Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Inspiring Women and Non-Binary Creatives to Address Wikipedia’s Content Gender Gap (ID: 22764836)/Final Report
Application type: Standard application
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)
The Ruby hosted a successful Wikipedia salon on January 10 and 11, 2025, led by special guest Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight and inspired by WikiProject: Women in Red. The event attracted 35 participants over two days, with 27 usernames collected. Kelly Doyle Kim provided curriculum support and consultation.
The participants were women-identifying and nonbinary artists, writers, and creatives, with ages ranging from 20s - 70s, from The Ruby's membership community in the Bay Area. In addition to Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, the training had support from local Wikipedia contributors from Double Union and Sequoia Fabrica, with additional training support from LiAnna Davis of Wiki Education.
Advertised through The Ruby's internal newsletter, social media, and partner organizations, the event maintained an average attendance of 20 people per session. The program included discussions on Wikipedia's content gender gap, peer editing opportunities, and training for new editors, alongside community meals.
The Ruby serves as a safe space for women and non-binary people. The majority of attendees were new to Wikipedia editing, with little to no prior experience or usernames, yet they showed strong enthusiasm and engagement throughout the workshop. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with comments such as “It was so great,” “I learned a lot,” and “I want to continue! Let’s do more together!” were shared at the gatherings. Topics explored included women’s history, STEM, translations, Wikipedia controversies, and the biographies of local artists and writers.
Since the event, participants, including trainers, have made significant contributions, including the creation of 36 new articles and 1,020 article edits. New Wikipedia editors have contributed to 20 articles, made 99 edits, added 2,000 words, and generated 125,000 article views.
Post-workshop surveys revealed high levels of enjoyment, with participants rating their experience an average of 4.8/5 on a 5-point Likert scale. On the same scale, participants reported an average score of 4.5/5 to the question, “I feel I learned a valuable new skill,” and a 4.5/5 rating for “I feel confident in my ability to edit a Wikipedia article.” Written feedback included comments such as: “This event was fantastic! Thank you so much!”, “I feel fulfilled to start learning how Wikipedia is structured on the editing end,” and “Thanks! I appreciate the positive and welcoming environment.”
Several approaches were effective in supporting the achievement of these results. Creating a safe and welcoming environment for women and non-binary participants was crucial, as it allowed participants to feel comfortable and engaged throughout the event. Providing hands-on training and peer editing opportunities helped participants gain practical experience and build confidence in their editing skills. Bringing such an experienced and inspiring Wikipedian as Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight fostered additional trust and added depth and expertise to the discussions. Additionally, addressing the content gender gap resonated deeply with participants, who felt passionate about joining a movement for change.
Participants suggested deeper training for more experienced editors, as well as additional resources on Wikipedia's standards for notability and verifiability. There was also a request for more in-person events where less experienced editors could be paired with more experienced ones. Written feedback included comments such as: “This event was fantastic! Thank you so much!”, “I feel fulfilled to start learning how Wikipedia is structured on the editing end,” and “Thanks! I appreciate the positive and welcoming environment.” Suggestions for improvement included comments such as: “I think the trainer could have covered less obvious elements. Thank you for organizing this! Looking forward to more sessions in the future.”
The event concluded with participants expressing strong interest in continuing their work through community events, support meetups/clubs, and additional training at The Ruby. The most requested follow-up activities were regular in-person and virtual meetups to build editing skills. Participants also nominated women and non-binary individuals they would like to see featured in Wikipedia articles, including Sarah Williams (poet), Veronica Chambers, Jane Fulton Suri, Danica Vukićević, and Darlene Ehrenberg.
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
Project Page; https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Programs/Wikimedia_Community_Fund/Rapid_Fund/Inspiring_Women_and_Non-Binary_Creatives_to_Address_Wikipedia%E2%80%99s_Content_Gender_Gap_(ID:_22764836) Meetup Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/SF/Inspiring_Women_and_Non-Binary_Creatives_to_Address_Wikipedia%27s_Content_Gender_Gap_2025 Photo Album: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMKxklD2qQIHVSoEjgBNDpkhEEqndWkNihcggCO3JWd1ouFbkFrkKoJ8b_KrZIjJg?key=Yk9jbnlHc3NPNWZBSUF3X1dFaEVIZ0V0anJpeU9R https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWsWWeauMVwskLPTLBBCcH9Z27g0t67na5FCjZGRwz8Sw7Xw/viewform Dashboard (All Collected Attendees): https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/The_Ruby/Inspiring_Women_and_Non-Binary_Creatives_(January_2025) New Wikipedia Editors: Dashboard (New Editors): https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/The_Ruby/Inspiring_Women_and_Non-Binary_Creatives_-_New_Editors Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWsWWeauMVwskLPTLBBCcH9Z27g0t67na5FCjZGRwz8Sw7Xw/viewform Survey results: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kThzI37KOJxYVaBWF0RW4hVKqj5wkyxIhiSV5fIz8N4/edit#responses
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
Slide Deck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Inspiring_Women_and_non-Binary_Creatives_to_Address_Wikipedia%27s_Content_Gender_Gap_presentation.pdf Reference links & General Workplan: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lmX1ofqeAG8aQ4ewHpUj-OxgoHb_GvaSJ5NxfNPA_Kk/edit?tab=t.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)
| A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Strongly agree |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Strongly agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Strongly agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Strongly agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Strongly agree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Strongly 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: We come into this series with a theory of change in that our activities can contribute to addressing the gender gap on Wikipedia by bringing awareness to the issue and how it contributes to systematic bias on Wikipedia and the larger web, inspiring new editors among women and non-binary members of the public and amongst the Ruby member community, empowering through thoughtful training and education so that new to Wikipedia and new to editing members of the public have the skills and tools they need to be active contributors, and using the power of built-in trust and mutual accountability of The Ruby to help sustain efforts and continue the work beyond our event.
We will be learning a great deal from this experience about how this model can reach and sustain new women and non-binary editors towards the cause of contributing to public knowledge via Wikipedia. We will be gathering feedback from participants and co-organizers through both questionnaire and in person to understand 1) What drew people who have not edited Wikipedia in the past to this event?; 2) For those who edit or create their first articles, how prepared did they feel to continue with Wikipedia?; 3) How likely do they feel they will continue onwards?; 4) What are the women and non-binary stories they are drawn to (i.e. Bay Area women and non-binary artists, community organizers, women and non-binary pioneers in STEM, etc)?; 5) Were there gaps in knowledge or capacity that we were unable to support? What and why?, 6) How can we continue to offer community support within our space? Quarterly meet-ups? Advanced Training/Special Topics? Profiling articles and discoveries from our participants in our Discord or newsletter?
We will be monitoring outcomes in terms of number of participants and number of articles created/updated in how well they match with our initial projection. If above or below or projected numbers, we’ll also be examining our methods of recruitment, the length and format of the training, the timing of the event, and the satisfaction of the participants.
We will answer each question one-by-one:
What drew people who have not edited Wikipedia in the past to this event? The Ruby engaged extensively with both our internal and extended community to raise awareness about the content gender gap on Wikipedia. We highlighted the statistic that only 20.003% of all biographies on English Wikipedia represent women [Humaniki, December 2024], with just 13.6% of contributors identifying as female and 1.7% identifying as other [Wikimedia Meta-Wiki: Community Insights/2018 Report]. At the beginning of each session, we polled attendees to understand their reasons for attending. The majority were unaware of the significant lack of women and non-binary representation on Wikipedia prior to our outreach and expressed a personal desire to address the gender gap. Others were particularly motivated by a desire to contribute the stories of women and non-binary artists and mentors they personally knew. As The Ruby is a safe space for women and non-binary people, our community had buy-in and trust that the sessions would be welcoming and supportive.
For those who edit or create their first articles, how prepared did they feel to continue with Wikipedia? While many participants were eager to edit, they indicated that they felt they needed additional support to continue editing effectively. There was a strong interest in having ongoing opportunities to learn and practice Wikipedia editing skills together as a community in our survey and requests for more clear instruction on notability and verifiability standards.
How likely do they feel they will continue onwards? A significant number of participants expressed interest in future sessions. The most common response in our survey regarding continued participation was a desire for “Regular in-person or virtual meetups – A Ruby club!” With community support, most respondents felt that they would and could continue to learn to edit.
What are the women and non-binary stories they are drawn to (i.e., Bay Area women and non-binary artists, community organizers, women and non-binary pioneers in STEM, etc)? At the beginning of the sessions, we conducted a poll to determine participants' areas of interest for contributing to Wikipedia. Interests included women’s history, women in math and computer science, translation opportunities in Chinese, French, and Slavic languages, Wikipedia controversies, and women and nonbinary mentors of those in attendance. There was also significant interest in contributing to the biographies of local artists and writers. We collected nominations for notable women and non-binary people that attendees would like included in Wikipedia. The list included Sarah Williams (poet), Veronica Chambers, La Doña, Jane Fulton Suri, Danica Vukićević, and Darlene Ehrenberg.
Were there gaps in knowledge or capacity that we were unable to support? What and why? While the sessions were a solid foundation, there was a clear need for additional time and support to help participants complete full articles. Many attendees were able to make initial edits and familiarize themselves with Wikipedia tools, but further exposure to Wikipedia’s structure, formatting standards, and editorial guidelines would be necessary to boost their confidence and competence in completing more substantial contributions.
How can we continue to offer community support within our space? Quarterly meet-ups? Advanced Training/Special Topics? Profiling articles and discoveries from our participants in our Discord or newsletter? The most frequently requested follow-up activity was the creation of a Ruby Club with regular meetups, followed by skills-based workshops facilitated by experts. Additionally, participants expressed interest in more advanced training sessions and special-topic workshops to deepen their editing knowledge. Profiling articles and discoveries from members in The Ruby’s Discord or newsletter would also help maintain engagement and provide ongoing support within the community.
We will incorporate these findings into making more supportive spaces for community members to continue to work on their editing skills. The Ruby holds regular peer-based writing accountability groups for our writer members to help each each other stay supported and accountable to their long-form projects. We'll adopt a similar model and bring in seasoned women-identifying and nonbinary editors to serve as peer supporters on their editing journey. Participants were highly motivated by personal passion to counter the content gender gap. We will continue to align ourselves with mission-aligned initiatives like WikiProject: Women in Red to take part in a larger movement for change. Seeing our efforts as part of a larger mission makes the work meaningful and harnesses our community's unique expertise as artists, journalists, writers, academics, and researchers with significant local knowledge. We will apply our findings to future training sessions in addition to building in-person and virtual meet-ups as a safe space for continued learning and connection.
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)
One of the most surprising discoveries was that the majority of attendees had never edited a Wikipedia page before and several exclaimed that it never occured to them to do so. The primary motivation for attending was to help address the content gender gap. Many participants were unfamiliar with this issue until they saw our outreach materials through The Ruby, which stirred them to action.
As with many Ruby events, we began each session with introductions to foster familiarity and create a comfortable, welcoming environment. We asked those with experience and interest in supporting new editors to raise their hand and identify themselves when doing their introductions. This approach allowed for quick connections and friendly, ready peer support in the group.
One new editor became particularly inspired to add categories to Wikipedia and spent a significant amount of time organizing Filipino American musicians into categories. This was a task we had not initially suggested but turned out to be a valuable early editing activity for a new user.
Our community meals were also a highlight and contributed to the sense of camaraderie. However, we learned that introducing food at the start of the session, rather than midway through, helped build a stronger sense of togetherness right from the beginning. On the first day, we served food during the middle of the session, which caused some disruption as participants paused their work to eat, losing momentum. By the second session, we changed the timing, offering food and introductions at the start, which allowed for an inviting and more seamless introduction to the editing portion of the gathering.
Another challenge we encountered was that, despite reminders, many attendees had not created their Wikipedia usernames prior to the session. This led to several participants being unable to make edits on the first day. On the second day, with the help of LiAnna Davis, we utilized dashboard functions to create usernames for all participants, ensuring everyone could fully engage in the editing process.
In terms of room configuration, we found that organizing the space into distinct areas—a general lecture/presentation area, a separate communal work area, and a snack/food area—helped maintain productivity. This layout was good for both focused work and social interaction.
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 have shared the dashboards as well as links to new resources and photos added to our wiki meetup page in our follow-up email to all attendees. We also plan to share the results of this report when promoting our upcoming follow-up sessions so that attendees and potential attendees can learn of our past work. In addition, we are also working with Ruby community members to build a wikipedia working group that meets regularly for peer support, similar to our Writing Accountability Group.
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 | 50 | 35 | Event Ticketing Session 1: https://lu.ma/768ylwsi
Event Ticketing Session 2: https://lu.ma/t63x41hp |
| Number of editors | 30 | 19 | Dashboard: https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/The_Ruby/Inspiring_Women_and_Non-Binary_Creatives_-_New_Editors/students/overview |
| Number of organizers | 4 | 4 | Peggy Lee, Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, Kelly Doyle Kim (Curriculum), LiAnna Davis (Workshop help) |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 100 | 0 | 99 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 16 | 0 | |
| Wikidata | |||
| Wiktionary | |||
| Wikisource | |||
| Wikimedia Incubator | |||
| Translatewiki | |||
| MediaWiki | |||
| Wikiquote | |||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Training and Event Satisfaction | Survey, Likert Scale 1 - 5, 1 indicating very unsatisfied, 5 indicating very satisfied | 4 | 4 | We instead measured satisfaction as enjoyment with the question: How was your experience at the workshop?
Avg: 4.83 (Likert scale: I didn't enjoy the workshop to I loved it) Google Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kThzI37KOJxYVaBWF0RW4hVKqj5wkyxIhiSV5fIz8N4/edit#responses |
| Intention to continue to editing and contributing the the Women in Red Wiki Project | Survey, check box, yes/no, I intend to continue to contribute to the Wiki Project: Women in Red, We will target >70% yes | 70 | 100 | We did not directly ask this question but measured interest in continuing to attend wiki training events with: I'd like to participate in more of these types of events
Avg: 4.88 (Likert scale: No, not for me to Yes, sign me up) Google Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kThzI37KOJxYVaBWF0RW4hVKqj5wkyxIhiSV5fIz8N4/edit#responses |
9. Did you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results? (required)
Yes
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)
We realized by the second session that having everyone fill out the survey together as a final communal activity was the best way to collect survey data. The first day’s survey only garnered few responses as it was emailed to each attendee directly. The vast majority of surveys were collected on session 2 after we implemented survey taking on-site.
Part 4: Financial reporting
[edit]10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)
4650
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
4650
12. Report the funds spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
Upload the financial report
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)
Jake Orlowitz did not join us so we did not give him the allocated $500 travel stipend. We increased our food budget from $600 to $750 because of increased food prices in the local area.
13. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?
Yes
13.1. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.
$350 was leftover as we did not have one trainer join us and so did not give him the travel stipend.
13.2. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
B. Propose to use them to partially or fully fund a new/future request with PO approval
13.3. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
The Ruby proposes using the leftover funds to subsidize the membership fees of a dedicated Ruby Wikipedian in residence to support training and peer support amongst The Ruby membership and our extended community of women-identifying and nonbinary creatives.
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
[edit]Review notes from Program Officer:
N/A
Applicant's response to the review feedback.
N/A