Volunteer Supporters Network/Resources

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We have created and compiled various materials concerning community support in the Wikimedia movement over the past few years.

VSN resources

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Peer to Peer learning

Reflections developed through collaborative peer learning sessions focused on volunteer support and community development.

• 
  Managing volunteer burnout (November 2025) (English)
• 
  Working with Young Volunteers (January 2026) (English)
• 
  Attracting New Volunteers (March 2026) (English)
• 
  Onboarding New Volunteers (May 2026) (English)

• Peer learning reflections - Motivating Volunteers (September 2025) - Diff blog post

Skillshare sessions

Recordings, slides, and supporting materials covering practical skills, tools, and expertise.

• Video and presentation of the VSN skillshere meeting "Tips for in-person events" (Italian, English subtitles)
• 
  Volunteer Supporters Network skillshare meeting Tips for in-person events (PDF)
• 
  Tools for Wikidata Competitions (VSN IMD 2022)
• Intro to OpenRefine (Spanish, English subtitles)
• Acción climática y el movimiento Wikimedia (Spanish, English subtitles)
• Introduction to Wikidata (French, English subtitles)
• 
  Slides Supporting the Online Community and Stepping Away from Screens, English (VSN Thursday, October 9, 2025)
• 
  Resource Supporting the Online Community and Stepping Away from Screens, English (VSN Thursday, October 9, 2025)
• How to Run an Impactful Training Session for Wikipedians as a Volunteer Supporter, Gosia Gramatnikowska, December 2025. (English, Spanish subtitles)
• 
  Slides - Organizers' Impact on Newcomer Growth, Anbar Jayadi, English (VSN Thursday, April 9, 2026)
• Recording - Organizers/ Impact on Newcomer Growth, Anbar Jayadi, English, Spanish subtitles (VSN Thursday, April 9, 2026)
• 
  Slides & recording - Building a training programme for your Community - Skillshare for the ESEAP Hub. Sara Thomas, English (VSN x ESEAP Hub, 26 April, 2026)

Motivation and appreciation

Resources and learning materials focused on volunteer motivation, recognition, appreciation practices, and sustaining healthy and engaged communities.

• Guide to motivation and our role in it
• Diff: Six ways to motivate a volunteer community
• Learning pattern: Appreciation of volunteer work I. Give individual feedback
• Learning pattern: Appreciation of volunteer work II. Make it tangible
• Learning pattern: Appreciation of volunteer work III. Let others know
• Learning pattern: Appreciation of volunteer work IV. Towards a culture of appreciation

Reach and engagement

Guides, presentations, and resources related to community outreach, participation, inclusion, and strategies for engaging volunteers and newcomers.

• Wikipedia Ambassador concept
• Video: The top 9 things to know about safety and inclusion at Wikimedia online events
• Learning pattern: Reach and engage your community
• Presentation slides: The 99 dimensions of community events (PDF)

Impact and evaluation

Research, reports, and materials exploring the impact of volunteer support, community engagement, and evaluation practices.

• Survey report: Community support addressed in the Wikimedia movement strategy recommendations
• Reader: Success and impact of volunteer support in the Wikimedia movement (PDF)
• Landscapes of volunteering
• Presentation slides: Volunteer Engagement in Wikimedia Projects. Ideas and case studies (PDF)

Internal guidelines

Internal policies, regulations, and guidance documents within VSN activities.

• Internal regulations
• Safe space policy for video conferences
• Terms of use for mailing list

Wikimedia resources

• The Wikimedia Resource Center was created as a central portal for all Wikimedia resources in 2016. It has not been extensively maintained since then, much of the information (contacts etc.) is outdated. It contains more than 500 Learning Patterns, including:

:Category:Volunteer management learning patterns

:Category:Online engagement patterns

:Category:Training learning patterns

• MEOW (Metabase Educational Open Works) offers thousands of updated resources that can be filtered by type and language (NEW).

External resources

Practical and inspiring non-Wikimedia resources.

• Energize, Inc. (“creating and selecting the most relevant, innovative resources in volunteer management”)
• Community Toolbox (step-by-step guidance in community-building skills) by Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas