Dear collegues
I wanted to shed a bit of light on this message recently shared on the
wikimedia mailing list, and invite interested parties to look at the
proposition of the Affiliation Committee regarding the future of the
ecosystem.
This is by no means the final decision, but an important element in the
whole conversation regarding affiliates. But this conversation is likely
to lead to important changes in the future, that will impact every
current and envisionned affiliate. Reading the proposition, it is
obvious to me that the potential consequences could be massive for
african usergroups.
Best
Anthere
-------- Message transféré --------
Sujet : [Wikimedia-l] Affiliations Committee draft recommendations for
the ecosystem
Date : Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:37:02 -0800 (PST)
De : Affiliations Committee <[email protected]>
Répondre à : Wikimedia Mailing List <[email protected]>
Pour : Affiliations Committee <[email protected]>
Copie à : Wikimedia Mailing List <[email protected]>,
[email protected]
Hi Everyone,
I am happy to share draft recommendations and documentation from the
Affiliations Committee[1] on three strategic areas that need continuous
consideration to best support Wikimedia affiliates. These areas are: 1)
overall affiliate model, 2) capacity development, and 3) conflict
management.
=== Context ===
The key areas were proposed at the Affiliations Committee strategic
retreat in November 2024 [2] and, as a result, working groups were
convened within the Affiliations Committee to strategically define
potential future approaches to improve the support to the affiliates.
These conversations have also aligned with the pilot proposed by the
Wikimedia Foundation in 2024 around updating the ecosystem of Wikimedia
organizations [3] and can be in a way considered as the input of the
expertise of the Affiliations Committee to the ongoing conversation.
=== Content ===
For clarity of presentation, purpose and expected outcomes of the
proposal are presented first to be then followed by the actual outline
of the proposal itself. Finally, a potential future role of the
Affiliations Committee in respective areas is put forward.
Affiliate model. The overall definition of the affiliate model has the
biggest implications to the future of the affiliates and their impact.
The Affiliations Committee has given due consideration to existing
landscape and future options, and is boldly [4] proposing an efficient
overall model with reduced layers and complexity. In this model, a
proposal is made to connect more clearly the rights of the organizations
to their responsibilities. At the same time, the Affiliations Committee
recognizes that there are some big questions in this that need wider and
deeper input from across the movement, so we are proposing some
questions for your consideration and further input.
Capacity development. A key area for the affiliates to become more
effective and sustainable, creating more impact. The Affiliations
Committee has especially considered the learning spaces and materials
that are available, and from its own perspective to improve the
onboarding process. Areas of governance, leadership, and community
support stand out for continuous improvement, and as key factors for
future success.
Conflict management. When it comes to conflicts, prevention tops
reactive management at all times. For it to function better, there needs
to be a holistic approach with professional support systems. In its
documentation the Affiliations Committee has mapped out, based on its
experience, the key principles, resources, and structures needed for
improvements.
=== Conversations and next steps ===
The Affiliations Committee has started collecting feedback on some of
these ideas at the regional conferences in September and October. Now,
we are moving into a virtual feedback phase, collecting feedback on
these draft proposals through the month of November 2025. We will be
following conversations on meta and will participate in some regional
calls. Your input will then be integrated to form finalized proposals of
the Affiliations Committee for updating the future ecosystem of the
movement organizations and its own ways of working. We look forward to
hearing from you!
Regards,
Jeffrey Keefer
Chair, Affiliations Committee
Links:
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/Recommendations_November_2025
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/Recommendations_November_2025>
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/News/Issue_4#Affiliate_Strategy_Updates
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/News/Issue_4#Affiliate_Strategy_Updates>
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Updating_the_ecosystem_of_Wikimedia_organizations
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Updating_the_ecosystem_of_Wikimedia_organizations>
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Be_bold
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Be_bold>
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