Wikimedia New York City/Staffing plan/2018-2019

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Staffing Plan 2018–2019[edit]

Wikimedia New York City is fueled by the energy of the individuals who volunteer their time and labor to its leadership and its broader membership. However, some activities require the dedicated time and expertise of a professional. Recognizing the strategic priorities defined in the Wikimedia NYC Strategic Plan 2018–2020, Wikimedia NYC proposes consultant positions that will serve to deepen engagement with the activities of the chapter and provide a welcoming and inclusive space in order to do that work.


Consultants contracted by Wikimedia NYC are expected to adhere to the following:

  • Learn and respect the methods of work inside the Wikimedia and Wikipedia community and comply with these to avoid demotivation of the volunteer community, which is the biggest asset that our organization has.
  • Communicate with external subjects on a professional level, corresponding with the good practice, experience and brand of the Wikimedia movement and Wikimedia projects
  • Respond to any activities-related message (calls, e-mails or other transmission) if necessary within a reasonable time (80% of e-mails within 2 days, 100% of e-mails within 1 week).
  • Present a short biweekly report of their achievements to the Board. Important reports will be also published on Meta or on Wikipedia when necessary.
  • Communicate any questions or needs to the President or a designated member of the Board so they may be addressed promptly.


Communications Manager[edit]

The Communications Program Manager will increase the visibility of Wikimedia NYC's activities to the Wikimedia movement and the wider public. The contractor will provide biweekly updates of their activities to the Wikimedia NYC board. The President or another member of the board leadership will serve as the primary contact for this position and provide training and guidance regarding responsibilities. The pay rate is $27 per hour, with an estimated seven hours per week.

The person in this position will:

  • Contribute summaries of Wikimedia NYC events to communications channels within the Wikimedia community (e.g., This Month in GLAM and The Wikipedia Signpost)
  • Manage public-facing social-media accounts
  • Generate quarterly reports of Wikimedia NYC activities
  • Attend meetings and events as required

Support and Safety Design Lead[edit]

A welcoming and inclusive community is imperative in order to establish the foundation for Wikimedia NYC's Strategic Plan 2018–2020 and Annual Plan 2018–2019. Wikimedia NYC has already shown leadership in this area, having authored the friendly space policy adopted by the Wikimedia Foundation and the larger Wikimedia community. However, the Wikimedia NYC leadership struggles to identify, document, and address reports of harassment. There are imperfect channels for doing this on Wikipedia, but none in the Wikimedia community.

In the 2018–2019 fiscal year, Wikimedia NYC will hire an expert in harassment in online and offline communities in order to address these issues in Wikimedia NYC and the Wikimedia community more broadly. This is not an on-going consultant position, but one based on deliverables. The compensation associated with these deliverables is itemized below.

The person in this position will provide the following deliverables:

  • A revised friendly-space policy that addresses the needs of the Wikimedia community in online and offline spaces ($5,000)
  • Develop and deliver workshops to Wikimedia NYC community, empowering organizers to offer trainings at end of contract. This will include 3 onsite visits: 2 training sessions, and one event observations with feedback and de-briefing. ($5,000)
  • Document and share training materials under a CC-BY-SA license so they may be adapted and used by the Wikimedia community. ($5,000)
  • Identify a workflow to effectively report, identify, document, and address harassment. This fee includes consultation, suggestions for a variety of development plans, and low fidelity designs or design flows, and training to Wikimedia NYC. ($10,000)
  • Write a report of findings for distribution to the larger Wikimedia community under a CC-BY-SA license, as well as a presentation (recorded) explaining the findings ($5,000)

At the conclusion of this work, Wikimedia NYC aims to partner with the consultant to share processes with North American Wikimedia chapters/usergroups, and options for possible adaptation for global groups.