Board/Becoming a trustee

Director nominations are now closed.

Wikimedia UK: the open knowledge charity

Wikimedia UK is a membership organisation whose mission is to help people and organisations create and preserve open knowledge, and to help provide easy access for all.  As an independent UK charity which acts as the UK arm of the global Wikimedia movement, encompassing Wikipedia and its sister projects, we are in a special position to make an impact on open knowledge across both the educational and cultural sectors.

The role of the Wikimedia UK board

Wikimedia UK's volunteer board provides strategic guidance, direction and oversight for the charity as a whole while recognising and respecting the domain of staff and volunteer responsibility. In particular, it:

• sets and maintains our direction, vision, mission and values, and helps develop strategy for effective charitable impact
• sets and maintains the policies, practices, budgets and other processes necessary to deliver those aims
• selects and supports the CEO who has oversight of operations, staff and employment procedures
• maintains fiscal oversight and accountability, including risk management and ensuring that the charity operates in a prudent and solvent manner
• ensures that the law and our Articles of Association are complied with
• promotes and champions the charity
• maintains its own effectiveness as a board

Trustee skills and experience

Successful candidates for the board could come from a wide range of backgrounds including the public, educational, charity or commercial sectors, or from the open knowledge or Wikimedia movements. We seek diversity of gender, age, location and outlook, but all candidates should be able to demonstrate a track record of effective performance, strategic thinking and sound judgement.

A skills audit of the board has identified the following areas in which strategic and governance skills and experience would be particularly useful: GLAM, education, and volunteer management/engagement. Also of interest would be experience in media and communications, fundraising, HR, and software/technology project management.

Some trustees are active volunteers within the Wikimedia or the wider open knowledge movements, but active volunteering activity outside the trustee role is by no means essential. There are many ways in which personal skills, interests and experience can contribute to our open knowledge mission.

Expectations of trustees

Wikimedia UK is fortunate in having a board that is active and engaged. While the board is largely strategic, and does not normally get involved in the running of specific charitable projects, it is active in establishing direction and strategy as well as in helping to ensure the charity stretches itself and reaches its full potential. We expect trustees to commit not only to regular attendance at quarterly board meetings and our AGM, but also to make themselves reasonably available for ad hoc discussion and consultation - generally by email - at other times. Some trustees also serve on one or more board committees, but that is entirely voluntary.

Trustees need both the capability and willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to the role. It is difficult to estimate the expected time commitment, but the absolute annual minimum would be three all-day Saturday board meetings, one full board weekend away, the AGM, preparation time for those, and a readiness to attend at least some other community events or meetups where possible. The board email workload can vary widely, but perhaps a couple of hours a week on average.

Trustees are directors of the charity and have a number of legal and practical duties, details of which can be see here. The probity of our trustees is of the utmost importance to us, and we have a comprehensive Conflict of Interest Policy.

All trustees need to be members of the charity, and you are encouraged to apply to join right away - it is only £5.

The process

Trustees are appointed either by election or co-option for two-year terms, and this year we will have opportunities for both newly elected and co-opted members. At our 2015 AGM to be held in London on Saturday 25th July, four existing trustees will be retiring by rotation of whom three have indicated their intention to stand for a further term.

Trustees seeking election at the AGM will be asked to supply a short statement and to make themselves available to answer written questions from our community of volunteers. Answers are encouraged but are not compulsory, and help can be provided if you're not happy to post comments on the wiki page yourself.

While it is not essential to attend the AGM it is very much encouraged and candidates who make the time to come do help to demonstrate their commitment to our voting membership. This year, the AGM will be combined with an important Volunteer Strategy Gathering and trustee candidates are strongly encouraged to attend for the whole day and to contribute to the discussions.

Getting to know us

We are a remarkably open and transparent organisation and a huge amount of information about what we do is on this wiki. To get an idea, you could have a look at:

• information on the existing board
• the agendas and minutes of our board meetings
• our 2014 annual report
• our Articles of Association.

Timetable

• 10 July (23:59) - Director nominations closed
• 25 July 2015 – AGM, which will take place in London after our Volunteer Strategy Gathering

The nomination procedure

Candidates should be members of the charity, or have their application to join pending, at the date of nomination. You can apply to join here.

To nominate yourself as a candidate, send an email to tellers@wikimedia.org.uk by 23:59 on 10 July 2015, with the following information:

• a statement that you would like to nominate yourself to serve as an elected director and trustee of Wikimedia UK and that you fulfil the legal criteria for appointment
• Your full name
• Any previous names
• Your date of birth
• Your business occupation
• The names of any other UK companies which you have been director of in the last five years.

You should also enclose a candidate statement of no more than 300 words. This will be sent out with the ballot paper to the voters and published on this website. You can explain your motivation and experience in any way you like, but it would be sensible to keep in mind the points mentioned in the 'skills and experience' section above.

During the election only your name and your candidate statement will be made public. If you are successful the other details will be filed with Companies House as a public record. You will also be asked before taking up your position to file your usual residential address with the Company Secretary, but this will be kept confidential.

Candidates who are not (yet) members of the charity will need to be proposed and seconded by members by no later than the closing date for nominations given above. Proposers and seconders may indicate their support either by separate email to the address above, or by a signed statement in writing lodged with the charity. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that any required support is received by the charity before the time limit.

Teller

Our teller this year is Richard Tattersall of UHY Hacker Young LLP, our auditors.

See also

• Election Rules
• Voting checks policy
• 2015 AGM/Elections