Strategy/Wikimedia movement/2018-20/Recommendations/Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement
Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement |
WhatWe will increase the sustainability of our Movement by supporting and investing in people’s needs, whether newcomers or long-time contributors. We will adopt more robust, long-term, and equitable approaches towards generating and distributing financial resources among different stakeholders in our Movement. While curating, editing and contributing content are the most important activities of our Movement, we know that there are other significant contributions to move us towards knowledge equity and knowledge as a service. These include public policy and advocacy, capacity building, outreach, research, organizing, and fundraising. For the growth and sustainability of our Movement, these activities need to be better recognized and sometimes compensated in certain contexts. Consistent with Movement ethos and practice, editing will not be compensated, and revenue streams that interfere with the editorial independence of the content will not be pursued. We will empower and support local groups and emerging communities and organizations to tap into existing and new ways of acquiring funds and forging partnerships. While we grow and become more sustainable as a Movement, we will also align our practices to support the environmental sustainability of our planet. Changes and ActionsHuman sustainability
Financial sustainability
RationaleIn our current setting, the vast majority of funds and staff are located in the Global North, causing an inequitable distribution of resources. To create the space for sustainable growth and resilience in our Movement, we need to take a more proactive approach in reaching out to those who are not yet represented in our communities. This also needs to be balanced by better means of valuing the contributions of those who are already in the Movement, or we may risk losing memory, momentum, capacity, and people because of burnout and turnover. PeopleOur future is dependent on a healthy, diverse, and collaborative environment and on a continual inflow of contributors. However, we lack mechanisms to assure resources and capacities (e.g. money, partners, facilities) are available equitably across the Movement. We also lack mechanisms to recognize and enable on- and offline contributions for all participants. Increasing contributor recruitment and retention depend on improving procedures, processes, and frameworks to meet and support varied needs. Financial ResourcesThe ambition of our strategic direction will require an increase in revenue for our Movement beyond the current incremental growth. The current model, heavily dependent on Wikipedia banner donations, lacks resilience against external changes and might become less effective with future technology and knowledge consumption trends. One example of such a shift would be decreased direct traffic and increased access through virtual assistants and search engines. We are missing the potential that comes with a diversified global approach, technological advances, and various revenue possibilities related to the use of our platform and product. With almost all revenue streams passing through few Movement organizations, there are missed opportunities and continuation of inequity. |