Wikimedia movement affiliates/Portal
This page lists important resources for Wikimedia chapters, thematic organisations and user groups.
Code of Conduct policy
As indicated in the User Group Agreement you have signed, Wikimedia Affiliates are expected to adhere to a Code of Conduct, which is a policy guiding behavior of group members in all contexts (online and Offline), and not restricted to in-person events only. It is important that you promote and remain accountable for maintaining the expectations for Code of Conduct as a recognized group. In addition, the Foundation has worked to develop a Code of Conduct for technical spaces. You are encouraged to review these policies to develop a localized code of conduct as a group which you then translate into your group’s local language(s). This code of conduct should be endorsed by your group members within the first 6 months of your recognition, and as new members join.
Communications
Your own page on Meta
- Make sure that your page has all the information needed: list your members (or a link to a page where they are listed), your Board and Audit Committee members.
- List your press contacts and a public list to contact you. If you do not have a mailing list, ask WMF to help you to set one up. You’ll need a Phabricator (See Phabricator/Help) ticket to create a task for a new list.
- Keep it [the page] updated. It is useful to mention when your General Meeting(s) are due on that page, for others to expect updates from you around that date.
- Link to your bylaws, plans, grants, reports etc. Describe your projects (you can organise them like in navigation template Template:Programmes and projects of Shared Knowledge)
- Mention and link to your blog (if you have one), your pages on social media. Make sure to read these best practices.
- Extension:Translate is enabled on Meta, so create your page in English, and then translate it into as many languages, as would be useful for your activities.
Mailing lists
- Best practice is to subscribe roles, not the people via their private emails. Subscribe Chair
MyAffiliate
org to chairpersons list, and redirect it to the private email of newly elected Chairs. And so on. By doing it, you’ll secure that your Chair (for example) will be subscribed to the list(s) as soon, as (s)he gets elected. It is also good to document on-wiki who has access and to which lists, so you know who is responsible for informing this or that. - Mailing lists/overview has an overview of all existing mailing lists. Make sure the right people are subscribed to them. Some useful thematic mailing lists:
- wikimedia-l (archive) – general mailing list for everything related to Wikimedia, mostly in English.
- Affiliates (Meta-Wiki, archive) – Internal mailing list for Wikimedia movement affiliates.
- chairpersons (archive) – Internal mailing list for the Wikimedia's affiliations chairpersons.
- treasurers (archive) – mainly for treasurers and auditors.
- eds – Internal mailing list for executive directors.
- social-media (archive) – public social media mailing list.
- wmfcc-l (archive) – Communications committee (ComCom)
Internal Wikimedia wiki
- You can request to set up an internal Wikimedia wiki.
Announcing your projects and changes within the Affiliate
- Wikimedia Foundation Blog: Guidelines.
- wikimedia-l: Introduction of new Board members, their roles.
Other means of communication
- IRC: real-time chat IRC channels. Also used for “office hours” by WMF.
- Facebook pages for projects and affiliates.
- Communications: a Wikimedia Foundation department.
- Social media: verified social media accounts for the Foundation and Wikipedia.
It is an extension that allows for large-scale announcements across Wikimedia wikis via HTML banners at the top of browser window. It can be used to attract attention to your projects (photo and article contests, events etc), or to conduct some surveys (to know more about your readers, volunteers etc). It allows to target geographically, by projects, by languages etc. Please read CentralNotice/Usage guidelines for more information.
Conflict of interest
- COIG: a guide for Wikimedia movement organizations from a governance perspective, namely on whether you have an outside relationship that may interfere with your duty to act in the best interest of Wikimedia.
Contacts/addresses
- A list of all Wikimedia organisations that have offices, including location, number of staff (keep updated).
- Overview over all existing Wikimedia mailing lists, each chapter should have one plus several global lists. Subscribe yourself to any lists interesting for you.
- Overview over chapters' twitter and identica handles (keep updated).
- Overview over chapters' Facebook pages (keep updated).
Emergencies
In case of emergency, for threats of violence against persons and property (including suicide threats and terrorist threats): emergency
wikimedia
org.
Friendly space policy
Friendly space policies are guidelines for in-person Wikimedia community gatherings which advise that all participants seek to encourage a positive and constructive experience for all other participants. You are encouraged to develop a localized Friendly Space Policy as a group and to translate its text into your group’s relevant language(s). This Friendly Space Policy should be endorsed by your group members within the first 6 months of your recognition, and as new members join.
Funding
- Project-specific grants, given by the WMF to individuals, groups or organisations. Reviewed by the Grant Advisory Committee, a group of volunteers, approved by WMF staff.
- General budgets for annual plans given from movement funds (donations) to Wikimedia organisations (chapters, Foundation) on an annual basis. Reviewed by the Funds Dissemination Committee, a group of volunteers and Wikimedia Foundation staff and board members, approved by the WMF board.
Learning
- WCA Chapters Manual
- Step-by-step affiliate creation guides
- Movement affiliates FAQ
- Boards training workshop proposal
- Conflict prevention training workshop
Legal
- If you want to print some materials, souvenirs with logos, create a logo for your projects, using existing logos trademarked by Wikimedia Foundation, please read these policies: Wikimedia trademarks, Visual identity guidelines. To be on the safe side, contact the Legal team via trademarks wikimedia org.
- If you are using Facebook and other social media for promoting wikiprojects, pay attention to not violate the terms of use. FB, for example, is not compatible with the free licenses, so use media under CC-zero or in Public domain (see more here). Or ask the authors for a special permission).
-
- How to reply to misdirected takedown requests received by movement organizations.
Maintenance
- Meta pages to be updated by affiliates
- A checklist of pages sorted by event and category.
Movement structure
- Incorporated independent non-profits representing the Wikimedia movement and supporting movement work globally, focused within a geography. Chapters or national/sub-national organizations use a name clearly linking them to Wikimedia and are granted use of Wikimedia trademarks for their work, publicity, and fundraising.
- Incorporated independent non-profits representing the Wikimedia movement and supporting work focused on a specific theme, topic, subject or issue within or across countries and regions. Thematic or focused organizations use a name clearly linking them to Wikimedia and are granted use of Wikimedia trademarks for their work, publicity and fundraising.
- Open membership groups with an established contact person and history of projects, designed to be easy to form. User groups may or may not choose to incorporate and are granted limited use of the Wikimedia marks for publicity related to events and projects.
- Like-minded organizations that actively support the Wikimedia movement’s work. They are listed publicly and granted limited use of the marks for publicity indicating their support of and collaboration with Wikimedia. Unlike the other models, this one is not well defined by the Affiliations Committee. Please comment on this model on its own page.
- A non-profit organization with its headquarters in San Francisco, USA, hosting websites known as the "Wikimedia projects.
- The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees.
- Website: wikimediafoundation.org.
The Wikimedia chapters and thematic organizations select two members for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees (out of 10). The selected two are proposed to BoT as nominees, and current BoT approves them. They serve for 3-year terms. User groups are not eligible to participate in this selection (as of May 2016). The next elections are due in TBD.
Global events
- Wikimania – A conference for anyone in the Wikimedia movement. The location of this conference changes from one year to the next.
- Wikimedia Conference – A conference for Wikimedia affiliates, where affiliates are often able to send one representative free of cost. Here are the eligibility requirements for the 2016 conference. Eligibility requirements may change each year.
Committees
- Formerly “Chapters Committee”, reviews applications from entities to become a Wikimedia chapter, Wikimedia thematic organization or Wikimedia user group.
- A formalised structure of Wikimedia chapters to organise exchange and facilitate regular communication among them.
Paperwork
- Chapter Agreements
- Trademark Agreements
- Fundraising 2011/Chapters/Fundraising Agreement
- Only three chapters (CH, DE, FR) are still allowed to participate in the WMF fundraiser.
- – is there an update of this document around?
Planning for cooperation
The Affiliations Committee is interested in fostering healthy collaboration or at minimum, peaceful co-existence among Affiliates that share an overlap in thematic or geographic region. User groups may come and go, or they may stay to thrive and grow as user groups, or sometimes develop into chapters or thematic organizations. However, no user groups have ownership of the territory in which they operate, and we encourage many user groups to coexist. We aim to ensure peaceful coexistence by working with all new and existing groups to identify their planned activities and goals to connect on shared movement goals and to balance any potential overlaps with agreements for operating in shared spaces. You are encouraged to demonstrate steps and initiatives you have taken to collaborate with existing Affiliates in your region, and where such a collaboration is not possible, a plan for how you will maintain scope and focus integrity in respecting boundaries you communicated in your application.
Planning for diversity
The Affiliations committee encourages new groups to consider creating plans to ensure diversity in Members, Leadership as well as Activities. This is a good indication of the growth potential of groups as they pursue the movement goals and mission. You are encouraged to develop a diversity plan and to submit this within the first 6 months of your recognition, and as new members join.
Questions?
Where to ask questions:
- Affiliations Committee, if you are not sure where is the best place to post your question or via affcom lists wikimedia org.
- On Meta, Wikimedia Forum, if your questions are about wikiprojects.
- On appropriate mailing lists.
Reports
Your affiliate is also expected to post an activity report at least once a year here. Add a row to the big table, and link to your affiliate page and your first report, when ready.
- Monthly reports of Wikimedia chapters — the place where WMF/FDC looks for reports.
- Annual activity and financial reports of Wikimedia committees and chapters (summary)..
- Currently state of the chapters.
- — currently outdated and marked obsolete – shouldn't this page be revitalised by yearly updates according to the "State of the Movement" at the Wikimedia Conference?
- Current figures (members, staff) of all Wikimedia chapters (keep updated).
Resources
Wikimedia Foundation Funds programs
- Main page at Grants:Start: All Wikimedia Foundation Funds programs including:
- Rapid Funds: Up to $5,000 USD for Funds short-term, low-cost projects.
- General Support Fund: Flexible general operating support for individuals, groups, or affiliates that have developed larger projects or programs (average award size: 10,000 - 300,000 USD). Offers also opportunities for multi-year funding.
- Conference & Event Funds: Funds for organizing local, regional, and thematic conferences and events and scholarships to attend non-movement events.
- Movement Strategy Implementation Grants: Support for projects that take the current state of a Movement Strategy Initiative and push it one step forward.
- Learning and Evaluation, for program toolkits, evaluation tools, and other learning resources for program design and evaluation where you can find guidance and share your examples for planning, implementing, and evaluating effective Wikimedia programs.
- Learning Pattern Library where you can go to learn and share learning from Wikimedia experiences building communities and programs.
- The Wikipedia Library which helps editors access reliable sources to improve Wikipedia by working with knowledge professionals to share their collections.
- The Education Portal to follow the latest news, join the mailing list, and learn how to get involved with the global education community.
- GLAM Learning Resources on Meta, Outreach, and English Wikipedia.
- Conflict prevention training workshop
Strategy
- List of several Strategy Plans
- Summarises strategic and previous strategic plans of Wikimedia affiliates (keep updated).