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List overview
thread
[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy: affiliate health criteria and changes to User Group recognition process
Nataliia Tymkiv
12 Jun
2024
12 Jun
'24
6:39 p.m.
Dear all,
I would like to thank all of you who shared feedback with us during this
phase of the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy process that started
in November 2022 [1], both on- and off-wiki [2]. Please find below the approved
1) affiliate health criteria; and 2) changes to the Wikimedia User Group
(WUG) recognition process, as well as a tentative implementation timeline
and next steps.
== Affiliate Health Criteria ==
The Affiliations Committee (AffCom) is a volunteer committee responsible
for making recommendations to the Board of Trustees on the recognition,
approval, and de-recognition of Wikimedia movement affiliates, and for
facilitating the creation of those organizations or groups. It is tasked in
its charter with “promoting community health and growth”, including by
“monitoring affiliates' continued compliance with affiliate rules and
criteria” and by “provid[ing] support to affiliates as they attempt to grow
in membership, build programs to further the Wikimedia mission and improve
their governance practices” [3]. In 2023, insights from AffCom members,
affiliates, community members, and Foundation staff, reflected in a report
with immediate recommendations [1], surfaced a number of ways to improve
how the Foundation works with affiliates, how collaboration can happen, and
which criteria can help to ensure that all affiliates are healthy.
Since that point, AffCom has been working with the Board of Trustees,
Foundation staff, affiliates, and wider community members to enable them to
provide appropriate guidance to affiliates regarding what it means to be an
active and healthy Wikimedia organisation. As a result of those
conversations, AffCom has voted [4] to adopt the following 10 criteria for
affiliates, grouped into four main areas:
1.
Goal delivery;
2.
Organisational Development (Good governance & communication; Financial &
legal compliance; Affiliate health & resilience);
3.
Leadership & Inclusion (Diverse, skilled, and accountable leadership;
Diversity balance (especially gender); Universal Code of Conduct compliance
);
4.
Engagement & Collaboration (Internal (membership) engagement; Community
connection; Partnerships & collaboration).
You are encouraged to read more details about each of these criteria here
[5], including guidance on how each can be met. All criteria will be
tracked for all affiliates, except for the criteria around financial and
legal compliance, which only apply to those affiliates receiving funds
and/or that are incorporated.
Staff and AffCom are working on streamlining affiliate reporting
requirements, and responding to feedback raised during the community
feedback period about the reporting burden. The new requirements of data
collected in reports would be useful also for different Foundation teams
and departments, and allow for the creation of detailed regional or global
reports that demonstrate affiliate health and impact.
In July 2024, AffCom will work to finalise the implementation plans for the
changes to the affiliate requirements and application process. In August
2024, updates will be made to Meta-wiki and other supporting platforms. You
can follow the process here [7].
== Changes to User Groups recognition process ==
The insights from the 2023 process also included recognising a need to
strengthen AffCom processes for evaluating potential User Groups’
furtherance of shared movement goals, sustainability, and general ability
to be healthy and active movement participants. According to its charter,
AffCom is charged with “establishing recognition criteria and processes for
different models of affiliation” [3]. AffCom adopted the revised process
for User Group recognition, adding to the recognition process: 1) a live
interview (by video call) with AffCom; 2) the requirement that user group
applicants publish a public letter of intent to affected wikis/projects and
affiliates; and 3) the creation of a one-year trial period for applicants
to demonstrate their activities and effectiveness [6]. You can follow the
process here [7].
To implement the new requirements, AffCom finds it necessary to pause new
User Group recognitions. This does not apply to those already in the
pipeline as of 12 June 2024. During this pause, AffCom will share
documentation about the new criteria with the community and emerging User
Groups, and ensure streamlined reporting systems. Even after the
documentation is released, AffCom will remain sensitive to needed
adjustments that may become clear during the implementation process and
will take any necessary steps to update the documentation to elaborate on
the criteria.
AffCom currently expects to resume User Group recognition work in September
2024.
== Appreciation and next steps ==
On behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation Board, I would like to express
appreciation for AffCom’s dedication and work to to support these goals: 1)
the overall health of the ecosystem of affiliates; and 2) strengthening its
processes around evaluating potential User Groups’ support of shared
movement goals, sustainability, and general ability to be healthy and
active movement participants and to build a system where affiliates can be
set up for success.
No immediate changes are happening, except the pause of considering new
User Group recognitions until September, for applications received after
today, June 12, 2024.
Once more detailed implementation plans are developed, there will be an
update here [7] and on the relevant Meta pages with the next steps after
Wikimania.
To provide your feedback, please leave a comment on the main talk page on
Meta [8]. Alternatively, you can join Open AffCom office hours on June 19
at 14:00 UTC or request a conversation as a part of Talking:2024
You can use the Wikimedia Foundation Community Affairs Committee/Talking:
2024#Let’s Talk|Let’s Talk
feature to sign up for a time to speak with me and/or other trustees.
Looking forward to your feedback!
Best regards,
Nat & Mike & Lorenzo
Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees Liaisons to the Affiliations
Committee
[1] If you are just joining the conversation and wish to learn more, you
can read the report from the first phase here:
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
Best regards,
antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
*NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
advance!*
On Wed, Feb 7, 2024 at 5:56 PM Nataliia Tymkiv
ntymkiv@wikimedia.org
wrote:
...
Dear all,
I would like to share with you the outputs of the Wikimedia Foundation
Affiliate Strategy process [1], and to invite you to give feedback on the
proposed changes to requirements for all affiliates & to user groups
recognition process (more below).
The 2017 Strategic Direction
says
that we, the Wikimedia Movement, would build “the services and structures
that enable others to … advance our world by collecting knowledge that
fully represents human diversity” while carrying on “our mission of
developing content”. As Wikimedia affiliates are a key and integral part of
the Wikimedia movement and have knowledge and expertise to share, the
movement’s success depends greatly on affiliates as they help people join
us in doing mission-aligned work. The Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates
Strategy report [2] identified a need to streamline the role of the
Affiliations Committee (AffCom) on recognition of Wikimedia Affiliates, and
identified issues with the current state of the process.
After conversations with AffCom, the Board liaisons to AffCom identified
two areas for improvement. These areas are about the relevant work and
mandate of the Board related to affiliate recognition:
requirements for affiliates; and
improving the workflows around the process for the creation and
recognition of a user group.
The proposal on Meta [3] is suggesting to change the requirements for all
existing Wikimedia affiliates, not just the legal entities. There are ten
proposed criteria for a healthy affiliate. Examples include focusing on
continuity by being an active group and welcoming new users, having good
governance, and actively delivering on mission goals. Compliance with these
requirements would be self-reported by the affiliates. The Board liaisons
will work with the Affiliations Committee to publish a resolution outlining
how affiliates would be expected to fulfill these requirements to remain in
good standing.
Throughout the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliate Strategy process, there was
also feedback about user groups. Initially, user groups were meant as a
first step toward creating chapters or thematic organizations. Over the
years, user groups have evolved and there are now legally incorporated user
groups, user groups with boards, etc. Getting started does need to be easy,
but also needs to make sense, and so there is a proposal for changes to the
current workflow. The recommendations [3] include an outline of the
sequential steps of a revised process.
The feedback can be given from today up till March 20, 2024 (Anywhere on
Earth). Hopefully a fairly long feedback period will allow affiliates to
consult with their membership, thinking it through practically.
To provide your feedback, please review the page here, on Meta, [3] and
leave comments on the talk page. Alternatively, you can join an open call (February
14 and 28 at 14:00 to 14:30 UTC) or request a conversation as a part of
Talking:2024
You can use the Wikimedia Foundation Community Affairs Committee/Talking:
2024#Let’s Talk|Let’s Talk
feature to sign up for a time to speak with me and other trustees about
this conversation or any other topic regarding the Wikimedia Foundation
Board, Movement Strategy, and more.
Note: New user group applications will be placed on hold for the duration
of this conversation – but the ones received before will be reviewed
according to the current process.
Best regards,
Nat & Mike & Lorenzo
Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees Liaisons to the Affiliations
Committee
[1]
[2]
[3]
Best regards,
antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
*NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
advance!*
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