Volunteer Strategy Gathering/February 2015: Difference between revisions

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<big><center>'''Saturday 28th February'''</center></big>
<font size = 12><center>Postponed</center></font size = 12>
==Context==
This is the second Volunteer Strategy Gathering, following 3 months after the [[Volunteer Strategy Gathering/November 2014|initial gathering]] held in Birmingham in November 2014.


==Registration==
==Postponement of volunteer strategy day==
To register please go [http://bit.ly/WMUK-VSG-2 here]
Wikimedia UK has reluctantly decided to postpone the volunteer strategy day which was scheduled for Saturday 28 February. This will now happen later in the year. The primary reason for this postponement is that there is more value to the charity and its volunteers in holding the event later in the year when a budget will be in place, when the charity has a new CEO and any pending structural or other changes to the staff team have taken effect.
''Please contact [[User:Fabian Tompsett (WMUK)|Fabian Tompsett]] if you have any personal questions or concerns, otherwise feel free to comment on the talk/discussion page.''


==Proposals==
The event represents a significant investment of volunteer time and effort and so it is appropriate that we value that time respectfully. Like all other resources, volunteer time is limited and we do not wish to leave anyone feeling that their time was wasted because the event took place too soon.
The following are ideas that people may wish to discuss at the gathering and take forward from there.
* [[Wikimedia UK and Open Badges|Open Badges]]
* [[Wikimedia UK and the Education Program Extension|Education Program Extension]]
* [[Wikimedia UK and a more devolved approach|A more devolved approach]]


==Suggestions following the November 2014 event==
Please do be assured that conversations that may have happened at the gathering will still take place. The charity is still very keen to consult with the volunteers and members on the proposed topics (and any others, of course) but for the time being these will be focused online rather than in person. We are looking at hosting regular group conversations online, either by Google Hangout, Skype or conference call. More information about the practical details will be made available presently.
The following suggestions for this event were made by different people following the previous event.
:'''Q:''' Why was the event postponed when it is only three weeks away?
::'''A:''' We feel that the event will be more helpful later in the year. There will be more substantial matters upon which volunteers can have a meaningful influence. Furthermore, the new chief executive will be in post and they will welcome the chance to engage with as many members of the community as possible.
:'''Q:''' When will the new event take place?
::'''A:''' We are working on the basis that [[Volunteer Strategy Gathering/2015|the next volunteer strategy gathering]] will take place in September. This will give the new CEO plenty of time to establish themself in the new role and have an understanding of our community and the charity's needs.
:'''Q:''' What about the topics up for discussion?
::'''A:''' The postponement will allow these conversations to be developed, with the Wikimedia UK Wiki, being the primary channel for this. We are also piloting using the [[:en:Help:Education Program extension|Education Program Extension]] at the [[:en:Education Program:Wikimedia UK/Cinema Museum 2015 (Spring 2015)|Cinema Museum editathon]], Saturday 7th March and are looking at other opportunities to gain some experience. If you would like to participate piloting the Education Program Extension, or have some other innovation that you would like to see tested please contact: fabian.tompsett@wikimedia.org.uk
:'''Q:''' I have already booked my travel. What happens to my ticket?
::'''A:''' If you are able to get a refund, please do so. However if a full refund is not possible, please send us the documentation and we will ensure that you are not out of pocket.


===Newbies===
For all inquiries regarding the ongoing development of our volunteer strategy, including the future gathering, please contact fabian.tompsett(at)wikimedia.org.uk
* Follow-up on progress since the last meeting.
* Summary of the Post-It mania {{tick}} (see [[Volunteer Strategy Gathering/November 2014/Data|here]]), and a list of concrete suggestions what the chapter could do, for discussion.
 
===Project-based volunteering===
* More workshops, maybe some hack-space e.g. to work on developing tools or ideas on the Wiki.
* More specifics on how project-based volunteering would actually work in practice. Who would decide which projects get supported?  What specific mechanisms would we use to ensure our charitable funds are spent wisely?
* As I said, I think a "teamwork" discussion is needed. There was little enough chance in Birmingham for volunteers to express their views of how the current "volunteer strategy" is run. (...) There really need to be a session to grasp the nettle, and deal with staff and trustees' need to be pro-active in making life easier for volunteers who want to be involved with the chapter, in return for asking that volunteers are more thoughtful about resources and impact.
 
===Fewer presentations===
* Event organisers: I think the previous event had all of the elements it needed, so I'd like to see more of the same. The only thing I would change is fitting in slightly fewer presentations/activities to leave more time for discussion and getting to know new people. The actual discussions within the activities were brilliant, but we lacked the time to refine any of the ideas proposed.
* Fewer presentations and more discussion. Discussions of the gender gap or fundraising are very interesting and important, but deserve more time than can be afforded in a short slot and aren't directly relevant to the problems of volunteering within WMUK.
 
===Newbies===
* More new people coming
* Bring more new volunteers in. Volunteers working together on potential projects.
 
===Other===
* It felt like after each talk, we didn't have feedback as to what we could concretely take home and act upon. And the event became a bit too political at the end... unavoidable however it would've been nice to have a healthy debate rather than just sporadic chatter.
* Something on strategic thinking - we had a lot of the ingredients of strategy on the day but…
* The later afternoon lacked structure so people who wanted to swamp the conversation with points of view did so easily rather than help the group to expand their understanding of the topic
* The train journey to Birmingham was fine for me, but I couldn't have arrived at the meeting any earlier than I did (a bit after 10)....so I would prefer something low key to start the meeting. {{tick}} Key note won't be until 11:00 am


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Technology workshop 2014-15]]
* [[Volunteer Strategy Gathering/2015]]


[[Category:Volunteer Strategy Gathering]]
[[Category:Volunteer Strategy Gathering]]
[[Category:Events in 2015]]

Latest revision as of 14:26, 11 February 2015

Postponed

Postponement of volunteer strategy day

Wikimedia UK has reluctantly decided to postpone the volunteer strategy day which was scheduled for Saturday 28 February. This will now happen later in the year. The primary reason for this postponement is that there is more value to the charity and its volunteers in holding the event later in the year when a budget will be in place, when the charity has a new CEO and any pending structural or other changes to the staff team have taken effect.

The event represents a significant investment of volunteer time and effort and so it is appropriate that we value that time respectfully. Like all other resources, volunteer time is limited and we do not wish to leave anyone feeling that their time was wasted because the event took place too soon.

Please do be assured that conversations that may have happened at the gathering will still take place. The charity is still very keen to consult with the volunteers and members on the proposed topics (and any others, of course) but for the time being these will be focused online rather than in person. We are looking at hosting regular group conversations online, either by Google Hangout, Skype or conference call. More information about the practical details will be made available presently.

Q: Why was the event postponed when it is only three weeks away?
A: We feel that the event will be more helpful later in the year. There will be more substantial matters upon which volunteers can have a meaningful influence. Furthermore, the new chief executive will be in post and they will welcome the chance to engage with as many members of the community as possible.
Q: When will the new event take place?
A: We are working on the basis that the next volunteer strategy gathering will take place in September. This will give the new CEO plenty of time to establish themself in the new role and have an understanding of our community and the charity's needs.
Q: What about the topics up for discussion?
A: The postponement will allow these conversations to be developed, with the Wikimedia UK Wiki, being the primary channel for this. We are also piloting using the Education Program Extension at the Cinema Museum editathon, Saturday 7th March and are looking at other opportunities to gain some experience. If you would like to participate piloting the Education Program Extension, or have some other innovation that you would like to see tested please contact: fabian.tompsett@wikimedia.org.uk
Q: I have already booked my travel. What happens to my ticket?
A: If you are able to get a refund, please do so. However if a full refund is not possible, please send us the documentation and we will ensure that you are not out of pocket.

For all inquiries regarding the ongoing development of our volunteer strategy, including the future gathering, please contact fabian.tompsett(at)wikimedia.org.uk

See also

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