Talk:Towards a five year plan 2013-18

Draft Five year plan 2013-18 - April 2013

How much depth are we looking for?

"It should have enough detail that an external person looking at the document would understand the rationale behind the targets. The targets should, however, not be too detailed."

Who should we consult and involve?

Our feeling that this should be as wide as possible; members, community, donors, fellow open knowledge organisations and contributors. We will use the blog, Twitter, Facebook, geonotices / talk page notices, email lists, Signpost, and the village pumps of the relevant language Wikimedia projects.

What is the process?

'The process started with a situational analysis asking questions like;

• What are we good at now? What aren't we good at now?
• What assets do we have?
• Where are we within the "ecosystem" of other open-knowledge, cultural, and educational institutions? What do we have a natural advantage in vs what could easily happen without us? '

We then held a day workshop where over thirty people discussed the issues and shared their ideas.

The Timetable

• 8 February 2013     Agreed overall method
• February/March     Staff drew up plan for enactment
• 23 March 2013    In-person workshops for community held in London despite snow.
• March/April         Survey and March 23rd reports published and shared with                stakeholders
• April/May         Volunteer co-ordinator, staff and trustees attend wikimeets and                         special meetings to discuss options
• April/May         First draft shared on UK wiki with call for comments
• 8 June 2013         Second draft brought to annual conference.
• June/July         Third draft open for consultation.
• July 13.14         Signed-off by Board

Following this process the CE with staff support synthesised the ideas from the consultation so far and draft six of the previous five year plan to create the April draft.

How often should it be reviewed, by whom and in what ways?

Once completed an annual review should be about right to monitor how we are progressing with a more substantial review at least 18 months before the next five year period starts. The annual plans can have more detailed targets that are monitored against the 5 year plan. We will also seek to create a three year business plan to anticipate day to day growth.

Risks

• That we never come to a conclusion.
• That there are too many competing ideas and the document becomes unmanageable
• That there is no buy-in from a broad range of interests, just a small group dominate the debate.

The draft plan.

Wikimedia UK is a charity in the UK which seeks to support the aim of the Wikimedia movement - to make the sum of all knowledge available to all. This is what we intend to do between 2013 and 2018.

Our vision: Free knowledge for all.

Our Mission: Wikimedia UK’s mission is to help people and organisations build and preserve open knowledge to share and use freely.

Our values and principles    

• To value the contribution of volunteers        
• To encourage, involve and engage volunteers        
• To recognise that the contribution of volunteers is central to the activity of the organisation   
• To be transparent and open        
• To promote the value of free and open licences        
• To have respectful and professional working relationships internally and externally   
• To promote an open approach to learning and knowledge        
• To promote the cultural and linguistic diversity of communities within the UK by encouraging their contributions.    

Supporting the Wikimedia Foundation's five strategic priorities

• Stabilising our infrastructure   
• Increasing participation   
• Improving quality
• Increasing reach   
• Encouraging innovation

Press and media

We aim to maintain comprehensive contacts with both national and local media organisations, with Wikimedia community members representing us wherever possible.

   

Five year targets:

• To be the trusted point of contact for mass media in all matters related to a free and open internet, access to information for all, and freely licensed knowledge    
• To have regular briefing meetings with most senior media partners
• For Wikimedia UK spokespersons to be featured regularly on a wide range of media outlets.

The PR industry

Wikimedia UK will continue its working relationship with the PR industry and how it can interact with the Wikimedia community.

Five year targets:   

• That the issue of inappropriate PR editing has ceased to be a problem in the UK   
• That key public relations industry bodies publicly take and maintain a supportive stance towards Wikimedia projects and against inappropriate editing.

Publications and merchandising

We will use items such as t-shirts and publications to promote the work of Wikimedia UK externally.

Five year target:

• Wikimedia UK merchandise is valued, used to advance our goals and seen as of exceptional quality by the public and the Wikimedia community worldwide.    

International Communications

Working to build international links with organisations within the movement and outside.

Five year targets:   

• To be respected and trusted internationally throughout the chapters and with the Foundation for our work and our willingness to share experience and resources    
• To have gained a reputation for supporting growing Wikimedia movement / chapters, especially in low-income countries.    

Staff and office functions

Wikimedia UK has a core staff and permanent office in order to support its community’s programme of activities and development.

Five year targets:    

• There will be bases of support for Wikimedia UK operations outside London, especially in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and other large centres of population        
• There will be friendly drop-in and socialising facilities available to enhance the role of the community and their opportunities to participate in the work and aims of Wikimedia UK
• We will consider ownership of our own premises if economically viable.

Training the trainers

Using the resources of the Wikimedia UK volunteer base to develop a core of editors able to deliver high-quality editing training to a range of people, from newbies to subject experts.

Five year targets:

• At least 100 trainers are available throughout the country able to offer a broad range of editing training from newbie sessions to specialist professional training in partner organisations    

• An established training programme from beginner to expert is available throughout the UK.    

Finances

We aim to have a comprehensive financial management process. This includes the relevant financial controls, a robust reserve policy and a comprehensive investment policy for both reserves and yearly project funds.

Five year targets:

• To use our income prudently in line with community priorities   
• To maintain and regularly review a prudent risk-averse programme of investment of long-term reserves, possibly involving endowment funds   
• To have started an endowment fund with investment returns equal to at least 5% of our annual budget.
• Two thirds of the Direct debit donors who were signed up at the end of 2012 to be still donating at the end of 2018

Fundraising

To ensure financial stability, we need a longer term outlook with our finances. The introduction of recurring donations, via direct debits, needs to be supplemented with other funding streams.

Five year targets:

• For our core committed expenditures to be financially independent of the annual FDC grant.
• To provide donors with a comprehensive annual plan for how the funds will be expended and to have quantifiable evidence of Wikimedia UK's ability to expend funds according to plan.    

Management and governance

The Wikimedia UK Board

We will endeavour to have the strongest possible trustee board that represents and implements the views of the membership, has a wide range of backgrounds and abilities and is stable over the span of multiple years to ensure continuity.

Five year targets:

• The trustees are qualified for the roles that they are undertaking or receive training as required
• That there is a comprehensive support network in place for trustees
• That our board has the full confidence of the community and competition for places is intense
• That the Wikimedia UK board sets the standard for other chapter boards and influences others.

Governance benchmarking

We are using PQASSO, an external moderation tool to determine the quality of Wikimedia UK's systems and structures.

Five year targets:

• To have achieved level 3 (excluding elements that are not suitable to Wikimedia UK's activities) of the PQASSO standard
• To have achieved the equivalent standards of other governance benchmarks e.g Investors in People.

Reporting and Accountability

We aim to be as open and transparent as possible with all of our activities. We will publicly report expenditure and be fully accountable for that expenditure.

Five year targets:

• We are publishing our financial transactions publicly as they take place, and are responding to all enquiries within three days of them being sent to us
• Our financial audit will take place in a smooth and timely manner, with no questions or issues being raised with our financial processes
• Our audit will be completed in time for the accounts to be approved by our members at our AGM.

Members and Volunteers

It is crucial to the good health of Wikimedia UK and our movement that we build the UK editor base and its diversity through an increase in active volunteers.

Membership

We will grow and nurture our membership community to ensure that members continue to play the central role in the oversight and activities of the chapter. We will endeavour to ensure that members come from a diverse range of backgrounds and fully represent the Wikimedia community, partner organisations, and other stakeholders.

Five year targets:

• To have 2,000 members    
• To have quarterly members meetings to actively debate the topics and issues that are most important to Wikimedia UK's activities.    

Membership communications

We will make informing our membership and supporters about our activities a priority.

Five year targets:

• All activities are being planned, implemented and analysed publicly via the Wikimedia UK wiki       
• Members feel complete ownership of Wikimedia UK with regular member meetings taking place throughout the UK
• Members offer feedback that has influence on activities    
• In-person members' fora are held at least every six months throughout the UK.

Wikimeets

Wikimeets are a vital form of community engagement, managed and organised by the local community. Wikimedia UK will provide support and encouragement for these meetups.

Five year targets:

• Wikimeets are taking place on a regular basis within a 60 minute journey of 90% of the population
• Wikimedia UK is providing support for Wikimeets that need it and is actively providing support for Wikimeets in regions that are not self-sufficient    
• Wikimeets become an effective way of attracting new volunteers.

Volunteer development and support

We will develop practical ways that members and volunteers can be supported in their Wikimedia-related activities.

Five year targets:

• Significant staff resources are targeted towards the development and support of the     volunteer community. Metrics are maintained
• A respected programme of training has been established with recognised development paths for participants   
• The pool of equipment available to volunteers is significant and allows for both small and large scale projects
• Programmes of volunteer-led activities are firmly established and being seen as good practice by the wider Wikimedia community. International cooperation flourishes   
• The grants programme is significant, with measurable outcomes, and decisions are made by representatives of the community.  

WikiConference UK

The Wikimedia UK Annual Conference and AGM has established itself as an attractive and popular annual event and is well attended by our community.

Five year target:

• At least 450 members and supporters attend the annual conference - either in person or remotely   
• Conference covers a weekend and attracts many external guests from the UK and overseas
• It gains substantial media attention by creating notable events.

GLAM work

We will work with a large range of galleries, libraries, archives, museums and other similar organisations to help make the heritage and knowledge that they hold available to all. We will do this both by encouraging GLAMs to release images and other digital material to Wikimedia Commons and WikiSource, and by encouraging curators and the E-volunteers of GLAMs to edit Wikipedia or collaborate with Wikimedians in editathons.

Five year targets:

• We are working with at least 20 GLAM institutions, and those partnerships are sufficiently widespread in the UK that 90% of our members who want to get involved in GLAM outreach are within a 90 minute journey of a GLAM where we have a partnership. Brand awareness of Wikimedia UK in all significant institutions
• An extensive programme of local GLAM activities is undertaken with dedicated staff support and and a well-developed volunteer base
• A million digital files released onto Commons and Wikisource by UK based GLAMs.
• A comprehensive set of case studies is available illustrating how GLAM partnerships with Wikimedia UK is beneficial
• Most of our partner GLAMs to fund or part fund WIRs, editathons and other events at their institutions. High awareness of the WIR programme within the cultural sector, WIR programme of high quality
• Wikimedia UK to build on the Tipu’s Tiger model of international outreach by becoming the facilitator for the rest of the Wikimedia movement to get global access to cultural information that is in the UK. Helping UK institutions reach out to non-English speakers here, as tourists or on the web could be at the heart of what the Wikimedia movement associates Wikimedia UK with
• Wikimedia UK helping the cultural change within the GLAMs, assisting them to engage with Open Knowledge
• Volunteer community confident to collaborate with GLAMs.      

Working with Higher Education

We will work with universities to build partnerships to promote open access and knowledge.

Five year targets:

• Wikimedia UK, in partnership with the sector, offers a range of conferences and training while working with up to 50 UK institutions and their umbrella organisations    
• Wikimedians in Residence are working in a wide range of UK academic institutions with accreditation and deep involvement in curriculum activities. WIRs working collaboratively to share good practice
• Campus Ambassadors becoming standard in majority of UK universities. Some appointed through sabbatical posts   
• The national education conference has grown in significance and we are working with 15 institutions. International partnerships are building        
• Editing wikis becoming integrated into some university curricula in line with US practice. High awareness of Wikimedia UK brand within the sector.

Working with the rest of the education sector

We will work across the education sector to increase the reach of Wikimedia projects, increase participation and to magnify the contribution of Wikimedia projects in in the field of lifelong education.

Five year targets:   

• We will be addressing the digital divide: giving people access to basic technology who wouldn’t normally.  
• We have become a catalyst for the incorporation of wikis into national education,     working in partnership with relevant bodies        
• Widespread use of adult education institutes and other bodies such as Workers Educational Association to deliver editing training    
• Coherent material available to encourage the use of wikis in the classroom with the support of education institutions
• Wikimedians in Residence or high quality are working in a wide range of UK institutions with accreditation and deep involvement in curriculum activities. They are establishing co-operation and shared working practices

• A dedicated member of staff is working with the non-university education sector.    
• An annual conference is held for 11+ education professionals.    
• Editing training seen as a core part of Adult Education IT curriculum.
• We will make international links to promote our mission and support other countries.   

Technical Innovation

Wikimedia UK will be developing software and technical solutions to extend our work.

   

Five year targets:

• A significant number of organisations are mass uploading their archives to Wikimedia Commons via the mass upload tool
• The programme is well established with open source solutions leading to a significant increase in the collective intellectual wealth of the nation
• The Wikimedia UK community is seen as often leading in creating solutions and contributing at a significant level to the development of our work in low income countries   
• The WMUK community is working closely with other chapters to find shared solutions to problems especially in the context of supporting newer Wikimedia communities e.g. online video editing and subtitling.    
• Have in place easy-to-understand copyright law resources for UK GLAMs, including online pages of information on the legal background (UK copyright specifically, but touching on US)  
• To have a UK copyright law question and answer forum where GLAMs could seek informal advice, either on a specific point or on general issues affecting the opening up of their collections.

External influence and outreach

We will be working to extend the influence of Wikimedia UK and its aims in various spheres.

Five year targets:

• Be working closely with sympathetic UK organisations on areas of common policy to gain more leverage for our aims and to have gained their trust and respect        
• Be an essential and trusted part of any official consultations on areas of concern to us and our activities
• Be one of the most trusted points of contact for policy discussions        
• To be central to UK and European policy groups.    

Expert Outreach

Building on-the-ground relationships with expert associations and organisations from science and the humanities.

   

Five year targets:

• A growing understanding by outside organisations of the benefits of working with Wikimedia projects and the way they complement and support the dissemination of research and archives
• Joint publications appear regularly; joint training events run to spread knowledge held by the organisations
• Wikimedia UK seen as a means to achieve some of the public engagement programme for the insitutions    
• Wikimedia UK is represented at major UK conferences and some international conferences.