Grants talk:Simple/Applications/Wikimedia Espana/2017

Eligibility

Hello, Wikimedia Espana colleagues:

Thank you for submitting your eligibility form on 28 October 2016. We've determined that you are eligible to apply for a Simple Process Annual Plan Grant based on your eligibility evaluation for your most recent grant application that reviews your past work, as the midpoint and final report for your H1 grant (completed) and the midpoint report for your H2 grant (currently in progress).

Some of this year's achievements at the midpoint include,

• Exceeding your targets for articles improved, images used, and new editors across your programs by achieving 1,109 images in use, 1,621 articles created or improved, and 455 new editors involved by the end of your first 6 month grant.
• Expanding your work meaningfully, to new geographical areas across Spain, including hosting events in 7 regions of Spain by the end of your first 6 month grant.
• Exploring work on Commons, Wikidata, Wikipedia in several languages, Wikivoyage, and Wikiquote.
• Successful collaboration with the international Art+Feminism initiative and with Catalan-speaking communities.

Wikimedia Espana successfully managed not one, but two grants, and these included timely reports of very good quality, which included detailed financials. Wikimedia Espana has remained committed to achieving their goals for organizational development, including the successful hiring and management of their first staff person and a recent restructuring of their board to streamline decision-making processes. Wikimedia Espana has a healthy pipeline of active members and volunteers who are continuing to engage with its activities at many different levels. Board, staff, and key volunteers have remained highly engaged during the course of these grants and board and staff appear to have an effective working relationship.

After a successful year of managing their budget and activities in 6-month increments, Wikimedia Espana is transitioning to a 12-month grant period. Wikimedia Espana is requesting to expand their staff from one fulltime person, to include a second fulltime employee, who will be engaged for 6 months during the 12-month funding period. Given the request for a second employee, it will be important to continue to demonstrate strong program results to support this request.

Best regards, Winifred Olliff (WMF Program Officer) talk 01:37, 1 November 2016 (UTC)

Questions from the Simple APG committee

From Anders

Thanks for your application, it is nice to read of your accomplishes and your well worked plan for next year. I have, though, concerns over your plan to recruit a person dedicated to communications. While I understand the need I am very sceptical of this solution. I have on close range seen a recuritment with an aim like this and it became a disaster, a 100% failure. The perosn did not have the "feel" of netiher the Wikipedia community nor the Wikemedia movement, and was in prqactice unable to produce anything of what was expected. In that case the need was resolved by a new ED and a project coordinator, who took on in their roles to adress the need of more substatial communication. I reccomend you to seriously reconsider your propesd way to solve this need.Anders Wennersten (talk) 07:46, 4 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you for your message @Anders Wennersten:. We wanted to do an open process in the first six months of 2017 to hire this person. In that call we wanted to state that experience working (as a staff or as volunteer) with free knowledge and non-profits engaged with volunteers communities will be take into account. We know that it could go wrong, but also hiring a new ED could have the same problem as we saw in the past in other organizations. Of course, we are open to hear your tips and suggestions. We don't know if in case that this option could be considered as a bad option the profile of the employee could be changed during the revision of the grant request. --Millars (talk) 21:53, 6 November 2016 (UTC)

From Nikola

Hello from me, too. I am impressed by your wish to organize six members' meetings in different regions of Spain as I consider it very important for an affiliate to have activities in the whole area of their work. You programs make sense. I don't have any questions. --Nikola (talk) 15:41, 11 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you for your words Nicola. --Millars (talk) 13:06, 13 November 2016 (UTC)

Recommendation

Committee recommendations

Funding recommendations: The committee recommends 65,000 Euro, or equal to about the funding requested with the communications manager position reduced to 0.5 FTE.

Strengths identified by the committee: WMES achieves a good balance among local, regional, and international engagement, including traction in their work to reach more members in different areas of Spain. WMES’s plan focuses on well-understood programs that are likely to lead to impact. They have a history of good results and expertise in areas like GLAM and regional work. The committee appreciates WMES’s attention to diversity of content and contributors. The events coverage program is an effective way to engage community members and gain relevant content. The committee appreciates that the organization is growing and maturing in a healthy way.

Concerns identified by the committee: This program plan is structured as a list of activities with separate goals, rather than being organized into programs with related goals. They include SMART goals, but these goals are very basic. It will continue to be a challenge to manage growth of staff and budget, and WMES does not have a clear strategy for managing growth or diversifying funding. It may be hard to link the work of the communications staff person to impact, especially given unclear plans in this area, but a large amount of staff and budget resources are allocated to this area. The committee has ongoing concerns about large line items for merchandise, printing, prizes. The community program area is not linked to direct impact on the Wikimedia projects, and may be better considered as an operational or internal activity. Plans in the area of education should be clarified.

Sydney Poore/FloNight (talk) 02:16, 26 November 2016 (UTC) For the Simple Annual Plan Grant Committee

Decision from WMF

Funding decision: Thank you, WMES colleagues, for this application and for your engagement during the application process, as well as your impressive achievements in 2016. Thanks to the committee for this decision. WMF approves this grant in the amount of 65,000 Euro. This reduction from the proposed budget should be achievement by reducing the hours of the Communications staff person, who will be hired in the second half of 2017, to 0.5FTE. If additional reductions are needed, please adjust amounts allocated for merchandise, printing, and prizes. Please work on revising your budget, so we can approve it by January 2017. Winifred Olliff (WMF Program Officer) talk 22:22, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Revised budget approved

Thank you WMES colleagues for providing your revised budget, which is in line with the committee's recommendations to reducing funding for your communications staff. Your new budget (changes detailed here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_Espa%C3%B1a%2FPresupuesto_Anual%2F2017&type=revision&diff=16155699&oldid=16026739) is approved. The remaining ~200 Euro may serve as a reserve fund until such time as you wish to reallocate it to appropriate to mission-aligned purposes, making your total grant for 2017 65,000 EUR. Please come to us if you need any adjustments to your budget throughout the year. Best, Winifred Olliff (WMF Program Officer) talk 23:22, 10 January 2017 (UTC)