Dear all,
The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has convened an ad hoc committee
on the Movement Brand Project. Three trustees were selected to head its
work, in close collaboration with the Brand team - Raju Narisetti, James
Heilman and myself. Seeking to improve the Brand Project process, we are
looking for community advisors to give input from various Wikimedia
movement perspectives. The goal is to re-launch the brand discussions with
a clear and transparent process in March 2021, and to conclude the
conversations with a decision by the end of the fiscal year (July 2021).
We are writing to you today to ask that you nominate 1 member from your
community to join us as advisors to the Brand Committee.
What will advisors do?
The Brand Committee is charged with developing and proposing changes to the
Movement Brand Project process. The committee will produce a proposal that
the full Board of Trustees will review and hopefully agree to adopt, if
aligned. Advisors will support us in recognizing key stakeholder community
perspectives on branding needs, processes and decision-making. They will
provide input and comments on proposed changes to process and offer working
solutions to challenges the committee encounters. Advisors will be able to
share ideas and ask questions to their communities, as needed. The full
process will be vetted and endorsed by advisors before the Board of
Trustees makes its final decision on adopting these proposed changes to
process and decision-making. After the proposed changes to process and
decision-making are adopted, the new process will be launched in March.
What kind of commitment is needed?
Advisors can expect 6-9 hours of activity a month, in January and February
2021, though we will be aiming to launch the joint process with a first
meeting during the second half of December. There will be opportunities to
join committee meetings with Board members & staff, or to watch recordings
of the meetings and provide feedback asynchronously. Documents and
proposals will be shared among advisors for comment, review and
suggestions.
What kind of advisor is the committee seeking?
The Brand Committee is looking for a small set of advisors who are able to
engage thoughtfully on the importance of branding to the Wikimedia
Movement’s 2030 goals. Advisors will be asked to reflect on more than
processes: they will be asked to think about the strategic goals of the
brand names and logos within the movement, and how to equitably structure
decisions around them. Ideal advisors therefore have experience
representing the movement to the public, as well as understand the internal
needs of the movement’s work as something multidimensional and open.
The number of advisors will be between 7 - 9 people, in an effort to
support active participation within the committee, and to keep the process
on track, to “un-pause” in March. By then we strive for a clear sense of a
process with which the broader community will be able to engage.
We have identified 3 main groups we would like advisors from:
-
2 advisors from affiliate leadership (Chairpersons or EDs)
-
2 advisors from the community, specifically, people who participated in
authoring the Community Open Letter on Renaming (COLOR)
-
2 additional advisors from the global south / emerging and
underrepresented communities*
-
1 advisor from AffCom
Please note:
* As the global south / emerging and underrepresented communities include a
variety of different groups, we are actively approaching Wiki Indaba,
ESEAP, IberoCoop, the India lists and the Brazilian community, asking each
to nominate one advisor (if I have missed a group you believe to qualify,
please let me know privately and I’ll be sure to approach them as well).
Out of all applications from these groups, 2 will be chosen to complement
the other 5 representatives (2 from affiliates, 2 from COLOR, 1 from
AffCom). Our goal would be to choose from groups that are not already
represented by other chosen advisors, with a special effort to be as
diverse and inclusive as possible.
* The committee might also directly invite up to 2 additional advisors, as
it sees fit.
How should advisors be nominated and added to the committee?
The committee is requesting all advisor nominations to be sent no later
than *December 12th* (2 weeks from today), as we would like to commence
work immediately, with a first joint meeting in mid-late December (before
the Xmas and New Year holidays). The committee will review applications and
make its final decision on advisors by December 15th.
We are asking your group to determine who will be the person to best
represent your perspective. Please email shani(a)wikimedia.org with your
nominations and include the following details:
-
Subject line: Nomination for the Brand Committee Advisors Task Force
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Full name
-
Wiki Username
-
Affiliation
-
A short (!) paragraph on why you would like to be part of the process
and how you believe you can contribute.
Thank you all for your participation and contribution to this process!
Shani Evenstein Sigalov,
On Behalf of the Brand Committee,
Board of Trustees, Wikimedia Foundation.