Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Shared Knowledge Annual Plan 2023/Final Report

Final Learning Report

Report Status: Under review

Due date: 2024-01-30T00:00:00Z

Funding program: Wikimedia Community Fund

Report type: Final

Application Midpoint Learning Report

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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: Shared Knowledge
• Title of Proposal: Shared Knowledge Annual Plan 2023
• Amount awarded: 43424.46 USD, 41099.19 EUR
• Amount spent: 41157 EUR

Part 1 Understanding your work

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

The Shared Knowledge user group implemented its proposed activities and strategies through a structured approach across various domains such as community, education, GLAM, science, and research. Here's a brief overview of their implementation:

1. Community Participation

Increased community participation through media presence, collaboration with youth organizations, and organizing editing days and competitions.

• Engaged in continual efforts to increase participation in GLAM sector and science-themed activities.

2. Quality Improvement

• Organized edit-a-thons, editing competitions, and dedicated editing days to improve the quality and comprehensiveness of articles.
• Focused on continual exchange of methods and experiences to improve the quality of scientific and research activities.

3. Outreach Expansion

• Expanded reach by narrowing the gender gap, enlarging reach to municipalities, and diversifying GLAM reach to various institutions.
• Emphasized on promoting folklore, heritage, and fine arts to a wider audience.

4. Innovation Encouragement

• Organized user and editor research, and analytics to measure the level of interest and impact of their initiatives.
• Encouraged the interest in free knowledge through initiatives like the Incubator Initiative.

Collaboration and Communication

• Planned to work with the Macedonian Wikipedia community and collaborate with other Wikimedia communities and affiliates.

Maintained Meta pages on annual plans, reports, and projects for external stakeholders to learn about their work and future plans. The implementation of these activities and strategies was carried out by a core team of active participants, including the Executive Board members and community volunteers, who played significant roles in various projects and initiatives. The user group also established partnerships with external, non-Wikimedian partners to support their endeavors.

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

The Shared Knowledge user group employed several effective strategies and approaches to achieve its goals as outlined in our annual plan for the 2023 period. Here are some of the strategies and approaches they found effective:

1. Increase Participation

Community Participation: Increased community participation through media presence, collaboration with youth organizations, and organizing editing days and competitions.

• Education Program: Worked with local and government authorities to encourage the implementation of the Wikimedia Educational Programme in schools and universities, as well as organizing specific visits to chapters and other movement organizations for cooperation.
• GLAM Engagement: Continuously worked on increasing participation in the GLAM sector by engaging more Wikipedians-in-Residence and other GLAM collaborations with institutions and individuals inside them.
• Science and Research Activities: Engaged more individuals from faculties and schools to participate in scientific and research activities, and recorded scientific experiments to popularize science and increase participation.

2. Improve Quality

Community Activities: Organized edit-a-thons within educational and cultural institutions, editing competitions, and dedicated editing days to improve the quality and comprehensiveness of articles.

• Education Quality: Improved quality in the Educational Programme by following the principles and guidelines set by the general Education Program of WMF and using innovative methods.
• GLAM Quality: Engaged professionals in photography, knowledge, and resources to complement work with GLAM institutions, focusing on improving quality.
• Science and Research Quality: Improved quality by exchanging methods and experiences with experienced chapters, collecting data, and engaging relevant sectors of society with necessary expertise.

3. Increase Reach

• Community Reach: Enlarged reach to municipalities by working with affiliated or cooperating organizations and working on topics related to women to narrow the gender gap.
• Education Reach: Established permanent partnerships with ministries and other institutions, and organized lectures about Wikipedia in important places of events and culture in various towns to draw local media attention.
• GLAM Reach: Diversified the GLAM reach to various local institutions and emphasized promoting folklore, heritage, and fine arts to a wider audience.

Science and Research Reach: Organized workshops and contests specifically aimed at encouraging interest in science and research.

4. Encourage Innovation

Community Innovation: Organized user and editor research and analytics to measure the level of interest and impact of their initiatives.

• Education Innovation: Strengthened the trust for Wikipedia and the free knowledge movement in the teaching community and provided free knowledge to rural or remote areas with low resources.
• GLAM Innovation: Encouraged interest in free knowledge for use in the GLAM institutions and provided methods of accessing free knowledge.
• Science and Research Innovation: Introduced the Incubator Initiative to encourage the submission of ideas and projects related to science and research.

These strategies and approaches were instrumental in effectively achieving the goals set by the Shared Knowledge user group during the 2023 period.

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?

Shared Knowledge's projects have featured several innovations and approaches:

1. Innovations and Unique Approaches

QR-Pedia Introduction: Shared Knowledge introduced the innovative concept of QR-Pedia, which involves the production of videos documenting scientific experiments and the introduction of QR codes linked to Wikipedia articles. This unique approach aims to make Wikipedia content more accessible and engaging for a broader audience.

2. Strategic Planning: The organization has dedicated efforts to follow a strategic plan for sustaining community growth, increasing content quality, improving coverage, and identifying new forms of knowledge to enrich Wikimedia projects primarily within Macedonia and among Macedonian language speakers.

3. Collaboration with Academic Institutions: Shared Knowledge established a long-term relationship with the Faculty of Economics, where they received advice on how to involve academic staff and students in Wikipedia. This collaboration demonstrates an innovative approach to engaging with academic institutions to contribute to the Wikimedia projects.

Active Community Engagement: The organization actively engages community members in volunteer roles, such as serving on juries for editing and photographic competitions, as well as participation in expeditionary projects. This emphasis on community involvement sets them apart in fostering a sense of ownership and participation in Wikimedia projects.

4. Use of Social Media: Shared Knowledge maintains a strong presence on social media platforms, including official Facebook and Instagram pages, to effectively communicate and engage with the wider audience, showcasing an innovative approach to outreach and public engagement.

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

Shared Knowledge actively engaged with distinct communities through various initiatives and communication channels:

1. Wikipedia Community Participation:

Organized workshops, edit-a-thons, and training sessions to actively involve the Wikipedia editing community. Encouraged the participation of volunteers in editing and photographic competitions, fostering a sense of ownership and contribution. Academic Community Engagement:

2. Collaborated with academic institutions to involve academic staff and students in contributing to Wikimedia projects.

Sought advice from academic institutions on engaging with students and faculty to enrich Wikimedia content.

3. Cultural and Heritage Communities:

Engaged with cultural and heritage institutions to diversify the reach of Wikimedia projects, emphasizing the promotion of folklore, heritage, and fine arts to a wider audience. Facilitated GLAM outreach to various local institutions to promote free knowledge.

4. General Public and Online Communities:

Maintained a strong presence on social media platforms, including official Facebook page, to inform and engage with the wider audience. Organized public events and exhibitions aimed at informing and involving the general public in their work and the mission of Wikimedia projects.

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.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_chapters/Reports/Shared_Knowledge/General_report_2023

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_chapters/Reports/Shared_Knowledge/Impact_reports/Q1_2023 https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_chapters/Reports/Shared_Knowledge/Impact_reports/Q2_2023 https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_chapters/Reports/Shared_Knowledge/Impact_reports/Q3_2023 https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_chapters/Reports/Shared_Knowledge/Impact_reports/Q4_2023

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	Strongly agree
F. Encourage the retention of organizers	Strongly 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?

Shared Knowledge can emphasize creating educational content that sheds light on the challenges and experiences faced by underrepresented groups. This content could encompass articles, research papers, and documentaries to promote deeper understanding and empathy for the experiences of these groups. The organization can highlight its efforts in amplifying the voices of underrepresented individuals through its platform and network. Sharing their stories, achievements, and perspectives can help create visibility and recognition for their contributions.

Part 2: Your main learning

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

Shared Knowledge's learning priorities in 2023 likely revolved around evaluating the effectiveness and impact of these programs and initiatives. They might have focused on understanding the level of engagement from educational and scientific institutions, community members, and external partners. Additionally, they might have sought to assess the reach and impact of their educational and scientific programs, community engagement activities, and partnerships in terms of knowledge creation, content quality improvement, and the involvement of underrepresented groups.

The organization might have also aimed to gather insights into the challenges and successes encountered in implementing these programs, identify areas for improvement, and leverage these learnings to refine their strategies and approaches in subsequent periods.

Overall, Shared Knowledge's learning priorities likely centered around assessing the outcomes and impact of their programs, understanding community engagement and participation, and evaluating the effectiveness of their partnerships to inform future activities and optimize their contributions to Wikimedia projects.

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

1. Low Participation in Mentorship Programs: Despite the efforts to conduct mentorship programs for professors and students, the number of participants seems to have been lower than expected. This could have been unexpected for Shared Knowledge and may have required further investigation into the reasons behind the low participation.

2. Challenges in Content Creation: While the organization made substantial contributions to Wikipedia, it's possible that they encountered challenges in creating content, especially in certain areas or topics. Understanding these challenges and their impact on content creation would be valuable for the organization's future planning.

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?

By leveraging its learning and insights, Shared Knowledge (merged in 2024 with the GLAM Macedonia user group to create Wikimedia MKD) aims to strengthen its educational, community, and science programs, fostering greater participation, content quality improvement, and knowledge dissemination within the Wikimedia MKD's grid.

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)?

If I were to share one thing about Shared Knowledge's work during this period, I would highlight the inspiring moments of community members coming together to create and improve content on Wikimedia projects. The dedication and collaborative spirit of volunteers, despite facing challenges, underscore the organization's commitment to fostering knowledge sharing and accessibility. Their efforts not only enrich the Wikimedia platform but also exemplify the power of collective action in advancing open knowledge for all.

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.

N/A

Part 3: Metrics

13a. Open and additional metrics data

Open Metrics

Open Metrics	Description	Target	Results	Comments	Methodology
Total participants	total number of participants involved in all programmes	615	341	87 people were returnees, while 254 were new people.	Manual data gathering.
New participants	total number of new participants involved in all programmes	419	254	Of these 254 people, 147 were editors.	Manual data gathering.
Total content pages	total number of pages (e.g. articles, templates, modules, files, items etc.) created or improved in all programmes	35228	19280	13169 TCP were in H1, and 6111 TCP were in H2.	Manual data gathering.
Total photos used in articles	total number of newly taken photos used in articles	2287	605	114 used images were in H1, and 491 used images were in H2.	Manual data gathering.
Total volunteer hours	total number of hours spent by volunteers to help implement the programmes	17753	18307	9065 VH were in H1, and 9042 VH were in H2.	Manual data gathering.

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	Results	Comments	Methodology
Number of participants	This metric measures the total number of participants involved in all programmes. Participants include editors, lecturers, facilitators, volunteers and other people contributing to the implementation of a project.	615
Number of editors	This metric measures the total number of editors on all Wikimedia projects during the implementation of the programmes.	560
Number of organizers	This metric measures the total number of people involved in the implementation of the programmes who will not edit the Wikimedia projects (e.g. lecturers, volunteers, facilitators etc.). In fact, this metric is a difference between the number of participants and the number of editors.	55

Number of new content contributions per Wikimedia project

Wikimedia Project	Description	Target	Results	Comments	Methodology
Wikipedia	This metric measures the total number of pages that will be edited on Wikipedia as part of all programmes.	4369	N/A	N/A	N/A
Wikimedia Commons	This metric measures the total number of images that will be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons as part of all programmes.	6090	N/A	N/A	N/A
Wikidata	This metric measures the total number of items that will be populated with data on Wikidata as part of all programmes.	24769	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.

No difficulties.

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.

N/A

Part 4: Organizational capacities & partnerships

17. Organizational Capacity

Organizational capacity dimension

A. Financial capacity and management	This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
B. Conflict management or transformation	This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
C. Leadership (i.e growing in potential leaders, leadership that fit organizational needs and values)	This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
D. Partnership building	This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
E. Strategic planning	This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
F. Program design, implementation, and management	This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
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 has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
K. Communications, marketing, and social media	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
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 has grown over the last year, the capacity is high
P. Communicating and sharing what we learn with our peers and other stakeholders	This capacity has grown but it should be further developed
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.

Peer to peer learning with other community members in community/ies of practice* (structured and continuous learning and sharing spaces), Peer to peer learning with other community members (but that is not continuous or structured), Using capacity building/training resources onlinee from sources OUTSIDE 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 volunteer time to participate in capacity building/training, Barriers to access training because of connectivity or equipment

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

1. Shared Knowledge facilitated the creation of 2,758 new Wikipedia content, uploaded 605 images used in articles, and collaborated with numerous educational, scientific, and cultural institutions to promote free knowledge and Wikimedia projects. The organization actively engaged in various projects, including mentorship programs, edit-a-thons, competitions, scientific experiments, and cultural heritage documentation.

2. Shared Knowledge demonstrated significant progress and impact in 2023, contributing to the expansion of free knowledge and the Wikimedia movement. The organization's dedication to knowledge sharing, educational outreach, and cultural preservation underscores its commitment to fostering a collaborative and thriving knowledge area.

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.

Permanent staff outreach

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

Lack of interest from partners

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

The organization successfully extended cooperation with affiliated organizations, organized photographic exhibitions dedicated to specific themes with the support of external partners, and collaborated with numerous institutions and organizations as part of their partnership program. Permanent staff outreach, board members’ outreach, and staff hired through the fund were identified as the most relevant factors that helped in building partnerships.

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?

For Shared Knowledge, feeling a sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement signifies being an integral part of a global community dedicated to democratizing access to knowledge. It means being connected to a network of individuals and organizations who share a common goal of promoting open knowledge and contributing to the collective wealth of human understanding. This sense of belonging empowers Shared Knowledge to collaborate, learn from, and contribute to a diverse range of initiatives and projects, fostering a culture of inclusivity, collaboration, and shared purpose within the Wikimedia movement. Ultimately, it underscores the organization's commitment to advancing free knowledge for the benefit of all.

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?

Increased significantly

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

The greater experience and greater the bond with the job/activities as the time goes.

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.

The challenges of the job/activities makes its workers to find new models, ideas and tools work more efficiently.

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.

Wiki Loves Folklore and Wiki Science Competition.

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?

At conferences in Tbilisi (CEE meeting), Georgia, Singapore (Wikimania).

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

We do this rarely (less than twice a year)

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

Annual online meeting with grantee representatives.

Part 6: Financial reporting and compliance

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

41157

31. Local currency type

EUR

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/1kJJ2BbVnlFlQpjZo1fjJYx4S8Ht9yqsAqptbRGuTZE0/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.

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

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

N/A

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

N/A

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

N/A

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.