Wikimedia Foundation Annual Plan/2025-2026/Collaboration/Current and former Foundation trustee workshop

As we head into annual planning a few of the former trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation connected with current trustees and Foundation leadership.

The purpose of the meeting was to:

Create connections with Wikimedia Foundation trustees. Knowledge-sharing, support and insights from previous trustees who have the experience of also serving on the WMF Board. Strengthen connections between volunteers who have served as trustees.
Gather input on key issues in 2025. What does the world need from us now / in 2025? Sharing some of the tough issues we’re grappling with as an org / movement now, for advice and perspective.

These notes are not verbatim and instead summarize points made.

Framing of the call:

Nat Tymkiv, the current Chair of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees, welcomed the former and current trustees and explained that this call is an experiment to connect across generations of volunteers and former trustees and discuss what the world needs from us now.
Being a trustee can involve decisions that require tough calls and trade-offs. There are many different stakeholders to consider: volunteers, affiliates, donors, staff, regulators, readers, and more.

Maryana Iskander, the CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, introduced the staff present on the call and explained how we are trying to create new spaces for connection and also reach out to more people who can give us guidance and advice when we face difficult issues and tough choices.
The puzzles from the listening tour remain top of mind. Since then, the board has also hosted regular open calls through its Community Affairs Committee, we had success last year with an initiative called Talking: 2024 -which will continue next year as Let's Talk- to reduce the barrier for anyone who wanted to have a meeting with trustees and Foundation leaders which was well received.
We’ve also tried to improve how we engage with volunteer communities and external partners in our planning work. It’s never going to be enough, or exactly right for everyone, but spending more time reaching out to really listen and engage has served us well and it is part of our goal for today.
Asked those present to think about the questions we should be asking ourselves both at the Foundation and in our volunteer communities.

Everyone considered:

🌍 What does the world need most from us now? (“us” = Wikimedia projects and communities)
🧠 What’s on your mind? What are the topics / questions you’re most focused on right now?