Wikimedia movement affiliates/Noticeboard

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Welcome to the Movement affiliates' noticeboard. This is a message board for public notices and discussions regarding Wikimedia chapters, Wikimedia thematic organizations, Wikimedia user groups, and the Wikimedia Affiliations Committee. Please post your message at the bottom of the page and do not forget to sign it. Thank you.

For issues that are relevant to only a single chapter, please start the discussion on the talk page of the chapter or on their wiki.

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AffCom Member Expectations

Seeking volunteers to join several of the movement’s committees

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Latest comment: 3 months ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Each year, typically from October through December, several of the movement’s committees seek new volunteers.

Read more about the committees on their Meta-wiki pages:

Applications for the committees open on October 30, 2025. Applications for the Affiliations Committee, Ombuds commission and the Case Review Committee close on December 11, 2025. Learn how to apply by visiting the appointment page on Meta-wiki. Post to the talk page or email cstwikimedia.org with any questions you may have.

For the Committee Support team,

- MKaur (WMF) 14:10, 30 October 2025 (UTC)Reply

(This message was sent to Movement affiliates' noticeboard and is being posted here due to a redirect.)

Affiliations Committee draft recommendations for the ecosystem

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Latest comment: 2 months ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Hi Everyone,

I am happy to share draft recommendations and documentation from the Affiliations Committee [1] on three strategic areas that need continuous consideration to best support Wikimedia affiliates. These areas are: 1) overall affiliate model, 2) capacity development, and 3) conflict management.

Context

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The key areas were proposed at the Affiliations Committee strategic retreat in November 2024 [2] and, as a result, working groups were convened within the Affiliations Committee to strategically define potential future approaches to improve the support to the affiliates. These conversations have also aligned with the pilot proposed by the Wikimedia Foundation in 2024 around updating the ecosystem of Wikimedia organizations [3] and can be in a way considered as the input of the expertise of the Affiliations Committee to the ongoing conversation.

Content

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For clarity of presentation, purpose and expected outcomes of the proposal are presented first to be then followed by the actual outline of the proposal itself. Finally, a potential future role of the Affiliations Committee in respective areas is put forward.

Affiliate model. The overall definition of the affiliate model has the biggest implications to the future of the affiliates and their impact. The Affiliations Committee has given due consideration to existing landscape and future options, and is boldly [4] proposing an efficient overall model with reduced layers and complexity. In this model, a proposal is made to connect more clearly the rights of the organizations to their responsibilities. At the same time, the Affiliations Committee recognizes that there are some big questions in this that need wider and deeper input from across the movement, so we are proposing some questions for your consideration and further input.

Capacity development. A key area for the affiliates to become more effective and sustainable, creating more impact. The Affiliations Committee has especially considered the learning spaces and materials that are available, and from its own perspective to improve the onboarding process. Areas of governance, leadership, and community support stand out for continuous improvement, and as key factors for future success.

Conflict management. When it comes to conflicts, prevention tops reactive management at all times. For it to function better, there needs to be a holistic approach with professional support systems. In its documentation the Affiliations Committee has mapped out, based on its experience, the key principles, resources, and structures needed for improvements.

Conversations and next steps

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The Affiliations Committee has started collecting feedback on some of these ideas at the regional conferences in September and October. Now, we are moving into a virtual feedback phase, collecting feedback on these draft proposals through the month of November 2025. We will be following conversations on meta and will participate in some regional calls. Your input will then be integrated to form finalized proposals of the Affiliations Committee for updating the future ecosystem of the movement organizations and its own ways of working. We look forward to hearing from you!

Regards,

Jeffrey Keefer

Chair, Affiliations Committee

Links:

[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/Recommendations_November_2025

[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/News/Issue_4#Affiliate_Strategy_Updates

[3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Updating_the_ecosystem_of_Wikimedia_organizations

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Be_bold

FULBERT (talk) 16:37, 12 November 2025 (UTC)Reply