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@wikimedia.org with your nominations and include the following details: 

• Subject line: Nomination for the Brand Committee Advisors Task Force

• 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.