

Here is an additional field to type in URLs.

AfroCROWD Testimonies:

AfroCROWD Impact Report: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGL-5TkiF0/Mja_Z-rj-ODDPEyRsOjxvw/edit?utm_content=DAGL-5TkiF0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

AfroCROWD Media and Impact Documents: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nWZkyOMxLefyW4GnaAqzeIHZ_NzkzhQqb3LY5266bRA/edit?usp=sharing

6. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with the support of this Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals.

Our efforts during the Fund period have helped to...
A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups	Strongly agree
B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community	Strongly agree
C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups	Strongly agree
D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives	Strongly agree
E. Encourage the retention of editors	Agree
F. Encourage the retention of organizers	Agree
G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement.	Strongly agree

7. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your efforts helped to bring in participants and/or build out content, particularly for underrepresented groups?

AfroCROWD remains true to our mission that highly centers diversity and representation. Because of this, and because of our focus on our target audience, we touch on different communities that overlap with our core. We are also woman-led and founded and multilingual in nature, so we have a perspective that allows us to connect more easily with like minded groups. We are by design inclusive and supportive of people of diverse identifications, identities, and backgrounds. Another area that provides strength for us is our willingness to be flexible, open, and innovative because of our size and by nature of our connections built overtime to various locations. We hope to continue to grow in these strengths.

Part 2: Your main learning

8. In your application, you outlined your learning priorities. What did you learn about these areas during this period?

Throughout the year, AfroCROWD worked to improve the community. Areas that we had outlined the previous year. This year, we worked to connect to our target audience in these particular ways : Using organizing liaisons Expanding linguistically using interpreters Having both in person and online events continue Hybrid events and efforts Working with a consistent partner beyond our annual commitments Switched to a Session model for festivals allowing us to fit in shorter trainings with the specific goal of getting participants started on their journey which can then be continued with longer events if they’re interested. This has allowed us to grow our mailing list but also create a space where participants get a sense of one on one support within the often bustling environment of fast paced festivals which usually would limit our interaction to basic information only.

9. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities?

In every organization, unexpected challenges and surprises are inevitable. In our case, we faced a prolonged period of illness affecting the executive director, as well as changes in staff. These unforeseen circumstances posed significant obstacles to our operations and required us to adapt quickly to new circumstances. Despite these setbacks, we remained committed to upholding our program objectives and making the necessary changes to ensure the continued success of our initiatives.

Navigating through these unexpected situations highlighted the importance of flexibility and resilience in the face of adversity. These challenges forced us to reevaluate our strategies, adjust our timelines, and redistribute responsibilities within the organization. It also underscored the need for effective communication and collaboration among team members to ensure the smooth continuation of our programs. By facing these challenges head-on and proactively addressing the changes, we were able to navigate through the uncertainties and emerge stronger as an organization.

10. How do you hope to use this learning? For instance, do you have any new priorities, ideas for activities, or goals for the future?

We work to benefit the mission not only of AfroCROWD but of the greater WikiMedia community and movement. AfroCROWD has a strong mission, our mission is to champion people of African Descent on WikiMedia, which includes Wikipedia, WikiData, WikiCommons, and the like, and improving access and awareness of the Wikimedia Movement to people of color, diverse backgrounds and identities, in their languages where possible. We aim to increase engagement and awareness of and about notable people of African Descent.

Throughout the year, AfroCROWD actively engages in various events, including both familiar areas of focus and new areas for potential development. By expanding our reach and increasing awareness of Wiki Technology, we aim to enhance the usability and visibility of Wikipedia and Wikimedia for our target audience and beyond. As we continue our efforts, we are committed to achieving these goals and making a lasting impact.

11. If you were sitting with a friend to tell them one thing about your work during this fund, what would it be (think of inspiring or fascinating moments, tough challenges, interesting anecdotes, or anything that feels important to you)?

12. Please share resources that would be useful to share with other Wikimedia organizations so that they can learn from, adapt or build upon your work. For instance, guides, training material, presentations, work processes, or any other material the team has created to document and transfer knowledge about your work and can be useful for others. Please share any specific resources that you are creating, adapting/contextualizing in ways that are unique to your context (i.e. training material).

Upload Documents and Files

Here is an additional field to type in URLs.

Additional URL for Questions 12b https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EEJ48zkdHz9IqxgMVU0_SoYXnsr5VczLztK6RHwcqEE/edit?usp=sharing

Part 3: Metrics

13a. Open and additional metrics data

Open Metrics
Open Metrics	Description	Target	Results	Comments	Methodology
Main (1): participants of the events, workshops and trainings	As the project aims to be open to people of all backgrounds with a special focus on people of African descent, we expect strong interest from the public and aim to have over 1000 participants throughout the 3 years of the events.	1000	N/A	N/A	N/A
Main (2): number of events	We aim to have an educational event at least once a month for the 3 years.	36	N/A	N/A	N/A
Main (3): Survey responses	We aim to hold surveys inclusive of self identification and asking questions related to responses to question 19	600	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Additional Metrics
Additional Metrics	Description	Target	Results	Comments	Methodology
Number of editors that continue to participate/retained after activities	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Number of organizers that continue to participate/retained after activities	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Number of strategic partnerships that contribute to longer term growth, diversity and sustainability	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Feedback from participants on effective strategies for attracting and retaining contributors	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Diversity of participants brought in by grantees	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Number of people reached through social media publications	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Number of activities developed	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Number of volunteer hours	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

13b. Additional core metrics data.

Core Metrics Summary
Core metrics	Description	Target
Number of participants	Our events will be open to people of all backgrounds with a special focus on people of African descent. The number of participants in all activities will be 1000+. Out of that number at least 600 people will be new participants.	600
Number of editors	Our events will be open to people of all backgrounds with a special focus on people of African descent. The number of editors in all activities will be 1000+. Out of that number at least 500 people will be new editors.	500
Number of organizers	The number of organizers in the project is 50. Additionally, we will have 4 new organizers that will help to oversee, monitor and plan project activities such as edit-a-thons, online and offline meetings etc.)	50

**Number of new content contributions per Wikimedia project**
Wikimedia Project	Description	Target	Results	Comments	Methodology
Wikipedia	Wikipedia Wikipedia 1000 new articles edited related to topics on cultures and communities of Africa and the African diaspora and associated topics.	1000	N/A	N/A	N/A
Wikimedia Commons	Wikimedia Commons We aim to have 350 images uploaded to Wikimedia commons.	350	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

14. Were there any metrics in your proposal that you could not collect or that you had to change?

No

15. If you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results, please describe and add any recommendations on how to address them in the future.

N/A

16. Use this space to link or upload any additional documents that would be useful to understand your data collection (e.g., dashboards, surveys you have carried out, communications material, training material, etc).

Upload Documents and Files

Here is an additional field to type in URLs.

Additional URL for Part 3 Metrics and Data: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlmdU6mlT5e-2nSYLX7HKqfBeHMCey_pDVVlETRPoDU/edit?usp=sharing

Part 4: Organizational capacities & partnerships

17. Organizational Capacity

Organizational capacity dimension
A. Financial capacity and management	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
B. Conflict management or transformation	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
C. Leadership (i.e growing in potential leaders, leadership that fit organizational needs and values)	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
D. Partnership building	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
E. Strategic planning	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
F. Program design, implementation, and management	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
G. Scoping and testing new approaches, innovation	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
H. Recruiting new contributors (volunteer)	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
I. Support and growth path for different types of contributors (volunteers)	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
J. Governance	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
K. Communications, marketing, and social media	This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
L. Staffing - hiring, monitoring, supporting in the areas needed for program implementation and sustainability	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
M. On-wiki technical skills	This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
N. Accessing and using data	This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
O. Evaluating and learning from our work	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
P. Communicating and sharing what we learn with our peers and other stakeholders	This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
N/A
N/A

17a. Which of the following factors most helped you to build capacities? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.

Using capacity building/training resources onlinee from sources OUTSIDE the Wikimedia Movement, Formal training provided from outside the Wikimedia Movement, Peer to peer learning with other community members in conferences/events, Using capacity building/training resources online from sources WITHIN the Wikimedia Movement

17b. Which of the following factors hindered your ability to build capacities? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.

Lack of awareness of capacity building needs, Lack of knowledge of available capacity building opportunities, Lack of financial resources, Other

18. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your organizational capacity has grown, and areas where you require support?

N/A

19. Partnerships over the funding period.

Over the fund period...
A. We built strategic partnerships with other institutions or groups that will help us grow in the medium term (3 year time frame)	Strongly agree
B. The partnerships we built with other institutions or groups helped to bring in more contributors from underrepresented groups	Strongly agree
C. The partnerships we built with other institutions or groups helped to build out more content on underrepresented topics/groups	Strongly agree

19a. Which of the following factors most helped you to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.

Partners proactive interest

19b. Which of the following factors hindered your ability to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.

Difficulties specific to our context that hindered partnerships

20. Please share your learning about strategies to build partnerships with other institutions and groups and any other learning about working with partners?

Building partnerships with other institutions and groups is crucial for AfroCROWD’s success, enabling resources, expertise, and network pooling to achieve common goals. We have learned the following sStrategies for building effective partnerships include:

Identifying Potential Partners with Similar Goals and Values Establishing Clear Goals and Objectives Creating Mutual Benefits Developing Communication and Collaboration Building Relationships

Flexibility, adaptability, and a willingness to compromise are also key. Being open to new ideas and perspectives, and adjusting plans as needed, is essential for accommodating partners' needs and priorities. Overall, building partnerships is a collaborative effort requiring patience, communication, and a shared vision for success.

Part 5: Sense of belonging and collaboration

21. What would it mean for your organization to feel a sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement?

AfroCROWD feeling a sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement would mean being seen as an integral part of the movement, contributing unique perspectives, expertise, and experiences to the collective effort. It would mean that AfroCROWD has access to resources, support, and opportunities for our collaboration with other Wikimedia affiliates, organizations, and individuals. The Foundation’s support has greatly added to this and we also value the access to training, mentorship, and technical support that helps to further our mission of increasing awareness and participation of people of African descent in Wikimedia projects. We also appreciate opportunities to showcase our work, present at conferences and events. These areas reflect to us the value of our work in the Movement, whether its new editors, partners, or other organizations and partnering institutions interested in working with us in the space.

22. How has your (for individual grantees) or your group/organization’s (for organizational grantees) sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement changed over the fund period?

Somewhat increased

23. If you would like to, please share why it has changed in this way.

Our investment in WikiMania Singapore, we were able to see ourselves as part of the movement in a way that has grown our investment in it but the support received has also grown that sense of belonging. As well as our participation in WikiConference North America, but also find where we overlap and help one another, this has increased our sense of belonging as well as sense of urgency to help the Movement.

24. How has your group/organization’s sense of personal investment in the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement changed over the fund period?

Increased significantly

25. If you would like to, please share why it has changed in this way.

It has increased because we are putting more effort into partnering within the Movement, as well as finding new ways to grow types of partnership and participation.

26. Are there other movements besides the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement that play a central role in your motivation to contribute to Wikimedia projects? (for example, Black Lives Matter, Feminist movement, Climate Justice, or other activism spaces) If so, please describe it below.

As a Wikimedia contributor, AfroCROWD is motivated by social justice movements advocating for diversity, inclusion, and equity. Besides the Wikimedia movement, we align with Black Lives Matter, the Feminist movement, and Climate Justice. These movements share values of empowerment, representation, and social change, resonating with our mission to boost awareness and participation of people of African descent in online knowledge sharing.

AfroCROWD aims to foster a more inclusive and equitable digital landscape reflecting diverse voices. Inspired by other advocacy organizations, we remain neutral in Wikimedia but seek to open opportunities for QT and BIPOC groups. Learning from these organizations helps us drive change and empower our communities.

Supporting Peer Learning and Collaboration

We are interested in better supporting peer learning and collaboration in the movement.

27. Have you shared these results with Wikimedia affiliates or community members?

Yes

27a. Please describe how you have already shared them. Would you like to do more sharing, and if so how?

This can include things such as data and direct outcomes, lessons you have learned, or information on how to run or recreate your programs.

AfroCROWD is committed to sharing what we have learned, It is a key part of what we do. For example, we hold events monthly all over the world, especially in our local community. We have various efforts to come in to speak for our events like the 2 AI events in this grant period where we brought two experts. We doubled our efforts by sharing this talk with the area we picked and used it as an opportunity to introduce new members of the community and give a platform at the event to introduce a new director of the New York chapter. We also have participated in conferences like Wikimania, where our Executive Director was part of the program committee and led the first lightning talk showcase and connected with the Carribean as well as our own people for talks during the conference and the women summit where we participated.

We also held events throughout the year every month both here and abroad. We have partnered groups in the African Diaspora sharing not only our expertise and time but also partnering to share simple resources. We also worked with glam partners and continue to work for opportunities for the same. We have robust social media and have held awareness campaigns, like podcasts and other outreach and we have been featured in the press.

28. How often do you currently share what you have learned with other Wikimedia Foundation grantees, and learn from them?

We do this regularly (at least once a month)

29. How does your organization currently share mutual learning with other grantees?

We leverage partnerships, training sessions, talks, podcasts, and media platforms to share our best practices. Our social media presence, events, and collaboration with Wikimedia enhance our outreach. Additionally, we have disseminated information in different forms of internal and external media, especially that which includes the Wikimedia movement itself. We also partnered with organizations within the movement and have shared resources across the movement that can be useful for generating greater access in learning. Finally, we also include information on our website the Wikimedia and Wikipedia pages and learning resources such as tutorials and photography, video, audio, and graphical information. We make ourselves Welcoming to all and also participate at conferences and in outreach.

Part 6: Financial reporting and compliance

30. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency.

0

31. Local currency type

USD

32. Please report the funds received and spending in the currency of your fund.

Upload Documents, Templates, and Files.

Report funds received and spent, if template not used.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QS1eaSVOqJ8qSmf3FbQ4UFurRR1jHMap3c2sFkCsa8A/edit?usp=sharing

33. If you have not already done so in your budget report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal.

Please see reporting link in 32b

34. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?

34a. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.

Please see 32b

34b. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?

A. Propose to use the underspent funds within this Fund period with PO approval

34c. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.

This would be used towards completion of the podcasting project if possible with approval, and our programming efforts.

35. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?

As required in the fund agreement, please report any deviations from your fund proposal here. Note that, among other things, any changes must be consistent with our WMF mission, must be for charitable purposes as defined in the grant agreement, and must otherwise comply with the grant agreement.

36. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?

Yes

37. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.

Yes

38. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here.

Thank you for your time, consideration and the generous support.