Grants:Project/Rapid/Plan
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PLAN YOUR PROJECT
Editathon
Edit-a-thons are a great way to gather friends, colleagues, and community members to add content to Wikimedia projects. A series of editing trainings are a great way to introduce new people to editing the Wikimedia projects and provide more consistent mentorship over a set time period.
What WMF grants will pay for (up to 5,000 USD)
- space to host the editathon with an internet connection
- snacks for participants
- reimburse volunteers for local travel to attend the events
- printing editing 'cheat sheets' in your local language
Typical outcomes
- Teach new volunteers how to edit
- Teach experienced editors new skills
- Add or improve content on a specific subject
Things you will need
- Space to host the editathon that has sufficient internet for several people to connect.
- An event page with a place for participants to sign up and a list of articles to work on.
- A few experienced editors who can teach basic skills or answer questions.
- A plan for how you will follow up with editors after the event.
- Participants who have experience using computers and the internet, who can write in the language of the project you will edit.
Look at a sample application for an Editathon rapid grant
Contest
Photo contests are a popular way to attract new users and increase the number of images available on a particular subject. Writing contests are a great way to motivate experienced editors and fill content gaps through the creation or translation of articles.
What WMF grants will pay for
- Prizes
- Shipping or bank transfer fees to deliver prizes
- Modest award ceremonies
- Transportation for photo walks or tours to help participants photograph subjects that are difficult to access
Typical outcomes
- Increase the amount or quality of content on a particular subject
- Increase volunteer motivation and commitment
- Engage CURIOUS users
Things you will need
- Volunteers to help manage the contest
- A scoring system and plans for how the contest will be judged
- Lists of subjects that need to be photographed, articles to be written, or tasks completed
- If you want to use the CentralNotice banner to promote your contest, you will need to request a campaign.
Look at a sample application for a Contest rapid grant.
Photowalk
Photowalks, also known as Wikiexpeditions or photo tours, can be organized as part of a contest, as an event to attract new contributors, or to support a community of photographers who want to fill a specific content gap.
What WMF grants will pay for
- Transportation such as bus or train fare, reimbursement for gas for shared rides
- Snack and refreshments
- Entrance fees for parks
Typical outcomes
- Add or improve content
- Recruit new editors
- Engage existing editors
- Improve quality by teaching photography skills
Things you will need
- A list of topics, subjects or locations that will be photographed as part of the project
- Maps or geographic coordinates tracking things that need to be photographed
- It can help to have a person at a museum, park, heritage site or other location who can give your group a tour or special access to materials
- If you want to improve quality of images, ask an experienced photographer to give a short workshop at the beginning of the tour
Look at a sample application for a photowalk rapid grant.
General promotion campaigns
Many people around the world have not heard of Wikipedia or other Wikimedia projects. Promotional campaigns are a great way to help new readers and users learn about our projects. These campaigns can be online, such as promoting our projects on social media platforms, or offline, such as printing promotional material and distributing/displaying them at institutions, events etc.
What Wikimedia Foundation grants will pay for
- Funds to produce promotional material such as banners, pamphlets
- Funds to produce multimedia content such as videos
- Budget for online promotion (Facebook, Instagram)
- Prizes for contests that increase awareness
Typical outcomes
- Increased awareness about Wikimedia project(s)/campaign(s)
- Increased readers on Wikimedia project(s)/campaign(s)
- Increased participation in a contest or edit-a-thon
Things you will need
- What Wikimedia project(s)/campaign(s) you would like to promote?
- What are you trying to achieve by this grant?
- What is your promotion plan? Do you plan to buy ads on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.?
- Please review the Inspire New Readers Campaign Impact Report and the Community Marketing Experiments Impact Report for more information and references
- Learn more about how to buy Facebook ads here
- Learn more about how to buy Twitter ads here
- Learn more about creating gifs here
Look at a sample application for General promotion campaigns
Recent general promotion campaign Rapid Grant: Promotion of Maithili Wikipedia and related report
Video campaigns
Videos are a great way to engage new readers. They are also a good promotion asset for promoting our projects on social media.
What Wikimedia Foundation grants will pay for
- Production cost (scriptwriting, shoot, post-processing)
- Budget for online promotion (buying ads on social media)
- Note WMF will fund up to USD 3,000 for video projects
Typical outcomes
- Increase in pageviews for Wikimedia project(s)/campaign(s)
- Increased awareness about Wikimedia project(s)/campaign(s)
- Number of video views
Things you will need
- A video production company or community members with previous experience in producing multimedia content.
- What Wikimedia project(s)/campaign(s) you would like to promote?
- What are you trying to achieve by this grant?
- How do you plan to promote these videos?
- Please review the Inspire New Readers Campaign Impact Report and the Community Marketing Experiments Impact Report for more information and references
- It is a good idea to have a script in hand before you apply for the grant
Look at a sample application for Video campaigns
Recent Video campaign Rapid Grant: Promotion of Punjabi Wikipedia on Social Media and related report