Volunteer Supporters Network/Internal regulations

These regulations were originally published on August 1, 2022, and became fully effective on August 12, 2022. Some provisions were subsequently updated following discussions and agreements reached by the Advisory Group and members during the Annual Meeting held on 4–5 June 2026

Internal regulations of the Volunteer Supporters Network

Mission

Our mission is to enhance volunteer support in the Wikimedia movement. The impact we want to achieve is to improve the conditions for online and offline participation of volunteers, to increase diversity and to strengthen the spirit of global cooperation and innovation.

Activities

We develop, grow and maintain collaboration and exchange of expertise, ideas and resources. Our activities are aligned with the strategic direction of the Wikimedia movement.

Participation

The Volunteer Supporters Network (VSN) is an open network of Wikimedians who support Wikimedia volunteers. All participants in the network are VSN Members and are encouraged to actively participate in and contribute to the Network’s activities. Members have equal access to the Network’s main communication channels, may take part in discussions and decision-making processes, and have the right to vote in accordance with the Network’s governance procedures.

Members

Any person working in volunteer support as a staff member, either paid or in a volunteer capacity, of a Wikimedia organization or affiliate in good standing can become a Member of the Volunteer Supporters Network.

A list of all Members is published on the Volunteer Supporters Network pages on Meta-Wiki. The management team maintain the list.

Anyone interested in becoming a Member of the Volunteer Supporters Network can send an email to the VSN Members mailing list (vsn-org_at_wikimail.info) including:

Username
Chapter affiliation
User group or Wikimedia organisation to which they belong
Role or job title
Country or region in which they provide support
Estimated year in which they began supporting Wikimedia volunteer communities
Three (3) examples of leadership in activities aimed at a Wikimedia community

A person is accepted as a VSN Member by the approval of one other Member who can provide references for the candidate. In the event that an applicant does not know any current Member of the VSN, then the management team or advisory group are empowered to make a decision using their best judgment.

The status of a Member ends in any of these cases:

The Member withdraws from the status.
The Member is banned by the Wikimedia Foundation from participating in all Wikimedia events. If the Wikimedia Foundation ban is lifted, the person can reapply for the status of a Member.
The person ceases to work with a Wikimedia organization or affiliate as a staff member. A mere change of assignment at the Wikimedia organization or affiliate does not lead to the end of the status as a Member.

Based on severe reasons, any Member can be excluded by vote of the other Members. An excluded Member cannot subsequently become a Member except by vote of the Members.

Conduct and conflict resolution

All Members are expected to follow the Universal Code of Conduct and any additional behavioral guidelines in place.

Conflicts within the Volunteer Supporters Network shall be handled in a constructive manner. The Volunteer Supporters Network will implement conflict resolution paths based on principles of mediation and mutual support.

Communication channels

All VSN Members are invited to use the communication channels provided by the Volunteer Supporters Network. Additional terms of use may apply. Access to the VSN mailing list (volunteer-supporters@lists.wikimedia.org), VSN chat groups, and other internal communication channels is restricted to VSN Members.

Where technically possible, Members may be granted extended technical rights, such as administration or moderation permissions, to help maintain these communication channels. Members with such rights are expected to support their maintenance, including adding, removing, approving, or declining access for Members where appropriate and in accordance with VSN procedures.

Voting

Any Member can ask for any reasonable decision to be made by the Volunteer Supporters Network by a process of voting among the Members. Decisions about major organizational changes as well as the exclusion of Members require a process of voting among the Advisory group, taking the members’ interests into account.

Every Member has one vote except for Members working for the same Wikimedia affiliate. In this case only one person from the given Wikimedia affiliate has the right to vote. The process of selecting this person is made by the Members from that Wikimedia affiliate.

A transfer of voting rights from one Member to another Member –until stated otherwise or on a case-by-case basis– is possible. The maximum number of transferred votes a Member can have is five. Any Member transferring voting rights shall announce this beforehand on the VSN Members mailing list. Votes cannot be transferred in cases of the exclusion of Members.

The majority needed for the decision to be effective is 50% of the votes. There is not any minimum voter turnout required.

Unless decided otherwise by vote, there are two possible processes of voting: on the VSN Members mailing list and at meetings.

For voting on the VSN Members mailing list, the voting period is 14 days.

For voting at a meeting, the voting must allow virtual participation, and the meeting must be called at least 21 days in advance on the VSN Members mailing list, including the announcement of a vote.

The votes of Members do not necessarily reflect the position of the Wikimedia affiliate they are working with. A decision by the Volunteer Supporters Network shall not be published in a way that can lead to the misconception that it is a collective decision by Wikimedia affiliates rather than individual Members of the Volunteer Supporters Network.

Dissolution

The Members decide on the voluntary dissolution of the Volunteer Supporters Network by vote. For the dissolution to be effective, the majority of votes needed is 75%. At least 25 % of the Members and, in case there are less than five Members left, at least two Members need to participate in the voting.

Accountability

All rights and services of the Volunteer Supporters Network are provided on a voluntary basis. The Volunteer Supporters Network and its Members cannot be held accountable for denying or restricting any rights and services, except for legal reasons. This provision does not prevent the Volunteer Supporters Network from following the rules and procedures outlined in these internal regulations.