Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Changes at the Wikimedia Foundation Fundraising Team
Thanks everyone - I learned and grew a lot here thanks to all of you. Now Lisa, Megan, Sara, Katie and the whole fundraising team are going to take it up to a whole new level of efficiency and brilliance. I'm excited about my next gig -- not yet announced, but not a secret -- which is going back to Thoughtworks (where I was before WMF) to build and lead a team that will make tools for grassroots/political organizing on a pro bono basis. If you ever see a group that's got a great campaign/movement/protest on their hands who need some just-in-time tools, please let me know at zackex...@gmail.com Zack On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 8:53 PM, Dan Rosenthal swatjes...@gmail.com wrote: Congratulations about the new site Zack, and congratulations to Megan, Lisa, and Sara! Dan Rosenthal On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 9:38 PM, James Salsman jsals...@gmail.com wrote: I know I've been critical of Zack Exley for technical reasons over the past year, but I think very highly of him as a person. If I was recruiting colonists for an interstellar colonization mission, he would likely be in the top 100 based on his accomplishments, orientation, drive, and social skills alone. But even if he weren't, his new project is outstandingly spectacular on its own merits, and I want to urge everyone reading this in or from the U.S. to sign up and join it: http://www.fivethirtysix.org/ I predict that anyone with even a passing interest in U.S. politics who doesn't follow FiveThirtySix will first regret it, and then end up following it afterwards to prevent further such regret. Also, congratulations to Megan and Lisa! Sincerely, James Salsman ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe -- Zack Exley Chief Revenue Officer Wikimedia Foundation ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Changes at the Wikimedia Foundation Fundraising Team
If I was recruiting colonists for an interstellar colonization mission, he would likely be in the top 100 Thanks James - If I ever publish a book, I'm putting that quote on the back! On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 8:38 PM, James Salsman jsals...@gmail.com wrote: I know I've been critical of Zack Exley for technical reasons over the past year, but I think very highly of him as a person. If I was recruiting colonists for an interstellar colonization mission, he would likely be in the top 100 based on his accomplishments, orientation, drive, and social skills alone. But even if he weren't, his new project is outstandingly spectacular on its own merits, and I want to urge everyone reading this in or from the U.S. to sign up and join it: http://www.fivethirtysix.org/ I predict that anyone with even a passing interest in U.S. politics who doesn't follow FiveThirtySix will first regret it, and then end up following it afterwards to prevent further such regret. Also, congratulations to Megan and Lisa! Sincerely, James Salsman ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe -- Zack Exley Chief Revenue Officer Wikimedia Foundation ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
[Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Changes at the Wikimedia Foundation Fundraising Team
Hi folks, I’m sorry to tell you that Zack Exley has decided he wants to leave the Wikimedia Foundation, although I am glad to say he’s planning to continue contributing his prodigious creative and analytic talents to our fundraising. As of August 30, Zack will no longer be Chief Revenue Officer, but will instead be a part-time consultant and advisor to the WMF fundraising team, in addition to other consulting work he’s planning to take on. We all owe Zack enormous thanks and praise. The year before Zack joined us, the WMF raised USD 16 million in donations, and three years later that has more than tripled to USD 56 million -- and we are doing it in a way that’s 100% consistent with our mission, vision and values. The many-small-donors model preserves the Wikimedia movement’s independence by preventing over-reliance on a small number of people, it enables the WMF to focus on readers and editors without having their needs drowned out by other stakeholders, and it makes us the largest amount of money at the smallest-possible cost. Zack has earned his place in the histories of Wikimedia yet to be written: for the past three years, he has been the single person most responsible for funding the growth of resources for the global movement. Zack is leaving the WMF fundraising team in terrific shape, and I’m very happy to announce I’ll be promoting into the position of Chief Revenue Officer the deputy head of the department, Lisa Seitz Gruwell. Since Lisa joined in 2011, both Zack and I have come to heavily rely on her leadership, managerial and strategic abilities. Lisa has been responsible for foundations and major donors as well as being Zack’s deputy, and over the past two years she and her team have significantly grown revenues without increasing the costs to the organization. This is a big deal: most non-profits need their non-fundraising staff to participate in fundraising efforts, and it’s to Lisa’s credit that her team has figured out how to raise money without that. Lisa is widely respected and trusted. I look forward to her leadership and am confident she will continue Fundraising’s track record of success. We are also promoting Megan Hernandez, who has been the behind-the-scenes creative talent of our last two online campaigns. She will become Director of Online Fundraising, leading all our online work. And we are promoting Sara Lasner to the role of Development Director, where she will lead the foundations and major gifts team that has been Lisa’s responsibility. Congratulations to Megan and Sara. Our fundraising strategy will not change. We will continue to focus on the many-small-donors model, supplemented by unrestricted grants and major gifts. Everything takes effect immediately, except Zack’s official departure which will be August 30. He won't be at Wikimania, but people in the San Francisco Bay Area will get a chance to see him when he comes to town in early September. And of course we'll continue to see him afterwards, in his new relationship with us. I’m very confident in the trio of Lisa, Megan and Sara to lead fundraising for the movement, and I’m delighted Zack will continue to lend his guidance and creativity to our campaigns. Please join me in thanking Zack for everything he has done for the Wikimedia movement and for his continued involvement. And congratulations to Lisa, Megan, and Sara on their well-deserved promotions. Thanks, Sue -- Executive Director, Wikimedia Foundation ___ Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia community. For more information about Wikimedia-l: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l ___ WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Changes at the Wikimedia Foundation Fundraising Team
Thanks Zack for your hard work over the last few years. There's no questioning the fantastic success in fundraising the WMF has seen during your tenure, and I know I've appreciated your willingness to engage and discuss fundraising issues with members of the community. Good luck with whatever comes next! ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Changes at the Wikimedia Foundation Fundraising Team
On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 3:40 PM, Sue Gardner sgard...@wikimedia.org wrote: We all owe Zack enormous thanks and praise. No kidding - the accomplishments of the fundraising team have been amazing. In addition to supporting WMF's growth and thereby our ability to take on very ambitious and complex projects like VisualEditor, Zack has also optimized practically all other aspects of the fundraiser, including duration/persistence, geographic/cultural diversity of our messaging, storytelling, impact on registered users, etc. He's also been one of the strongest proponents of making decisions informed by data. We still rely on the bursts of insights generated in the Summer of Research, and Zack has helped kickstart many important habits in our work. He's also brought many excellent individuals to WMF, including Lisa, who will be a fantastic CRO. I'm glad Zack will continue to provide insights and support to the fundraising team, and I'll be intrigued to read or hear more about what he does with the rest of his time. :-) All best, Erik -- Erik Möller VP of Engineering and Product Development, Wikimedia Foundation ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Changes at the Wikimedia Foundation Fundraising Team
On 29 July 2013 17:41, Erik Moeller e...@wikimedia.org wrote: On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 3:40 PM, Sue Gardner sgard...@wikimedia.org wrote: etc. He's also been one of the strongest proponents of making decisions informed by data. We still rely on the bursts of insights generated in the Summer of Research, and Zack has helped kickstart many important habits in our work. I know! In my first drafts of the announcement, I wrote quite a lot about the Summer of Research and all the insight intelligence Zack brought to understanding the Wikimedia community and its internal workings, as well as the specifics of the editor retention problem. I took it all out because the note got too long, and was really supposed to focus on the Fundraising department as well as just Zack. Thank you for bringing it back up :-) Sue ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Changes at the Wikimedia Foundation Fundraising Team
I know I've been critical of Zack Exley for technical reasons over the past year, but I think very highly of him as a person. If I was recruiting colonists for an interstellar colonization mission, he would likely be in the top 100 based on his accomplishments, orientation, drive, and social skills alone. But even if he weren't, his new project is outstandingly spectacular on its own merits, and I want to urge everyone reading this in or from the U.S. to sign up and join it: http://www.fivethirtysix.org/ I predict that anyone with even a passing interest in U.S. politics who doesn't follow FiveThirtySix will first regret it, and then end up following it afterwards to prevent further such regret. Also, congratulations to Megan and Lisa! Sincerely, James Salsman ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Changes at the Wikimedia Foundation Fundraising Team
Congratulations about the new site Zack, and congratulations to Megan, Lisa, and Sara! Dan Rosenthal On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 9:38 PM, James Salsman jsals...@gmail.com wrote: I know I've been critical of Zack Exley for technical reasons over the past year, but I think very highly of him as a person. If I was recruiting colonists for an interstellar colonization mission, he would likely be in the top 100 based on his accomplishments, orientation, drive, and social skills alone. But even if he weren't, his new project is outstandingly spectacular on its own merits, and I want to urge everyone reading this in or from the U.S. to sign up and join it: http://www.fivethirtysix.org/ I predict that anyone with even a passing interest in U.S. politics who doesn't follow FiveThirtySix will first regret it, and then end up following it afterwards to prevent further such regret. Also, congratulations to Megan and Lisa! Sincerely, James Salsman ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
