Wikimedia Conference 2014/Documentation/4

4 Diversifying fundraising models and sources

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• Speakers: Kaarel Vaidla (WMEE), Douglas Scott (WMZA), Ichsan Mochtar (WMID)

tl;dr: External funds has advantages, easier than WMF funds. However, it brings a lot of administration and your programmes are influenced by others. Decide precisely and carefully why do you want to have external funds.

Notes

South Africa

Slides (pdf) by Douglas

• WMZA were offered money by Open Society Foundation South Africa (= funds from outside WMF) which they wanted to use towards a full-time paid employee for their young chapter
• 50% funding -> 50% deposit (had to find matching funding which they received from WMF)
• fortunate circumstances (mission alignment, legal structure etc.)
• Pros:

easier to access funds than from WMF

reduced risk for everyone involved

• Cons:

unfit for core-funding

reporting and auditing cost (takes time to get it done)

not good for experimentation (donors tend to not like that)

requires mission alignment

Indonesia

presentations slides (PDF) by WMID

• Chapter history

- 2008-09 survival stage (no measurable/lasting effects)

- 2010-14 continuous existence (writing competitions, collaborations)

• WMID early on started with a surviving mode – they had no idea what work and what does not. Media coverage was the first thing that was done.
• After 2010 multiple writing competitions were done, socialization of free knowledge collaboration etc. Community training was done, GA and Featured Articles were written.
• WMID promote wiki and other free cultures, open licenses and transparency. Reporting gives confidence to other organizations, community and individuals, CC as a license is a solution for growing activities and open & transparent administration attract alliances – other subjects, state-funded also.

• Promotion of

- confidence (by financial training)

- Creative Commons License

- attracting alliances

• did not receive sufficent funds from government agencies/companies
• in order to change that they are looking to hiring dedicated grant manager,
• grant sources include: WMF, Ford Foundation, National Oil Company, WMFR, WMCH, (2014) HIVOS (Making All Voices Count)

Estonia

Slides (pdf) by Kaarel

• two types of funding:

1) non-targeted funding ('free money')

2) targeted funding (for specific projects)

• WMEE receive most of their (targeted) funding from WMF, Council for Gambling Tax, Ministry of Science and Education, Ministry of Culture
• PROS: more money; more projects; wider outreach
• CONS: insance amount of administration (reports, accounting, paperwork); donors try to dictate goals/structure/content (external influence)

-> Example of why diversification of funding isn't necessarily good

• Government is good for core-funding but they like to play political football with you