Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Wikimedians of Republic of Srpska/One-Year General Support Grant/2026-2027

Number of volunteer hours

Hello, I have a question related to the Number of volunteer hours. The number you are indicating is 17500. How do you calculate it? I am asking because I think it is either too big, or just a simple mistake - of course this depends on how you calculate it. FocalPoint (talk) 16:34, 16 March 2026 (UTC)

Hello @FocalPoint!

Thank you for your question.

The estimate of 17,500 volunteer hours is based on a structured methodology that considers the planned scope of activities at the annual level, the number of community members involved, and the estimated direct and indirect work throughout the entire grant period.

The following elements were taken into account when calculating the estimate:

• the number of planned activities across the three program areas (Edu program, GLAM program, and community activities)
• the number of active community members involved in implementation
• estimated direct work (lectures, workshops, mentoring, event facilitation)
• estimated indirect work (communication with partners, preparation of materials, coordination of activities, reporting, technical support)
• preparatory and follow-up work for each project
• duration of activities and continuous engagement throughout the year

The estimate is also based on experience from previous years, during which a significant portion of activities was implemented through volunteer engagement. Given the decentralized model of work and activities conducted across multiple cities and institutions, volunteer contributions represent a key component of the implementation process.

The estimate includes volunteer contributions from:

• members of the organizational team
• program coordinators (partially volunteer-based roles)
• active community members involved in multiple projects
• mentors supporting new editors
• collaborators from partner institutions participating in activities

Additionally, the estimate was calculated at the annual level, taking into account continuous community engagement throughout the entire grant period, including planning, implementation, and evaluation of activities.

Based on the planned number of projects, expected scope of activities, and estimated level of community engagement, the total estimate of 17,500 volunteer hours represents the cumulative annual contribution of the community throughout the grant period.

We are confident that this estimate reflects the realistic level of community engagement based on our previous implementation experience and the planned scope of activities. Nevertheless, we remain open to further clarification if needed and will ensure transparent tracking of volunteer contributions throughout the grant period.

Best regards, Bojana Wiki PG (talk) 09:51, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

General Support Fund proposal funded for 62,429 EUR

@Bojana Wiki PG and Isonandra gutta: Congratulations! Your General Support Fund is approved for full funding in the amount of 62,429 EUR for the grant term starting 1 July 2026 and ending 30 June 2027.

The Regional Fund Committee is pleased to support the Wikimedians of Republic of Srpska’s to sustain its impactful activities from the previous year, as well as its proposed expansion of its programmatic work in Education and GLAM-related programs. We are especially looking forward to your work in the Wiki in High Schools partnering with secondary schools that will support greater youth participation in the Wikimedia movement, as well as the QRpedia Initiative that is co-supported with the Ministry of Tourism. The evaluation plan for your work overall covers many aspects of your expected impact, including organizational capacity to collaborate with local partners, engagement by volunteers in affiliate programs, new active contributors, and active affiliate members, in addition to on-wiki contributions.

While the regional committee supported full funding, they also shared some suggestions and acknowledgements for your work over the next year:

• The decision here represents a fairly large increase to your overall budget. However, this level of growth cannot be reliably sustained for your next proposal, so we ask that requested budget growth in your next proposal be more modest in comparison with the overall level of regional budgetary growth. Your program officer will be able to advise further here when preparing your next General Support Fund application.
• The committee requests that your future reporting provide some documentation of how community feedback through annual meetings or other feedback mechanisms is generally incorporated into annual planning for your organization.
• The committee suggests attending more to volunteer retention efforts and gradual leadership development, so that volunteer-led responsibilities and tasks within the organization can be shared amongst a sustainable group.

We look forward to Wikimedians of Republic of Srpska’s continued and new programmatic endeavors supporting the Wikimedia movement in the next year. On behalf of the Regional Fund Committee, Nataev ^talk 15:44, 22 May 2026 (UTC)