The links to the donor FAQ are there. The smaller banners expand when you click on a payment method.
On Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 3:06 AM Andreas Kolbe <jayen...@gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks for those links, Lisa. I note that the January press release[1] > merely said, > > > *"In addition, the Foundation recently developed a $4.5 million Equity > Fund that will offer grants to advance more equitable, inclusive > representation in Wikimedia projects, including Wikipedia."* > > This tells the reader very little. In particular, it does not make clear > that these are grants for recipients that would be ineligible for > Wikimedia's traditional community grants. > > The 2019/2020 audit report[2] said, in the notes on page 14, > > *During the year ended June 30, 2020, the Foundation provided an > unconditional grant to Tides Advocacy in the amount of of $8.723 million > for the Wikimedia Knowledge Equity Fund. This fund will be used to invest > in grant-making opportunities to increase the availability of free > knowledge and counteract structural inequalities to foster a just and > equitable representation of knowledge and people in the Wikimedia movement, > and to fund the annual operating expenses of other Wikimedia chapter > organizations in service of our mission of free knowledge. The Wikimedia > Knowledge Equity Fund is managed and controlled by Tides Advocacy. For the > year ended June 30, 2020, the amount funded is recorded in awards and > grants expense.* > > Neither of these really provided enough detail to give the reader an > adequate sense of these plans, or explained how the funds will be disbursed. > > $4.5 million is a substantial amount of money. It represents no less than > 4% of total 2019/2020 expenses. In my view, this warrants more visible > communication than a single sentence buried in a 1,000-word blog post that > was about a different topic altogether, and an unpublicised page on Meta > that no one but an insider is likely to find. > > Lastly, you say that every banner includes a link to the donor FAQ. When > the Latin American fundraising campaign was announced on Spanish Wikipedia, > Camille posted[3] the following to show the community what the banners > would look like: > > Lo siento, envié URL obsoletas. Aquí están los actualizados. Desktop Large > <https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Wikipedias&banner=B2021_0503_esLA_dsk_p1_lg_twin1&country=CL> > // Desktop Small > <https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Wikipedias&banner=B2021_0503_esLA_dsk_p2_sm_twin1&country=CL> > // Mobile Large > <https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia?banner=B2021_0503_esLA_m_p1_lg_twin1&country=CL> > // Mobile Small > <https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia?banner=B2021_0503_esLA_m_p2_sm_twin1&country=CL> > --CDenes (WMF) <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usuario:CDenes_(WMF)> ( > discusión > <https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Usuario_discusi%C3%B3n:CDenes_(WMF)&action=edit&redlink=1>) > 19:30 30 abr 2021 (UTC) > > Clicking on her links on my desktop, I find that only one of the four > banners (Desktop Large), as displayed on the Wikipedia page that comes up, > includes a link, in small print, to the FAQ ("Preguntas frecuentes"). None > of the others do. Can anyone else see such links on the pages that come up > when you click on Camille's links? > > The recent Brazilian press screenshot available at > https://img.olhardigital.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Doacao-Wikipedia.jpg > lacks such a link as well, does it not? While it is in Portuguese rather > than Spanish, it matches the layout of what Camille posted precisely (with > the wording as adjusted following the recent community complaints at the > Portuguese Village Pump).[4] > > As far as I can see, the user will only ever be shown a small FAQ link if > and after they initiate the payment process. At that point, their attention > is distracted, because they have to select a money amount or mode of > payment, email option etc. This seems designed to minimise the likelihood > that a user will actually go and read the FAQ. > > Best, > Andreas > > [1] > https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2021/01/14/wikipedia-celebrates-20-years/ > [2] > https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/f/f7/Wikimedia_Foundation_FY2019-2020_Audit_Report.pdf > [3] > https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Café/Archivo/Miscelánea/Actual&oldid=135491333#WMF_Fundraising_on_Spanish_Wiki_in_AR,_CL,_CO,_PE,_UY > [4] > https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipédia:Esplanada/geral/Banner_solicitando_doações_(20abr2021) > > On Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 1:56 AM Lisa Gruwell <lgruw...@wikimedia.org> > wrote: > >> Thank you to those who attended our Equity Fund Office Hours. We had a >> small turnout with about three people attending the second session (evening >> UTC) earlier today to speak with the Equity Fund Committee and learn more >> about the fund. It was a constructive conversation and we learned of some >> particular challenges in India that are barriers for participation in our >> projects. We are adding the questions that were asked and the answers in >> the Knowledge Equity Fund FAQ >> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Equity_Fund/Frequently_asked_questions>. >> Thank you to those who attended. >> >> My 2 cents on some of the points in this thread: >> >> >> 1. >> >> Definitely complete the form, Sam! Those projects seem very >> interesting and definitely worthy of exploration for this. Thank you for >> sharing them. >> 2. >> >> We want to be clear: This fund is insufficient to solve the problems >> with Knowledge Inequity as it relates to race. We are aiming to make >> progress and work with others who also advance this work. >> 3. >> >> Knowledge Equity is a central part of the 2030 Strategic Direction >> and our donors were included in the conversations that got us there. They >> very much want equity to guide our work. Last year, Katherine and Janeen >> published a very clear stand on racial justice >> >> <https://medium.com/freely-sharing-the-sum-of-all-knowledge/we-stand-for-racial-justice-49c31afbabca> >> that led to this fund. While we can’t mention every WMF program in the >> space of a banner, we do include more information about WMF programs in >> the donor >> FAQ <https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/FAQ#What_is_Wikipedia?> which >> is linked on every banner with more links to our plans, annual reports, >> announcements and more detail regarding our programs. In terms of the >> Knowledge Equity Fund, we announced it in the press release >> >> <https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2021/01/14/wikipedia-celebrates-20-years/> >> that we posted for Wikipedia’s 20th birthday in January in seven >> languages. It is also in our 2019-2020 fiscal year Audit Report >> <https://wikimediafoundation.org/about/financial-reports/>. More >> information on the Knowledge Equity Fund >> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Equity_Fund> is now on >> meta. We look forward to sharing more information about the Fund’s >> progress with the community and donors alike later this summer. >> 4. >> >> To clarify, this is not a $4.5 million grant to Tides Advocacy for >> their programs around racial inequity. Instead, the Equity Fund >> Committee >> >> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Equity_Fund#The_Equity_Fund_Committee> >> sets the direction of the fund, identifies grantees and submits them to >> Tides for review and administration. The Equity Fund Committee is >> identifying grantees that fit in the five focus areas >> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Equity_Fund#Areas_of_Funding> >> to address racial inequity and free knowledge, and will benefit the >> Wikimedia movement. >> >> >> Thanks again for the questions and suggestions. We welcome any follow-up >> or additional questions on the Talk page >> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Knowledge_Equity_Fund&action=edit&redlink=1> >> . >> >> Best, >> >> Lisa >> >> >> On Sun, Jun 13, 2021 at 9:17 AM Andreas Kolbe <jayen...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Hi Lisa and all, >>> >>> Thanks for the info. >>> >>> Laudable though the goals of the Knowledge Equity Fund surely are, you >>> seem to be saying that you gave $4.5 million – which readers presumably >>> donated because they thought you were struggling to have enough money to >>> keep Wikipedia up and running – to Tides Advocacy for the kind of >>> "dismantling inequities" work that Tides Advocacy does anyway.[1] >>> >>> If donors had wanted to support Tides Advocacy's racial equity work, >>> surely they could have donated to that organisation in the first place? >>> >>> Have you announced – or will you announce – this redirection of funds to >>> the public, complete with an explanation of how this decision came about >>> (i.e. as a result of last year's underspend, as described in your mail last >>> December)?[2] At the time of writing, a Google search is unable to locate a >>> related Wikimedia blog post or press release. >>> >>> Without such a public communication, donors will not even be aware that >>> money they gave in response to banners asking for donations "to protect >>> Wikipedia's independence" etc. is now going to be used for a different >>> purpose altogether, one that is expressly outside of the scope of the >>> conventional Wikimedia community grants that they might reasonably have >>> expected their money to be used for.[3] >>> >>> Moreover, at some point, Wikipedia readers will no doubt be asked to >>> donate another $4.5 million to meet expenses these funds could have covered >>> (such as the most recent $5 million WMF donation to the endowment). >>> >>> Do you agree donors should be told? >>> >>> Best, >>> Andreas >>> >>> [1] https://tidesadvocacy.org >>> [2] >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/XI5A4FKDJUK3VWOQWZIPIZXMWAMIX5IW/ >>> [3] >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Equity_Fund/Frequently_asked_questions#9._How_will_the_Equity_Fund_work_with_existing_grants_programmes >>> ? >>> >>> On Fri, Jun 11, 2021 at 6:42 PM Nadee Gunasena <ngunas...@wikimedia.org> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Hi all, >>>> >>>> We realized we had shared the wrong date for the Equity Fund Office >>>> Hours. Lisa's email initially said these would be Monday, June 13 - that >>>> should be Monday, June 14. Sorry for any confusion - Updated times below. >>>> You can also find these details and more information on Meta: >>>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Equity_Fund >>>> >>>> >>>> - >>>> >>>> Monday, June 14 at 0100-0200 UTC meet.google.com/myf-zcaw-ubg >>>> - >>>> >>>> Monday, June 14 at 1500-1600 UTC meet.google.com/dzu-edej-wva >>>> >>>> ᐧ >>>> >>>> On Wed, Jun 9, 2021 at 10:15 AM Lisa Gruwell <lgruw...@wikimedia.org> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hi everyone, >>>>> >>>>> I’m excited to share more information about the Wikimedia Foundation’s >>>>> Knowledge Equity Fund. >>>>> >>>>> The Equity Fund is a pilot initiative that came out of the commitment >>>>> the Foundation’s leadership team made in June 2020 [1] in the wake of >>>>> global protests against racial injustice. Our goal was to create a >>>>> grant-making fund with an explicit focus on addressing barriers to free >>>>> knowledge experienced by Black, indigenous and communities of color around >>>>> the world. >>>>> >>>>> This is a $4.5 million USD fund to address racial inequities that >>>>> impact the work of free knowledge. It was created to provide focused >>>>> grants >>>>> to organizations that are advancing knowledge equity, one of two key >>>>> pillars of our 2030 strategic direction of becoming the essential >>>>> infrastructure of free knowledge. Specifically, the fund is meant to >>>>> support organizations working to address the racial injustices and >>>>> barriers >>>>> that prevent participation in free knowledge. >>>>> >>>>> We allocated funds for the Equity Fund at the end of the Foundation’s >>>>> fiscal year last June. [2] It took more time than we expected to share our >>>>> plans for this pilot program, as we’ve been navigating the >>>>> operational and logistical issues of creating a new type of fund. >>>>> Over the past several months since the Equity Fund was first announced, >>>>> Foundation staff and volunteers have been meeting to discuss the goals and >>>>> the details of the Equity Fund, and we finally have more to share. >>>>> >>>>> The Equity Fund will be used to support local and international >>>>> organizations that don’t currently qualify for grants funding from the >>>>> Foundation, such as external organizations that can help advance our >>>>> mission and are not working directly on wikiprojects. We recognize that >>>>> the >>>>> work of knowledge equity is work that we as a movement cannot do alone. >>>>> Our >>>>> projects can only do so much when, for example, academic and mass media >>>>> representation of marginalized communities remains insufficient, which in >>>>> turn limits citations and primary sources for us to build from. Through >>>>> Equity Fund investments, we wish to create an ecosystem of partners, >>>>> collaborators, and grantees working on knowledge equity that will benefit >>>>> the movement. This could include journalism projects to increase content >>>>> about underrepresented regions of the world, or scholarship and research >>>>> initiatives that are focused on expanding academic understanding of >>>>> structural barriers to knowledge and potential solutions. >>>>> >>>>> The Equity Fund is separate from the grants that are available for >>>>> community groups and the ongoing Grants Relaunch [3]. It is a new pool of >>>>> funds that we can use to directly impact knowledge equity, and >>>>> specifically >>>>> barriers due to race that prevent access and participation in free >>>>> knowledge. >>>>> >>>>> We are currently working to identify the first grant recipients for >>>>> the Equity Fund. The Meta page for the Equity Fund [4] includes more >>>>> information (the members of the Equity Fund Committee, the five specific >>>>> focus areas we will be investing in) and next steps. We are also currently >>>>> looking for recommendations on organizations for grants - you can visit >>>>> Meta or fill out this survey [5] if you have organizations that are >>>>> already >>>>> doing this work and would be a good fit. >>>>> >>>>> Lastly, we do want to emphasize that this is a pilot. There are a lot >>>>> of open questions that have been raised by community members that we are >>>>> still figuring out, on topics such as ensuring investment in global >>>>> organizations and inclusive definitions of racial equity. We welcome >>>>> additional questions as the project evolves from this early stage. We’re >>>>> answering questions on Meta, so please join us there. We will also be >>>>> hosting Office Hours in the coming week: >>>>> >>>>> - >>>>> >>>>> Monday, June 13 at 0100-0200 UTC meet.google.com/myf-zcaw-ubg >>>>> - >>>>> >>>>> Monday, June 13 at 1500-1600 UTC meet.google.com/dzu-edej-wva >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> This is an active step towards addressing the barriers that perpetuate >>>>> knowledge gaps on our projects and prevent participation in free >>>>> knowledge. >>>>> We’re excited to try this new pilot and share our progress. >>>>> >>>>> Thank you, >>>>> >>>>> Lisa Gruwell, Janeen Uzzell, Tony Sebro and the Equity Fund Committee >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> [1] >>>>> https://medium.com/freely-sharing-the-sum-of-all-knowledge/we-stand-for-racial-justice-49c31afbabca?source=collection_home---4------6----------------------- >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> [2] >>>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2020-December/096022.html >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> [3] >>>>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources/Grants_Strategy_Relaunch_2020-2021 >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> [4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Equity_Fund >>>>> >>>>> [5] https://forms.gle/gzqRH7yMFEGgZb4e6 >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> >>>>> Lisa Seitz Gruwell >>>>> >>>>> Chief Advancement Officer >>>>> >>>>> Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, >>>>> guidelines at: >>>>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>>>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>>>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> *Nadee Gunasena* >>>> Executive Communications Manager >>>> Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, >>>> guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines >>>> and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines >>> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Lisa Seitz Gruwell >> >> Chief Advancement Officer >> >> Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines >> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org -- Lisa Seitz Gruwell Chief Advancement Officer Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
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