Talk:Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy

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Implementation

Following the feedback process on proposed requirements for affiliates and user groups recognition changes on Meta-wiki as a part of the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy process started in November 2022, new requirements for all affiliates and changes to user groups recognition process were adopted as part of the implementation of the revised Affiliate Strategy in June 2024.

Every affiliate is invited to provide input for the revised Affiliate Strategy. There are multiple ways to participate:

• Attend a live session on 19 June 2024 14:00 UTC;
• use the Let’s Talk feature of Talking:2024 to sign up for a time to speak with trustees or staff;
• Comment on the talk page below.

June 19 live call

@Elisabeth Carrera (WMNO), Jeeb1207, PDiazR (WMCL), Pavanaja, Paula (WDU), 787IYO, DerHexer, Der-Wir-Ing, and Tiputini: hi all, I've sent the Zoom Google Meet link for the call to your email. Please let me know if somehow you do not receive it. Looking forward to see you tomorrow! RamzyM (WMF) (talk) 14:57, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

Google Meet link, but yes, I received it. ;) —DerHexer (Talk) 14:58, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

Apologies, old habits die hard :D a Google Meet link indeed! RamzyM (WMF) (talk) 15:00, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

I have received it and I will be available. Thanks 787IYO (talk) 16:17, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

@LucyCrompton-Reid (WMUK): hello, i sent the Google Meet link for the call to your email. looking forward to seeing you soon! --NTymkiv (WMF) (talk) 13:50, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Prajna gopal: I've sent a link to your email as well. Let me know if you're joining! RamzyM (WMF) (talk) 14:02, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

A strategy that is not a strategy

Thanks for processing Wikimedia Foundation Affiliate Strategy (Recognition). It's certainly an interesting research report on the relationship between Affiliates and AffCom.

Even less, from my perspective at least, but it meets the requirements for Affiliate Strategy as such. What it completely lacks is a description and solution to the current affiliate crisis, a naming of the fundamental points - the incomparability between many user groups and chapters, and a suggestion of how the current system and form should evolve at all. These are, in my view, necessary steps towards the very foundation of the strategy.

Without resolving this crisis, the claims described for Affiliates may be solvable and achievable by some Chapters, but they completely miss the goal of conceptualizing, addressing, and setting an ideal strategy for the future evolution of Affiliates.

Without this, I fear we will inevitably go round in circles in setting up effective processes within the movement - particularly the financial flows and demands of Affiliates. Klára Joklová (WMCZ) (talk) 10:09, 13 September 2024 (UTC)

Klára Joklová (WMCZ) Hello there, thank you for taking the time to follow along and meaningfully read the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliate Strategy (Recognition)! First of all, I agree with you that it is not a complete affiliate strategy. For context, this work was intended to help us provide a blueprint for the immediate work of the Foundation with affiliates, not to supplant a broader affiliate strategy discussion for the whole Movement. Thus it has a very limited scope, and it is primarily focused on the recognition strategy (as a direct responsibility of the Wikimedia Foundation Board for now).

While this affiliate recognition strategy is in the early stages of implementation, the outcomes of the implemented changes are not known just yet. The plans are to continue to iterate and improve over the next year with the input from stakeholders. The main goal was to resolve some immediate issues, and hopefully have more data to have more fundamental conversations.

This is also just part of the work that the Foundation is trying to do to address the strategy of affiliates. In addition to refining the approach to recognitions, the Wikimedia Foundation, with other stakeholders - both affiliates and unaffiliated community members - is working to co-create a strategy for support of the ecosystem of movement organisations with the launch of pilot 3. Pilot 3 will be worked on throughout 2025. The expectation is to collectively answer questions around the growth of new affiliates and the distribution of funds. I share your goal of conceptualising, addressing, and setting an ideal strategy for the future evolution of Affiliates and hope that is achieved together. Hope that helps, at least in the part that your concerns are heard and shared! --NTymkiv (WMF) (talk) 14:10, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

About the new process: Why so complex, and so private?

This seems like a time-intensive, multi-step approach to something that could fundamentally be public and iterative. What is the advantage of adding these private steps? (Costs include time, timeline extension, uncertainty about the status of each private step, and loss of the ability for the movement to learn together and optimize a more public process.) Specifically:

• Why are the applications and answers to initial questions private?
• Why does the initial questionnaire need to be evaluated by staff? (which staff? we have so many people engaged in bilateral support, why is there no option for transparent public peer review?)
• Why does there need to be an hour-long live, private interview? Again as opposed to something transparently public, and perhaps easier to schedule?

Regards, –SJ talk  20:11, 25 November 2024 (UTC)

Hi @Sj:,

Thanks for sharing your questions and concerns about the process. The goals include more prepared user groups to support and engage with the broader Wikimedia movement and less demand on volunteer time for the user group applicants and the Affiliations Committee.

The applications are not aimed to be hidden. The method was chosen to streamline the process to reduce demands on volunteers submitting the applications and protect their private information they may enter on the form. Some applicants may elect to submit private information to better provide clarity about their application. The decision was made to have applications submitted via a form on Meta-wiki which generates an email to the Affiliations Committee. Much of the information input into the form is public already, like information on the Meta-wiki page for the user group applying for recognition and their public letter of intent.

The initial application is reviewed by Committee Support team staff, which works to offer administrative support to multiple committees including AffCom. This delegation of work allows for AffCom members, who are volunteers, to better use their time for the critical decision making related to their roles.

The hour-long interview is for User Group applicants to have a chance to chat with AffCom so any questions and concerns can be clarified and the applicant can be in the best position to start off their affiliation. This approach is hoped to cut down what has in the past sometimes taken months of email exchange, and while the approach is still being implemented, it so far seems to be working well.

As one of the requirements of this process is that potential user groups create wiki pages and post to the community about their pending application, community members in good standing are welcome to ask questions of the user group applicants on their talk page on-wiki or on any correspondence they share. Critical information is public, even if some steps of the application process are not.

Finally, AffCom is committed to regularly and transparently update the broader Wikimedia movement about the state of User Group recognition process. Applications in different phases are tracked publicly on this Meta page. You can also follow news about recognitions and derecognitions of Wikimedia movement affiliates in the quarterly AffCom newsletter.

Best,

Mari Avetisyan,

Secretary, Affiliations Committee Մարի Ավետիսյան (talk) 11:57, 28 April 2025 (UTC)