Hi everyone,
My name is Sebastian Moleski and I serve as a volunteer at Wikimedia Deutschland (WMDE) in the role of its president and as a member of its board. I've been involved with Wikipedia since 2004 and have been a WMDE board member since 2007. From August 2008 through July 2009 I served as interim executive director (ED) while the chapter was looking for a permanent replacement for Arne Klempert, who used to be ED from 2006 until 2008. In my non-Wikimedia life, I'm CEO of NetService24 GmbH, an internet service company specializing in domain name registration, webhosting, and online security located in Munich, Germany. I've graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX in 2006 with a degree in Economics.
I'm on this list because I view money as a great enabler for making creative and innovative programs run by Wikimedians happen. Together with our then-VP Alice Wiegand, I was the mastermind behind WMDE's Community Projects Budget, which is a €200,000 fund for projects initiated and led by Wikimedians, with a volunteer commission evaluating proposals and allocating funds. It's been a tremendous success with close to 100 ideas proposed since it started in April of this year.
By participating in the discussion on this list, I want to make sure that the matter of accountability and financial controls is always also viewed in the light of supporting and strengthening effective programs. One of our largest challenges, from my experience, is how we spend the money that comes in, and how to do so effectively. Thorough budget planning is still sparse within the Wikimedia movement. Where planning exists, underspending has been rampant. That means, besides figuring out how to ensure proper accountability, responsibility, and efficiency in spending, we also need to figure out how to improve planning and execution to a level where spending is effective and no donation remains unused.
I'm very much looking forward to the discussions here, on Meta, and wherever else they make sense.
Beste Grüße Sebastian Moleski President ------------------------------------- Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. Eisenacher Straße 2 10777 Berlin
Telefon 030 - 219 158 26-0 www.wikimedia.de
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Wikimedia Deutschland - Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e. V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Berlin-Charlottenburg unter der Nummer 23855 B. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/681/51985.