Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Affiliates] June 23: Update on Wikimedia movement strategy process (#19)

[Rogol Domedonfors]

Anna

Thank you for that and for writing it on a Sunday.  Unfortunately I missed
it originally in the two dozen messages in this thread.  You mention the
names of individuals outside the US who are helping and that is good to
see.  By "consultants" I meant the companies hired to help you, such as
Lake Research Partners, Wellspring Insight, Dot Connector Studio and Lutman
& Associates – probably I should have said "consultancies".

"Rogol"

On Sun, Jun 25, 2017 at 10:46 PM, Anna Stillwell 
wrote:

> Rogol,
>
> The statement, “the Foundation and all the external consultants advising it
> on this exercise are all US-based“, is not accurate.
>
> There are four streams of research and discovery in this phase:
>
>- organized groups
>- on-wiki
>- experts
>- new voices
>
> I’d like to introduce this list to some of the members of the team.
>
>- Organized groups is run by *Nicole Ebber*, who many of us know
>previously from her ongoing international work for Wikimedia
> Deutschland.
>She is a wonderfully thoughtful contributor to the movement and a lover
> of
>craft beer. She joins us from Berlin where she is based.
>
> New Voices has been a collaboration with different stakeholders in
> different markets.
>
>- *Adele Vrana* leads the New Voices team and runs focus groups in
>Brazil, where she is originally from. She is US-based now.  Adele has
> grown
>from an individual contributor at the foundation to a Director through
> her
>innate competence, hard work, and deep passion for the mission.
>
>
>- *Uzo Iweala* is running focus groups in Nigeria. He is born, raised,
>and residing in Nigeria. Uzo is an award-winning author and a medical
>doctor. He also has a unique view into Nigeria and a nuanced mind. We’ll
>need that. Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
>
>
>- *Ravishankar Ayyakkannu* is running focus groups in India. Ravi is
>born, raised, and residing in India. He has worked with the Global
>Partnerships team for some time now. I've read the reports from his
> group.
>Ravi is so enthusiastically engaged in his communities.
>
>
>- I have not checked these next ones, as I prioritized timeliness, but I
>believe *Jack Rabah*, a Jordanian based in Jordan is running groups in
>MENA. If you have not met Jack, then your life is not as good as it
> could
>be. He has played a pivotal role in our partnerships throughout the
> Middle
>East.
>
>
>- And I know that *Jorge Vargas*, a Colombian lawyer who made the leap
>from legal to global partnerships and never looked back, has been
> involved
>in all of this as well.  He has served the foundation well over a
> number of
>years, but the names of the countries escape me at the moment.
> Perdoname,
>Jorge.
>
> These people continue to organize communities of stakeholders, convene
> them, ask them about their communities and knowledge, and then listen.
>
> One of the reasons we've extended the timeline on movement strategy is
> because the insights they are bringing forward are so rich we think we all
> need more time to reflect upon them and integrate them into all existing
> community discussions.
>
> For the on-wiki team:
>
>- We invested into ongoing translation in 17 languages throughout this
>process. That team is managed by *Jan **Eissfeldt*, who is based between
>Taiwan (is that right, Jan?) and Spain.
>
> Just to clarify the record.
> /a
>
> On Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 11:45 PM, Rogol Domedonfors  >
> wrote:
>
> > This is not surprising, when the Foundation and all the external
> > consultants advising it on this exercise are all US-based.
> >
> > On Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 8:21 PM, Leinonen Teemu  >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Hej,
> > >
> > > Gerard made some very important points. My observation (not an opinion
> > :-)
> > > is also that the initiatives in, and with a focus on, global south are
> > > under served. They are more difficult to do, because of various
> reasons,
> > > but this should not be a reason not to do them. It is also true that
> > large
> > > majority of research on Wikipedia/Wikimedia is about the en-Wikipedia.
> If
> > > WMF could do something to promote research looking  beyond it would be
> > > great.
> > >
> > > -Teemu
> > >
> > > > Gerard Meijssen  kirjoitti 24.6.2017
> kello
> > > 13.00:
> > > >
> > > > Hoi,
> > > > The one serious flaw of the current practice is that English
> Wikipedia
> > > > receives more attention than it deserves based on its merits[1]. This
> > > bias
> > > > can be found in any and all areas. There is for instance a huge
> > > educational
> > > > effort going on for English and there is no strategy known,
> developed,
> > > > tried to use education to grow a Wikipedia from nothing to 100.000
> > > > articles.. the number considered to be necessary by some to have a
> > 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Affiliates] June 23: Update on Wikimedia movement strategy process (#19)

[Gregory Varnum]

Pine,

A proper response would take the Wikimedia Foundation some time to prepare. As 
Anna has tried to indicate, and as evidenced by a number of things, there are 
indeed a number of financial oversights. 

Regarding costs, as has been previously stated by the Foundation and Board, the 
Board approved a spending resolution last year for expenses related to the 
movement strategy of up to $2.5 million over Fiscal Year 2016-17 (July 2016 - 
June 2017) and Fiscal Year 2017-18 (July 2017 - June 2018).

On the topic of how resources are spent, I would like to share more on the cost 
of your request. Because you escalated in your language (e.g., calling our 
financial practices lax and asking to speak to a member of the Board), three 
senior leaders and two Board members have now spent time on this. I imagine 
that your concern is genuine, but the speed with which you went from asking for 
financial details when we have ample financial oversight, to hinting at fiscal 
malfeasance was a bit quick. 

You may not know this, but these kinds of requests are costly, particularly 
when it escalates with a strongly negative comment and a demand to speak to a 
Board member. I share these figures on the cost of this request thus far in the 
service of transparency. 

• 6: Number of staff involved in responding, including 3 senior leaders
• 2: Number of Board members now involved
• 1.5 hours: Estimated amount of Board time spent thus far
• 10 hours: Estimated amount of staff time spent thus far
• $1,500: Estimated cost of staff time (considering expenses beyond just 
salary) 

Providing the detailed answer you have requested would require considerably 
more time and increase the cost more. We have decided not to provide that 
response because we have ample financial oversight and we would like not to set 
a precedent of spending resources discussing this level of detail on financial 
matters. You are a valued member of this community, and this is not the best 
way for us to work together. That is why we have established processes. 

We appreciate your passion and dedication to the vision and our communities and 
hope you will read this response in the good faith that it was written. 

Greg and Anna (2 of the 6 staff involved)



> On Jun 27, 2017, at 3:38 PM, Pine W  wrote:
> 
> Hi Anna,
> 
>>> * How much is this timeline extension projected to cost, and from what
>>> source are the funds being drawn? (Note that this doesn't assume that the
>>> decision was a bad one, but I very much want to know the source of the
>>> funds and how much is likely to be drawn from it.)
>> 
>> 
>> We've got this covered, Pine. We are fiscally managing this process and all
>> of our contracts well. Thank you for your concern.
> 
> Please answer my question: how much is this timeline extension projected to
> cost,
> and from what source are the funds being drawn?
> 
> 
>>> * Could you elaborate on the benefits of this timetable change for people
>>> who are not involved with affiliates? We've seen some responses from
>>> Strainu and Yaroslov (thank you both!) and I would like to hear WMF's
>>> perspective.
>>> 
> 
>> The benefits of the change in the timetable are that 4/4 stakeholder
> groups
>> told us that this was a meaningful exercise, that they are earnestly
>> engaged in thinking about the future, and that they need more time for
>> translation and conversation on this important subject. 3/4 tracks are non
>> affiliates (on-wiki, new voices, experts).
> 
>> We agreed with them. These are meaningful conversations. We are learning a
>> lot and we need to hear what people have to say and they need more time to
>> say it.
> 
> OK, that makes sense.
> 
>> 
>> * Could you also discuss what measures are being taken to control costs in
>> the strategy process?
>> 
> 
>> We have plenty of measures in place to monitor costs (e.g., we don't need
>> to control them because they are not out of control, we are within our
>> budget). Also, describing financial metrics at any lower level of detail
>> would be a waste of the strategy budget since we are within it.
> 
> I disagree with that assessment. Simply because expenses are within
> budget don't mean that all expenses which were charged to the budget
> are reasonable and accurate, and I am disappointed to hear that WMF's
> standards for its finances are so lax. This convinces me all the more
> that my original request is important for WMF to answer: please discuss
> what measures are being taken to control costs in the strategy process.
> The level of detail that I now think WMF should provide is much higher
> than the level of detail with which I previously would have been satisfied.
> My level of concern here is high enough that I am asking the WMF
> Audit Committee chair, Kelly, to comment on this situation. Something seems
> very wrong here, and I am concerned about WMF's financial integrity.
> 
> Pine
> 
> 
> On Mon, Jun 26, 2017 at 8:33 PM, Anna Stillwell 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] What to do when the WMF is stingy with the community?

[John]

David Cuenca Tudela,

Looking at the proposed grant you only asked for 36000, you get that, then
you decided that the WMF is being greedy and you now want more money. If
you need 72,000 should not your initial request realized that and adjusted
the requesting amount accordingly? I will also note that the WMF is fairly
careful on how they send their money because they are accountable for how
its used. Honestly if I had someone coming to me with a estimated price
tag, only to come back fairly quickly with an updated cost of almost double
I would question the persons competence and re-asses the initial decision
to support them.

On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 2:41 PM, David Cuenca Tudela 
wrote:

> Hola Ivan,
>
> Así es, la idea es que la WMF pague las becas de viaje para la gente que no
> se lo puede permitir, y el resto de la conferencia lo pagaría la WMDE.
>
> En este caso la cantidad para la bolsa de viaje me parece demasiada baja
> para hacer que este evento (la primera vez que se realiza) funcione
> adecuadamente.
>
> Saludos,
> David
>
> On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 8:09 PM, Ivan Martínez  wrote:
>
> > Hola David.
> >
> > Hasta donde entendí está escrito en la subvención solicitada un total de
> 36
> > 000 euros, y el resto iba a ser cubierto por fondos que provienen de
> WMDE.
> > ¿No es así?. Como voluntario del Comité de Subvenciones a Conferencias,
> > quedo pendiente y en consideración de tú comentario.
> >
> > Saludos,
> >
> > 2017-06-28 13:02 GMT-05:00 Dariusz Jemielniak :
> >
> > > hi David,
> > >
> > >
> > > On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 7:52 PM, David Cuenca Tudela <
> dacu...@gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Recently the review for the Wikidata conference grant application has
> > > > started, and I have complained that the funds allocated are
> insuficient
> > > to
> > > > cover the needs of the grants. The requested amount for the grants
> was
> > > > 36,000 EUR, but in my opinion that should be at least 72,000 EUR.
> > > >
> > >
> > > You realize that this is pretty much what an annual budget of a small
> > > Wikimedia chapter is, right?
> > >
> > >
> > > > I have the feeling that the WMF is sitting on a pile of money just
> > giving
> > > > breadcrumbs to the community, and the community has to suffer in
> > silence
> > > > about this stinginess.
> > > >
> > >
> > > The WMF, just as the movement, has a responsibility to our donors, to
> > spend
> > > the money wisely and frugally. We surely do not always do so, but we
> try.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > Why are there two standards? One standard seems to be that everything
> > > that
> > > >
> > > the WMF needs to allocate can go unsupervised, whereas another standard
> > > > seems to apply to community activities where every penny is so
> > supervised
> > > > that it becomes a pain in the ass to organize anything big.
> > > >
> > >
> > > The WMF's spending is actually reviewed and commented on by the
> community
> > > and the FDC.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > The Wikidata Conference needs more funds to be a success and I think
> > that
> > > > in the grand scheme of things, the money requested is just peanuts
> > > compared
> > > > to the money that the WMF has collected from donors.
> > > >
> > >
> > > I believe we have a responsibility to treat our donor's contributions
> > with
> > > respect and care. I don't think that 70k Euro is peanuts, and rarely
> you
> > > will find any foundation or NGO considering such an amount to be
> > > insignificant.
> > >
> > >  best,
> > >
> > > dariusz
> > > ___
> > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > > wiki/Wikimedia-l
> > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > > 
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > *Iván Martínez*
> >
> > *Presidente - Wikimedia México A.C.User:ProtoplasmaKid *
> >
> > // Mis comunicaciones respecto a Wikipedia/Wikimedia pueden tener una
> > moratoria en su atención debido a que es un voluntariado.
> > // Ayuda a proteger a Wikipedia, dona ahora:
> https://donate.wikimedia.org
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > wiki/Wikimedia-l
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > 
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Etiamsi omnes, ego non
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] What to do when the WMF is stingy with the community?

[David Cuenca Tudela]

Hola Ivan,

Así es, la idea es que la WMF pague las becas de viaje para la gente que no
se lo puede permitir, y el resto de la conferencia lo pagaría la WMDE.

En este caso la cantidad para la bolsa de viaje me parece demasiada baja
para hacer que este evento (la primera vez que se realiza) funcione
adecuadamente.

Saludos,
David

On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 8:09 PM, Ivan Martínez  wrote:

> Hola David.
>
> Hasta donde entendí está escrito en la subvención solicitada un total de 36
> 000 euros, y el resto iba a ser cubierto por fondos que provienen de WMDE.
> ¿No es así?. Como voluntario del Comité de Subvenciones a Conferencias,
> quedo pendiente y en consideración de tú comentario.
>
> Saludos,
>
> 2017-06-28 13:02 GMT-05:00 Dariusz Jemielniak :
>
> > hi David,
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 7:52 PM, David Cuenca Tudela 
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Recently the review for the Wikidata conference grant application has
> > > started, and I have complained that the funds allocated are insuficient
> > to
> > > cover the needs of the grants. The requested amount for the grants was
> > > 36,000 EUR, but in my opinion that should be at least 72,000 EUR.
> > >
> >
> > You realize that this is pretty much what an annual budget of a small
> > Wikimedia chapter is, right?
> >
> >
> > > I have the feeling that the WMF is sitting on a pile of money just
> giving
> > > breadcrumbs to the community, and the community has to suffer in
> silence
> > > about this stinginess.
> > >
> >
> > The WMF, just as the movement, has a responsibility to our donors, to
> spend
> > the money wisely and frugally. We surely do not always do so, but we try.
> >
> >
> >
> > > Why are there two standards? One standard seems to be that everything
> > that
> > >
> > the WMF needs to allocate can go unsupervised, whereas another standard
> > > seems to apply to community activities where every penny is so
> supervised
> > > that it becomes a pain in the ass to organize anything big.
> > >
> >
> > The WMF's spending is actually reviewed and commented on by the community
> > and the FDC.
> >
> >
> >
> > > The Wikidata Conference needs more funds to be a success and I think
> that
> > > in the grand scheme of things, the money requested is just peanuts
> > compared
> > > to the money that the WMF has collected from donors.
> > >
> >
> > I believe we have a responsibility to treat our donor's contributions
> with
> > respect and care. I don't think that 70k Euro is peanuts, and rarely you
> > will find any foundation or NGO considering such an amount to be
> > insignificant.
> >
> >  best,
> >
> > dariusz
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > wiki/Wikimedia-l
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > 
> >
>
>
>
> --
> *Iván Martínez*
>
> *Presidente - Wikimedia México A.C.User:ProtoplasmaKid *
>
> // Mis comunicaciones respecto a Wikipedia/Wikimedia pueden tener una
> moratoria en su atención debido a que es un voluntariado.
> // Ayuda a proteger a Wikipedia, dona ahora: https://donate.wikimedia.org
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
>



-- 
Etiamsi omnes, ego non
___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] What to do when the WMF is stingy with the community?

[David Cuenca Tudela]

Dariusz,

What is the point of spending the funds frugally if our mission is not
accomplished? Why do we need to compare an event of this magnitude to a
small chapter?

The money is there to be used, not to sit on top of it without knowing what
to do with it. If the WMF doesn't know what to do with it, at least it
should go back to the community in the form of grants like this one. And if
that is not feasible, then it should be given back to donnors. And if that
is not feasible, then we should stop taking so much money because it seems
that we don't need it. Or do we?

Cheers,
Micru

On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 8:02 PM, Dariusz Jemielniak 
wrote:

> hi David,
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 7:52 PM, David Cuenca Tudela 
> wrote:
>
> > Recently the review for the Wikidata conference grant application has
> > started, and I have complained that the funds allocated are insuficient
> to
> > cover the needs of the grants. The requested amount for the grants was
> > 36,000 EUR, but in my opinion that should be at least 72,000 EUR.
> >
>
> You realize that this is pretty much what an annual budget of a small
> Wikimedia chapter is, right?
>
>
> > I have the feeling that the WMF is sitting on a pile of money just giving
> > breadcrumbs to the community, and the community has to suffer in silence
> > about this stinginess.
> >
>
> The WMF, just as the movement, has a responsibility to our donors, to spend
> the money wisely and frugally. We surely do not always do so, but we try.
>
>
>
> > Why are there two standards? One standard seems to be that everything
> that
> >
> the WMF needs to allocate can go unsupervised, whereas another standard
> > seems to apply to community activities where every penny is so supervised
> > that it becomes a pain in the ass to organize anything big.
> >
>
> The WMF's spending is actually reviewed and commented on by the community
> and the FDC.
>
>
>
> > The Wikidata Conference needs more funds to be a success and I think that
> > in the grand scheme of things, the money requested is just peanuts
> compared
> > to the money that the WMF has collected from donors.
> >
>
> I believe we have a responsibility to treat our donor's contributions with
> respect and care. I don't think that 70k Euro is peanuts, and rarely you
> will find any foundation or NGO considering such an amount to be
> insignificant.
>
>  best,
>
> dariusz
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 




-- 
Etiamsi omnes, ego non
___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] What to do when the WMF is stingy with the community?

[Natacha Rault]

no comprendo!
> Le 28 juin 2017 à 20:09, Ivan Martínez  a écrit :
> 
> Hola David.
> 
> Hasta donde entendí está escrito en la subvención solicitada un total de 36
> 000 euros, y el resto iba a ser cubierto por fondos que provienen de WMDE.
> ¿No es así?. Como voluntario del Comité de Subvenciones a Conferencias,
> quedo pendiente y en consideración de tú comentario.
> 
> Saludos,
> 
> 2017-06-28 13:02 GMT-05:00 Dariusz Jemielniak :
> 
>> hi David,
>> 
>> 
>> On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 7:52 PM, David Cuenca Tudela 
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> Recently the review for the Wikidata conference grant application has
>>> started, and I have complained that the funds allocated are insuficient
>> to
>>> cover the needs of the grants. The requested amount for the grants was
>>> 36,000 EUR, but in my opinion that should be at least 72,000 EUR.
>>> 
>> 
>> You realize that this is pretty much what an annual budget of a small
>> Wikimedia chapter is, right?
>> 
>> 
>>> I have the feeling that the WMF is sitting on a pile of money just giving
>>> breadcrumbs to the community, and the community has to suffer in silence
>>> about this stinginess.
>>> 
>> 
>> The WMF, just as the movement, has a responsibility to our donors, to spend
>> the money wisely and frugally. We surely do not always do so, but we try.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> Why are there two standards? One standard seems to be that everything
>> that
>>> 
>> the WMF needs to allocate can go unsupervised, whereas another standard
>>> seems to apply to community activities where every penny is so supervised
>>> that it becomes a pain in the ass to organize anything big.
>>> 
>> 
>> The WMF's spending is actually reviewed and commented on by the community
>> and the FDC.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> The Wikidata Conference needs more funds to be a success and I think that
>>> in the grand scheme of things, the money requested is just peanuts
>> compared
>>> to the money that the WMF has collected from donors.
>>> 
>> 
>> I believe we have a responsibility to treat our donor's contributions with
>> respect and care. I don't think that 70k Euro is peanuts, and rarely you
>> will find any foundation or NGO considering such an amount to be
>> insignificant.
>> 
>> best,
>> 
>> dariusz
>> ___
>> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
>> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
>> wiki/Wikimedia-l
>> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> *Iván Martínez*
> 
> *Presidente - Wikimedia México A.C.User:ProtoplasmaKid *
> 
> // Mis comunicaciones respecto a Wikipedia/Wikimedia pueden tener una
> moratoria en su atención debido a que es un voluntariado.
> // Ayuda a proteger a Wikipedia, dona ahora: https://donate.wikimedia.org
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 
> 


___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] What to do when the WMF is stingy with the community?

[Dariusz Jemielniak]

hi David,


On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 7:52 PM, David Cuenca Tudela 
wrote:

> Recently the review for the Wikidata conference grant application has
> started, and I have complained that the funds allocated are insuficient to
> cover the needs of the grants. The requested amount for the grants was
> 36,000 EUR, but in my opinion that should be at least 72,000 EUR.
>

You realize that this is pretty much what an annual budget of a small
Wikimedia chapter is, right?


> I have the feeling that the WMF is sitting on a pile of money just giving
> breadcrumbs to the community, and the community has to suffer in silence
> about this stinginess.
>

The WMF, just as the movement, has a responsibility to our donors, to spend
the money wisely and frugally. We surely do not always do so, but we try.



> Why are there two standards? One standard seems to be that everything that
>
the WMF needs to allocate can go unsupervised, whereas another standard
> seems to apply to community activities where every penny is so supervised
> that it becomes a pain in the ass to organize anything big.
>

The WMF's spending is actually reviewed and commented on by the community
and the FDC.



> The Wikidata Conference needs more funds to be a success and I think that
> in the grand scheme of things, the money requested is just peanuts compared
> to the money that the WMF has collected from donors.
>

I believe we have a responsibility to treat our donor's contributions with
respect and care. I don't think that 70k Euro is peanuts, and rarely you
will find any foundation or NGO considering such an amount to be
insignificant.

 best,

dariusz
___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 

[Wikimedia-l] What to do when the WMF is stingy with the community?

[David Cuenca Tudela]

Hello,

Recently the review for the Wikidata conference grant application has
started, and I have complained that the funds allocated are insuficient to
cover the needs of the grants. The requested amount for the grants was
36,000 EUR, but in my opinion that should be at least 72,000 EUR.

I have the feeling that the WMF is sitting on a pile of money just giving
breadcrumbs to the community, and the community has to suffer in silence
about this stinginess.
What can we do as a community to request with a clear voice the funds that
we need?

Why are there two standards? One standard seems to be that everything that
the WMF needs to allocate can go unsupervised, whereas another standard
seems to apply to community activities where every penny is so supervised
that it becomes a pain in the ass to organize anything big.

The Wikidata Conference needs more funds to be a success and I think that
in the grand scheme of things, the money requested is just peanuts compared
to the money that the WMF has collected from donors.

If things have to be done well, then the community has every right to claim
the money from the donors. The WMF has no right to appropriate that money
and use it as a hammer to sabotage events that could have a real impact
like the Wikidata Conference.

I request that the amount of funds allocated for grants to be increased
from 36,000 eur to 72,000 eur, and this is an informed request that I
perform both as a community member and as a member of the Wikidata
Conference Grants Committee.

The link to my complaint can be found here:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants_talk:Conference/WMDE/WikidataCon#Complaint_about_this_grant_application

The link to the Wikidata Conference Grants Commitee can be found here:
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:WikidataCon_2017/Volunteer/Scholarships_committee

I hope to have some feedback about this complaint. Thank you,
Micru
___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Affiliates] June 23: Update on Wikimedia movement strategy process (#19)

[Robert Fernandez]

You're right, it is way too much weight to assign to it.  It's a perfectly
reasonable statement that can be read as "The fact that we are under budget
is a sign that our normal fiscal controls are working" so I'm baffled that
it is being interpreted as "We don't care what we spend money on at all as
long as it is under this arbitrary number".

On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 3:06 AM, Rogol Domedonfors 
wrote:

> Robert,
>
> Budget control is not just accounting.  When a process that employs a lot
> of staff and contractor time was planned to take some period of time and is
> then extended, then yes, that is a reason to ask about control of costs.
> Anna alludes to one method of budget control – "We have plenty of measures
> in place to monitor costs (e.g., we don't need to control them because they
> are not out of control, we are within our budget)." – which sounds like
> that old-fashioned method in which you assign a sum of money to an activity
> and stop that activity when it is finished or when the money runs out,
> whichever happens first.  This would not now be best practice, but perhaps
> it is unfair to place too much weight on a passing comment.
>
> "Rogol"
>
> On Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 10:53 PM, Robert Fernandez  > wrote:
>
>> What kind of answer are you expecting here?  Do you have any reason to
>> believe that the WMF is not acting within its normal fiscally responsible
>> procedures in the particular case of the movement strategy process?  What
>> measures to control costs do you believe they are or are not taking in
>> regards to the strategy process?  Why is "the regular accounting stuff we
>> do all the time with millions of dollars of donor money every year" not a
>> specific enough answer?
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 3:38 PM, Pine W  wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> > > We have plenty of measures in place to monitor costs (e.g., we don't
>> need
>> > > to control them because they are not out of control, we are within our
>> > > budget). Also, describing financial metrics at any lower level of
>> detail
>> > > would be a waste of the strategy budget since we are within it.
>> >
>> > I disagree with that assessment. Simply because expenses are within
>> > budget don't mean that all expenses which were charged to the budget
>> > are reasonable and accurate, and I am disappointed to hear that WMF's
>> > standards for its finances are so lax. This convinces me all the more
>> > that my original request is important for WMF to answer: please discuss
>> > what measures are being taken to control costs in the strategy process.
>> > The level of detail that I now think WMF should provide is much higher
>> > than the level of detail with which I previously would have been
>> satisfied.
>> > My level of concern here is high enough that I am asking the WMF
>> > Audit Committee chair, Kelly, to comment on this situation. Something
>> seems
>> > very wrong here, and I am concerned about WMF's financial integrity.
>> ___
>> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
>> i/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
>> i/Wikimedia-l
>> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
>> 
>>
>
>
___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 

[Wikimedia-l] Board approval of FDC recommendation 2016-2017- Round 2

[Dariusz Jemielniak]

Dear members of the Wikimedia community,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, I write to
confirm that the board has approved [1] the full slate of the FDC’s Round 2
2016-2017 recommendations [2] for the Annual Plan Grants. We also have
taken good note of the FDC recommendations concerning the Wikimedia
Foundation's annual plan. In this round, 4 organizations will be receiving
a total of roughly US $1,605,000. Grants are made in local currency, so the
USD figure is approximate.

One entity appealed to the Board about the recommendations of the FDC. The
Board has carefully considered the appeal. After considering all of the
information, the Board decided not to override the recommendations of the
FDC, and separately  responded to the appeal in more depth.[3]

The Board wants to thank the Funds Dissemination Committee members and
staff for the time and effort they have put into this process, as well as
all members of the community who have participated in this round of review,
analysis and deliberations. We appreciate that so many Wikimedians have
contributed to this participatory process, and we value those efforts.

Thank you to all the organizations who submitted proposals in this round,
and for the work that the volunteers and staff of these organizations have
put in to further our movement’s mission.

Volunteers are at the heart of the Funds Dissemination Committee. We are
lucky to have a committee comprised of nine dedicated community members who
give a lot of their time and energy into making this funding program a
reality. We thank you all for your work this year.

Five of the members of the FDC have terms that have ended this year. I want
to thank Itzik Edri (User:Itzike) and Michael Peel (User:Mike Peel) for
their years of service to this  committee and congratulate (Michał
Buczyński (User:Aegis Maelstrom), Lorenzo Losa (User:Laurentius),  and Liam
Wyatt (User:Wittylama) for their reelection. I also welcome back Osmar
Valdebenito to the FDC and welcome Katherine Bavage as a first timer on the
FDC and congratulate them both for being elected. The Board is looking
forward to working with you.


Sincerely,

Dariusz Jemielniak (“pundit”), on behalf of the WMF Board of Trustees


[1]
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:Board_approval_of_FDC_recommendation_(2016-17,_Round_2)

[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_recommendations/2016-2017_round_2

[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Appeals_to_the_Board_on_the_recommendations_of_the_FDC
___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Do you want to get that featured on the WMF blog? Was: Re: The editing contest "Translating Ibero-America" is back! Come and join us :)

[Anna Torres]

Sure Samir!

How can we start working? ;)

2017-06-27 12:58 GMT-03:00 Samir Elsharbaty :

> That was meant to be sent to Anna offlist. Sorry for sending here. Please
> ignore this message.
>
> Samir Elsharbaty
> Communications|Wikimedia Foundation
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 5:56 PM, Samir Elsharbaty <
> selsharb...@wikimedia.org
> > wrote:
>
> > Hey Anna,
> >
> > I hope that everything is going well at your end.
> >
> > I think this contest is doing REALLY well and was wondering if you would
> > like us to feature it on the Wikimedia blog. If you are interested, I can
> > start drafting something after getting some information/quotes from you
> > and/or other lead organizers/participants. Also, if you prefer to write,
> we
> > will be happy to publish something written in your words.
> >
> > Please let me know if you have any thoughts.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Samir Elsharbaty
> > Communications|Wikimedia Foundation
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Jun 1, 2017 at 11:28 PM, Anna Torres 
> wrote:
> >
> > > Dear all,
> > >
> > > On behalf of Iberocoop, we would like to invite you to participate to
> our
> > > anual translating contest regarding the Ibero-American culture. The
> > contest
> > > aims to improve the presence of our culture far beyond our borders as a
> > way
> > > to improve the diverse and quality content in other Wikipedias.
> > >
> > > You can find the contest page here
> > >  Ibero-America_2017
> > >.
> > >
> > > Please spread the word!
> > >
> > > We hope to seeing you participating :)
> > >
> > > Hugs!
> > >
> > > --
> > > Anna Torres Adell
> > > Directora Ejecutiva
> > > *A.C. Wikimedia Argentina*
> > > ___
> > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > > wiki/Wikimedia-l
> > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > > 
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > wiki/Wikimedia-l
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > 
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
>



-- 
Anna Torres Adell
Directora Ejecutiva
*A.C. Wikimedia Argentina*
___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Affiliates] June 23: Update on Wikimedia movement strategy process (#19)

[Rogol Domedonfors]

Robert,

Budget control is not just accounting.  When a process that employs a lot
of staff and contractor time was planned to take some period of time and is
then extended, then yes, that is a reason to ask about control of costs.
Anna alludes to one method of budget control – "We have plenty of measures
in place to monitor costs (e.g., we don't need to control them because they
are not out of control, we are within our budget)." – which sounds like
that old-fashioned method in which you assign a sum of money to an activity
and stop that activity when it is finished or when the money runs out,
whichever happens first.  This would not now be best practice, but perhaps
it is unfair to place too much weight on a passing comment.

"Rogol"

On Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 10:53 PM, Robert Fernandez 
wrote:

> What kind of answer are you expecting here?  Do you have any reason to
> believe that the WMF is not acting within its normal fiscally responsible
> procedures in the particular case of the movement strategy process?  What
> measures to control costs do you believe they are or are not taking in
> regards to the strategy process?  Why is "the regular accounting stuff we
> do all the time with millions of dollars of donor money every year" not a
> specific enough answer?
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 3:38 PM, Pine W  wrote:
> >
> >
> > > We have plenty of measures in place to monitor costs (e.g., we don't
> need
> > > to control them because they are not out of control, we are within our
> > > budget). Also, describing financial metrics at any lower level of
> detail
> > > would be a waste of the strategy budget since we are within it.
> >
> > I disagree with that assessment. Simply because expenses are within
> > budget don't mean that all expenses which were charged to the budget
> > are reasonable and accurate, and I am disappointed to hear that WMF's
> > standards for its finances are so lax. This convinces me all the more
> > that my original request is important for WMF to answer: please discuss
> > what measures are being taken to control costs in the strategy process.
> > The level of detail that I now think WMF should provide is much higher
> > than the level of detail with which I previously would have been
> satisfied.
> > My level of concern here is high enough that I am asking the WMF
> > Audit Committee chair, Kelly, to comment on this situation. Something
> seems
> > very wrong here, and I am concerned about WMF's financial integrity.
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
>
___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,