Thank you for your feedback. As a team we are happy to see the necessary conversations and questions being raised and we look forward to working with you to make this better. The report was set out as an experiment with the purpose of consolidating chapters published financial reports to observe what trends may exist.
@ GerardM: As you have rightly said the relative value of the report is affected if any principal information is omitted and also how things are done within each chapter’s country needs to be taken into account. If the current outcome of combining 37 financial statements is not optimal - we acknowledge it can be improved - then how can we make it better? If necessary, what variables (e.g. staff/volunteers info) need to be taken in account? … @Ilario: We appreciate that insight. We agree that further steps need to be taken to make the data we gathered more comparable. A first step was allocating all the chapter’s currently used line items to a common revenue and costs category. Now we will need to focus more on refining the first step and, in line with your advice, looking further into: - how can the data we gathered be kept in its original context? - how can the data be used by the chapters in a meaningful and comparable way? During our open discussion presentation at Wikimania, such questions can be explored further. Since this is an experiment towards a consolidated trends report, we can collaboratively observe loopholes/blind spots that may exist and move towards a solution. Thank you. Regards On Thu, Jun 11, 2015 at 3:23 AM, Gerard Meijssen <gerard.meijs...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hoi, > Raising revenue is done in one way. We ask people, they give. > > We tell everybody that the WMF is a charity in the USA.. FINE but it is > also a charity in many other countries for instance in the Netherlands. > Increasing the amount of money in the Netherlands can be done in many ways. > The chapter may help but there are other ways as well. To do this well. you > have to be aware about how things are done in a country. Given that it is > possible to have gifts to charities fully tax deductible, it is relevant to > look after such details.. I know about them and I do not mind to help. > Thanks, > GerardM > > On 11 June 2015 at 11:49, Ilario Valdelli <valde...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Hi, the idea is interesting, I am a volunteer in same grant committees of > > WMF and I can only agree to have a more comparable financial sheets > (mainly > > in the use of the currencies). > > > > But I have some concerns. > > > > a) I hope that this project will produce more comparable financial sheets > > but without leaving the context were chapters are working. An example is > > the cost per day of an employee because if there is a standardization of > > these financial data but "out of the context" the risk is that the > > financial statements can generate not realistic data. It means that the > > total costs of the staff in a country with high salaries cannot be > > comparable with another having lower salaries without a "balanced" data. > > > > b) I really hope that you will push also the addition of the relevance of > > the results of the fundraising in each country, because we always think > > that the cow produces milk, we never think that we have to harvest the > cow > > to produce its milk!!!! The financial statements of a chapters out of the > > context of the WMF fundraising in each country limits a lot the real > value > > of the costs. > > > > Regards > > > > On Thu, Oct 30, 2014 at 12:15 AM, Michael Guss <mg...@wikimedia.org> > > wrote: > > > > > Hi folks, > > > > > > We are the Finance Fellows, a multicultural team consisting of 4 young > > > professionals. We are happy to introduce a 6-month movement-wide > project > > > that focuses on the consistency of how we operate, which is explained > > > further in this announcement. > > > > > > *But here's some information about us*: > > > > > > Arda [User:Melmas_(WMF)] < > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Melmas_(WMF)> is > > > from Turkey. He holds a BA in Economics. > > > > > > > > > Lene [User:Lgillis_(WMF)] > > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Lgillis_(WMF)> is from Belgium. > > She > > > holds a Master's degree in Applied Economics and a Master's degree in > > > Business Communication. > > > > > > Seyi [User:Oolukoya_(WMF)] > > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Oolukoya_(WMF)> is from Nigeria. > > She > > > holds a Master's in International Business and a BSc in Economics. > > > > > > Walter [User:Wagsegura_(WMF)] > > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Wagsegura_(WMF)> is from > > Nicaragua. > > > He holds a BA in Applied Economics. > > > > > > *About the project "Movement-wide financial report"* > > > > > > Driven by the Wikimedia Foundation's guiding principles of transparency > > and > > > accountability, our goal is to gather data and develop systematic > metrics > > > in order to provide a better understanding of financial statements. The > > aim > > > is to help make financial data and statements more consistent and > > > comparable across all Wikimedia Chapters, Thematic Organizations, and > the > > > Wikimedia Foundation, to the benefit of the whole movement. > > > > > > The idea of this project comes from the WMF Board of Trustee's Audit > > > Committee and is supported by the Wikimedia Foundation. An initial > > > quantitative > > > analysis of Wikimedia Chapters and Thematic Organizations > > > < > > https://wikimania2013.wikimedia.org/wiki/Submissions/Chapters_in_Numbers > > > > > demonstrated > > > at Wikimania 2013 by Michal Buczyński (User:Aegis Maelstrom) > > > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Aegis_Maelstrom>, highlighted the > > > importance of meaningful, obtainable and unified data. > > > > > > The Finance Fellows have been formed by WMF to spearhead this project. > > The > > > intention of this project is to enable Wikimedia Chapters and Thematic > > > Organizations to benchmark activities and costs in a consistent way. We > > > will begin by gathering comparable quantitative financial data about > > > Wikimedia Chapters and Thematic Organizations. Our findings will later > be > > > released movement-wide, on Meta-Wiki. > > > > > > Please note that this is not an audit process. We are simply collecting > > the > > > data and developing global metrics. The metric is an objective > > measurement > > > that will enable data to be consistent, meaningful and comparable among > > the > > > Wikimedia Chapters, Thematic Organizations, and the Wikimedia > Foundation. > > > > > > We will build on existing data sets and reach out to Chapters and > > Thematic > > > Organizations if further information is required. After processing the > > > gathered information, we will confirm the data with each organization. > > > > > > In the long run, we envision that this project could be replicated > > > annually. In this attempt to enable Wikimedia Chapters, Thematic > > > Organizations, and the Wikimedia Foundation to help make the movement's > > > financial data more consistent, we rely on the data provided by the > > > organizations. We believe that there is enough data available to make a > > new > > > attempt on capturing the movement's finances as a whole. > > > > > > A meta page < > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement-wide_Financial_Report> > > > was > > > created for the project, in order to make the information accessible to > > > everyone and create a space for discussion and/or suggestions. We > > strongly > > > encourage you to share with us what types of additional information is > > > desired. > > > > > > And of course: This is all an experiment! If it does not work, we will > > try > > > to apply a modified 'agile' process by iterating, repeating, and trying > > > again based on the feedback we are getting. If this does not seem > right, > > or > > > if it appears we are missing something obvious, please let us know! > > > > > > Thank you, > > > > > > WMF Finance Fellows (User:WMF Finance Fellows) > > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:WMF_Finance_Fellows> > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Ilario Valdelli > > Wikimedia CH > > Verein zur Förderung Freien Wissens > > Association pour l’avancement des connaissances libre > > Associazione per il sostegno alla conoscenza libera > > Switzerland - 8008 Zürich > > Wikipedia: Ilario <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ilario> > > Skype: valdelli > > Facebook: Ilario Valdelli <https://www.facebook.com/ivaldelli> > > Twitter: Ilario Valdelli <https://twitter.com/ilariovaldelli> > > Linkedin: Ilario Valdelli < > http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=6724469 > > > > > Tel: +41764821371 > > http://www.wikimedia.ch > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > 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, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > -- Seyi Olukoya Finance Fellow Wikimedia Foundation *415.960.9409* (cell) www.wikimediafoundation.org _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
