Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Fante Wikimedians Community Activities I (ID: 22745745)/Final Report

Fante Wikimedians Community Activities I

Rapid Fund Final Report

Report Status: Under review

Due date: 30 January 2025

Funding program: Rapid Fund

Report type: Final

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General information

Applicant username: Robertjamal12
Organization name: N/A
Amount awarded: 4907.23
Amount spent: 4907.23 USD, 76700

Part 1: Project and impact

1. Describe the implemented activities and results achieved. Additionally, share which approaches were most effective in supporting you to achieve the results. (required)

During the grant period, the Fante Wikimedians Community implemented several activities to enhance community engagement, improve editor retention, promote gender diversity, and foster collaboration with partners. These efforts strengthened the community's foundation and expanded its impact within the Wikimedia movement.

One of the primary activities was the organisation of community engagement workshops, which focused on equipping participants with skills to contribute effectively to Fante Wikipedia, Wikiquote, and other Wikimedia projects. These workshops empowered participants to contribute to Wikimedia projects. To address the challenge of editor retention, we introduced structured retention programs, including regular check-ins, virtual meetups, and a dedicated communication platform on WhatsApp. These strategies created a supportive environment encouraging continuous engagement, with new editors remaining active and contributing to Wikimedia projects. Recognizing the importance of gender diversity, we launched female-focused initiatives to bridge the gender gap. These initiatives included targeted edit-a-thons and workshops designed specifically for women in the Fante-speaking community. Additionally, we collaborated with women-centred organizations to promote inclusivity and amplify female representation in Wikimedia projects, including the SheSaid Campaign. These efforts resulted in an increase in female participation and the addition of quotes by notable women to the Fante Wikiquote.

The community also organized thematic edit-a-thons and translation drives to expand content on Fante Wikimedia projects. These activities led to the creation or improvement of articles on Fante Wikipedia and entries on Wikiquote, as well as the translation of Wikipedia articles into Fante, making knowledge more accessible to Fante speakers. A photowalk was also conducted, contributing images to Wikimedia Commons.

Collaboration and partnerships were key to the project's success. The community worked closely with the University of Education (Language Department), Feminism and Folklore, Wiki In Africa, and other Wikimedia communities to co-organize capacity-building workshops and events.

A notable achievement during this period was hosting a Wiki Indaba 2024 virtual meeting (https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/11/01/wiki-indaba-2024-fante-wikimedians-community-participates-virtually/), which boosted community involvement and provided members with an opportunity to engage with broader Wikimedia movement discussions. Participation in initiatives such as SheSaid 2024 (https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/09/30/the-shesaid-campaign-is-back-join-the-5th-edition/) also motivated members to contribute more actively, increasing their sense of belonging and purpose within the community.

2. Documentation of your impact. Please use space below to share links that help tell your story, impact, and evaluation. (required)

Share links to:

Project page on Meta-Wiki or any other Wikimedia project
Dashboards and tools that you used to track contributions
Some photos or videos from your event. Remember to share access.

You can also share links to:

Important social media posts
Surveys and their results
Infographics and sound files
Examples of content edited on Wikimedia projects

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HIizTW7lnpBUCsGzBhj2eCUAC0gp9AFX?usp=sharing https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fante_Wikimedians_Community/Projects

https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wq/fat/SheSaid_2024_Contest

Diff blog links: https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/06/18/fante-wikipedia-celebrates-its-first-anniversary/ https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/11/01/wiki-indaba-2024-fante-wikimedians-community-participates-virtually/

Additionally, share the materials and resources that you used in the implementation of your project. (required)

For example:

Training materials and guides
Presentations and slides
Work processes and plans
Any other materials your team has created or adapted and can be shared with others

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1VyaOV5MtgMVHizPjLWqi1YserKZr9OTHpAF4BdD1p3A/edit#slide=id.g894f79d7b4_1_52 https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bJTvFZOAR7uakLdkWUVNtEVXQm0tVJ6j9A506uuluWE/edit#slide=id.gf3c9030c53_0_0

3. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with this Rapid Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals. Required. Select one option per question. (required)

Our efforts during the Fund period have helped to...
A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups	Agree
B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community	Agree
C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups	Strongly agree
D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives	Strongly agree
E. Encourage the retention of editors	Agree
F. Encourage the retention of organizers	Agree
G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement	Strongly agree
F. Other (optional)

Part 2: Learning

4. In your application, you outlined some learning questions. What did you learn from these learning questions when you implemented your project? How do you hope to use this learnings in the future? You can recall these learning questions below. (required)

You can recall these learning questions below: How can we effectively sustain long-term engagement among new and existing editors in the Fante Wikimedians community?

New/existing editors have the skills and motivation necessary to continue contributing to Wikimedia projects.

How can we improve editor retention and reduce dropout rates within our community?

How can partnerships with academic institutions, GLAM entities, and local organizations enhance our community's impact?

How to Effectively manage an open community

1. How can we effectively sustain long-term engagement among new and existing editors in the Fante Wikimedians community?

We learned that long-term engagement is best supported through regular check-ins, virtual meetups, and a consistent communication platform like WhatsApp. Providing continuous support and fostering a sense of belonging within the community helps new and existing editors stay motivated (Example: Participating in Wiki Indaba Virtually). In the future, we will continue using these engagement strategies, emphasising personalised connections and mentorship to ensure sustained involvement.

2. New/existing editors have the skills and motivation necessary to continue contributing to Wikimedia projects.

Many community members initially lacked awareness of the diverse ways they could contribute to Wikimedia projects beyond editing articles. Through workshops and outreach, we introduced alternative opportunities such as content translation, contributing to Wikidata, and participating in movement advocacy. This not only helped editors acquire new skills but also demonstrated how they could engage in different aspects of Wikimedia motivation by showing them varied and fulfilling ways to contribute.

We found that when editors can participate in activities aligned with their personal interests or expertise, they are more likely to stay motivated and continue contributing. By offering diverse ways to contribute, we were able to help editors build new skills and maintain their engagement. Moving forward, we will expand our training and outreach efforts to ensure both new and existing editors are exposed to all the ways they can participate. Additionally, we will develop role-specific programs to help members specialize in areas that interest them, further building their skills and motivation to remain active contributors.

3. How can we improve editor retention and reduce dropout rates within our community? The introduction of structured retention programs proved effective in keeping editors engaged. Regular follow-ups, virtual events, and community-building activities helped editors feel valued and encouraged them to contribute more. Going forward, we plan to refine these programs, ensuring that we focus on meeting the needs of individual editors and providing ongoing support to prevent dropouts.

4. How can partnerships with academic institutions, GLAM entities, and local organizations enhance our community's impact? We discovered that partnerships with academic institutions and local organizations are critical for expanding the community’s reach and impact. Collaboration allows for resource-sharing, access to new networks, and co-organising impactful events. In the future, we aim to deepen these partnerships to further strengthen our community and enhance our collaborative efforts on larger projects.

5. How to effectively manage an open community We learned that managing an open community requires transparency, clear communication, and consistent guidelines to ensure a positive and productive environment. Establishing trust and promoting inclusivity were key factors in the community's success. Going forward, we will continue to emphasize these principles and further develop tools and resources to support both new and experienced contributors.

5. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities? This can include both positive and negative situations. What did you learn from those experiences? (required)

Throughout the implementation of our activities, we encountered both positive and negative surprises that provided valuable learning opportunities.

One unexpected challenge was the varying levels of technical proficiency among new editors. While some quickly grasped content creation and editing, others struggled with basic tools and policies. This highlighted the need for more personalized training and continuous support. To address this, we will introduced tailored mentorship programs where more experienced editors could guide newcomers, ensuring that everyone had the skills necessary to contribute effectively.

On the positive side, our partnership with local universities proved more fruitful than anticipated. Initially, we anticipated that involvement would be limited, but the academic institutions actively engaged with the community, offering both resources and expertise. This strengthened our content creation efforts and helped expand our community reach.

Another pleasant surprise was the positive impact of virtual engagement activities, such as the Wiki Indaba virtual meeting. Many community members who were not selected for scholarships to attend the in-person event in South Africa were able to participate virtually. This opportunity provided them with a chance to engage with the

6. What is your plan to share your project learnings and results with other community members? If you have already done it, describe how. (required)

We will share our project plans and training materials with other community members who are interested in learning from our experience

Part 3: Metrics

7. Wikimedia Metrics results. (required)

In your application, you set some Wikimedia targets in numbers (Wikimedia metrics). In this section, you will describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used.

	Target	Results	Comments and tools used
Number of participants	90	92	Outreach dashboard and external engagements https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/campaigns/fante_wikimedians_community__202425/overview
Number of editors	40	64	https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/campaigns/fante_wikimedians_community__202425/overview
Number of organizers	4	3	https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/campaigns/fante_wikimedians_community__202425/overview

Wikimedia project	Target	Result - Number of created pages	Result - Number of improved pages
Wikipedia	250	200	213
Wikimedia Commons	80	20	60
Wikidata	100	100	100
Wiktionary
Wikisource
Wikimedia Incubator
Translatewiki	50	40	25
MediaWiki
Wikiquote	100	249	305
Wikivoyage
Wikibooks
Wikiversity
Wikinews
Wikispecies
Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia

8. Other Metrics results.

In your proposal, you could also set Other Metrics targets. Please describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used if you set Other Metrics in your application.

Other Metrics name	Metrics Description	Target	Result	Tools and comments

9. Did you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results? (required)

No

9.1. Please state what difficulties you had. How do you hope to overcome these challenges in the future? Do you have any recommendations for the Foundation to support you in addressing these challenges? (required)

Part 4: Financial reporting

10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)

76700

11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)

4907.23

12. Report the funds spent in the currency of your fund. (required)

Provide the link to the financial report https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LQuwkhtESlJ_Xp4p3x_nNdLNg7GNLhzjrdIopo6qCBo/edit?gid=928458698#gid=928458698

12.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)

13. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?

No

13.1. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.

N/A

13.2. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?

N/A

13.3. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.

N/A

14.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?

Yes

14.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?

Yes

14.3. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.

Yes

15. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. (optional)

Review notes

Review notes from Program Officer:

N/A

Applicant's response to the review feedback.

N/A