Grants talk:Simple/Applications/Wikimedians of Republic of Srpska/2021-2022

Comments from DSaroyan (WMF)

Hello Bojana Wiki PG and Wikimedians of Republic of Srpska, thank you again for submitting the sAPG application for 2021-2022. I have completed the initial review of the application and have some questions that I’d like you to respond to:

• Do you plan to align the Strategic Plan of Wikimedians of Republic of Srpska with the Movement Strategy Recommendations and principles? If it has been already aligned, could you please specify what work have you done on the Strategic Plan?
• How did you engage your community in the development of the Annual plan and proposal?
• Since you don’t have any dedicated paid staff members, could you please provide more details on who will manage and implement the proposed activities? How many active members do you have, who will be leading the activities, and who they are?
• What is the current governance structure of Wikimedians of Republic of Srpska? Do you plan to recruit any new Board members in the upcoming year(s)?
• In general, how do you ensure healthy and transparent governance processes in the affiliate?
• In the upcoming year, do you plan to carry out any capacity building activities for the governing bodies (e.g. Board, President) and organization’s members?
• In the Operating & Community Support budget section, you have added expenses for “Travel / Snacks and refreshments / Attended”. Could you please explain what this cost will cover?
• For 2021-2022, you plan to run a series of in-person events, including a community conference with over 30 people. We note that as you mentioned, all activities are planned in accordance with the current epidemiological situation in the Republic of Srpska. However, we would like to understand if you considered running some of these events online? For instance, did you consider running the community conference online? Additionally, did you assess the COVID-19 risk of running it offline?

Thanks again for putting together this sAPG application. I really enjoyed reviewing it and learning more about the activities you plan to carry out in the upcoming year. Looking forward to your responses. All the best, DSaroyan (WMF) (talk) 11:52, 12 May 2021 (UTC)

Hi DSaroyan (WMF)! Thank you for your questions and suggestions. You will find answers below. I hope that our response will be able to clarify any dilemmas you might have.

• Do you plan to align the Strategic Plan of Wikimedians of Republic of Srpska with the Movement Strategy Recommendations and principles? If it has been already aligned, could you please specify what work have you done on the Strategic Plan?

The development strategy of our organization for the specified period was developed in 2020 based on the analysis of work results for the period from 2017 to 2019. and from 2016 to 2017. It refers to the period from January 1st, 2020. to December 31st, 2022.

During the development of the Strategic Plan, we took care that our goals coincide with the global aims of the Wikimedia movement, focusing on the points that were the key to progress and establishing the stability of our organization in the process of development at the given moment.

Our Strategic Plan currently coincides with the recommendations and principles of the Movement Strategy in some segments, in the part related to community capacity development: work on human resources strengthening, increasing the number of members, increasing the number of activities, expanding activities in terms of geographical coverage and making efforts to make the community functional and stable.

In the coming period, we certainly plan for our Strategy to be fully aligned with the recommendations and principles of the Movement Strategy. Considering ourselves as part of the Wikimedia movement, we understand that the decisions made at the global level of development are also related to us and that we are obliged to adjust our goals and tasks to the goals and tasks of the global movement.

• How did you engage your community in the development of the Annual plan and proposal?

The Organizing team has worked on drafting the documentation during the online work meetings. During the making of a plan, the following factors were taken into account: a number of active members and their wishes (proposals also presented during online meetings), degree of members' ability to work on planned projects, external factors - possibilities of establishing cooperation with other relevant institutions and organizations, geographical focus and potential financial opportunities.

As the work of the community is transparent and as all active members have a realistic picture of our possibilities for project implementation, there were no disagreements. The plan was adopted unanimously.

• Since you don’t have any dedicated paid staff members, could you please provide more details on who will manage and implement the proposed activities? How many active members do you have, who will be leading the activities, and who they are?

The community currently has 82 members, of which 23 actively participate in all activities, and 9 are the Organizational Team that coordinates projects according to their competencies and functions in the community. The practice of our community is to first make a realistic plan of activities taking into account the factors listed in the previous answer, divide the responsibilities and work on the implementation in accordance with the agreement. Due to the fact that we all work voluntarily and that we all have jobs and other types of obligations, we are always available to help each other in case of unforeseen situations that would prevent the project coordinator from realizing an activity. This practice has so far proved to be positive, because, in addition to ensuring that activities are implemented, it strengthens the ties between members and creates a positive atmosphere during work.

• What is the current governance structure of Wikimedians of Republic of Srpska? Do you plan to recruit any new Board members in the upcoming year(s)?

In 2016, our organization submitted an application for recognition of the Chapter, which was rejected because we were not two years old in the status of a user group. For the purposes of application, a draft of the Statute was made, which, although not official, was accepted by the members and forms a fulcrum for our actions and the creation of internal community structures. Currently, informally, our community has an Assembly, a President, a Board of trustees.

In the foreseeable future, we have in plan a registration of the organization and certainly the expansion of the Board of trustees, as well as other structures defined by the Statute which are not active due to their informal status.

• In general, how do you ensure healthy and transparent governance processes in the affiliate?

In addition to clearly defined rules on the functioning of the organization which everyone adheres to, we tried to put our human capacities in the first place when working on building the community, because they form the core of the organization. In that sense, in addition to gathering people who are truly enthusiastic and really interested in our work, we worked on creating a positive atmosphere and strengthening ties between members. We worked to ensure that all members were respected and that they felt a sense of belonging to the community. We believe that this is one of the decisive factors influencing healthy relationships in an organization that is non-profit.

• In the upcoming year, do you plan to carry out any capacity building activities for the governing bodies (e.g. Board, President) and organization’s members?

During the specified period, we plan to expand the Organizational team with members who will undergo the necessary training to work on projects, so that in the future we can count on increasing the number of activities. As for the governing body, enlargement and elections are planned for the period 2022-2023.

• In the Operating & Community Support budget section, you have added expenses for “Travel / Snacks and refreshments / Attended”. Could you please explain what this cost will cover?

The stated costs refer to the costs of covering the working meetings of the community members, the costs related to the preparatory part of the project implementation, such as going to a certain partner institution etc.

• For 2021-2022, you plan to run a series of in-person events, including a community conference with over 30 people. We note that as you mentioned, all activities are planned in accordance with the current epidemiological situation in the Republic of Srpska. However, we would like to understand if you considered running some of these events online? For instance, did you consider running the community conference online? Additionally, did you assess the COVID-19 risk of running it offline?

The mentioned event is of inestimable importance for strengthening the human capacities of our community because it is the only opportunity for us all to gather in one place. Our members live in different cities throughout the Republic of Srpska and in addition to internal gatherings of working groups from the same town, all meetings involving the participation of all or most members are held online. In accordance with the current epidemiological situation, we have included this event in the plan. Should the epidemiological situation get worse, we would certainly adjust. We would realize the event online, and in agreement with our officer, we would relocate the budget and adjust the plan.

If you have other questions - we are at your disposal. Best, --Bojana Wiki PG (talk) 21:18, 13 May 2021 (UTC)

Simple APG Committee recommendation

We recommend that Wikimedia Republic of Srpska receive grant funding in the amount 24,640 EUR / US$30,000 for 12 months.

We recommend that the affiliate engages in a reflection and review process of identifying the needs of the community they serve and what programs and projects are best suited to serve those needs with a strategic lens and leveraging the strengths of the community.

In addition a review of the budgets associated with contest prizes, WLE and WLM budgets.

Overall, the programs are clear and aligned to the current goals of Wikimedia Republic of Srpska and we look forward to seeing the impact of your work.

For the committee, Philip Kopetzky (talk) 20:05, 10 June 2021 (UTC)

APG approved in the amount of 24,640 EUR

Congratulations! Your grant is approved in the amount of 24,640 EUR (30,000 USD), with a grant term starting 1 July 2021 and ending 30 June 2022.

Wikimedia Republic of Srpska’s Annual Plan for 2021-2022 consists of three programs: GLAM, Edu Wiki, and Community activities. These programmatic areas and their goals are similar to the 2020-2021 Annual Plan, though we observe some changes in terms of some projects.

We commend the Wikimedia Republic of Srpska on presenting a clear content developed plan. However, we agree with the Committee that the number of contest prizes, WLE, and WLM budgets should be revised. This recommendation has become the reason for partial funding. Additionally, we agree with the committee that a wider community needs assessment would be beneficial for the affiliate and its activities for the future.

We also recommend that the Wikimedia Republic of Srpska explores the opportunities of growth in the team capacity, for example, by considering hiring staff members in the future.

Once again, we appreciate Wikimedia Republic of Srpska’s efforts in creating an annual plan which contributes to community growth, content creation, promotion, and partnership building. We are looking forward to working with you in 2021-2022.

Best regards from the SAPG Committee and Staff--VThamaini (WMF) (talk) 16:19, 16 June 2021 (UTC)