Hello,

I agree with Jason that minimizing stress is a priority. The group will grow over time and it is an asset just to have founded it. With Wikimedia outreach and user groups, the only expectation is a single yearly meeting and a single yearly check-in with the Wikimedia Foundation. No one expects more, and in truth, most chapters and user groups do no more than that. This much should happen with no stress. Individuals who get stressed beyond that should divest responsibility to others and lower expectations, because these things are difficult to coordinate and cannot be rushed.

Like Jason, I am a fan of building a foundation for others to apply for funding. Practically no Wikimedia community outreach efforts have persisted without staff support from someone paid to help. There are things that only Wikimedia supporters can do, but some things - like even coordination - are so boring and complicated that I never see volunteers managing them indefinitely.

Pine, paid work should be your priority. Two hours weekly is a generous donation and more than most highly active Wikipedians give to their local groups.

yours,


On Sat, Nov 22, 2014 at 9:32 PM, Jason Moore <anotherbelieverwp@gmail.com> wrote:
Pine, paid work should be your priority. Don't give yourself an ulcer working too hard on Cascadia-related work. Burnout is always a concern of mine for Wikipedia volunteers. I would recommend dedicating what time you can and ENJOY donating to the cause, because this group should be built out of love for the Wikimedia movement and for because it is something that brings a sense of mission and satisfaction. Again, if there are specific tasks you need done by volunteers, consider posting needs/requests here and/or at Meta-Wiki. Someone might be willing to raise their hand and assist with certain tasks.

I am happy to help with Portland events and Cascadia social media when I can. I am trying to keep an eye on the mailing list (though not very successfully)... that is one task I would prefer to get off my plate when the group gets larger. It just is not on my radar and I am spread thin. 

I might also suggest that perhaps for our first year we base our program on existing campaigns and just trying to participate, and use the time to build our outreach strategies and communities. Events like Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Libraries, Wiki Loves Pride, ArtAndFeminism, etc. already have established campaigns, press and best practices. Even if we simply hosted events in Cascadia as part of these larger campaigns, we would be doing good and building community. Let's not kill ourselves trying to do too much at once. I would rather we do less and improve our funding, social media and reporting channels. Build a solid foundation.

Jason

On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 3:57 PM, Raymond Leonard <raymond.f.leonard.jr@gmail.com> wrote:
I have somewhat busy end of year as well. I am running the Seattle Marathon on 11/30 (feel free to cheer on my bedraggled butt beyond the 20 mile marker) & away 12/24 through 12/27. I am on call 11/24-11/29, 12/6-12/14, & 12/22-12/23. Being on call does not necessarily mean that I cannot meet, but that my attendance may be preempted by work matters.

I think that other than those days I can make a board meeting or two & some Wikimedia activities a priority in December. After Christmas, I should be pretty open except for 1/7-1/11 when my son visits.

Many of us are busy at year's end, but I am providing my schedule so that maybe we can find a common puka in our schedules that aligns. Maybe the weekend before Christmas or after New Year's, Public Domain Day, or any evening that lines up.

Yours,
Peaceray

On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 2:40 PM, Pine W <wiki.pine@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Jason, thanks for the info.

Peaceray has followed up with some comments on Meta as well.

It sounds like one thing that we have decided, in the usual wiki way of "someone should do X, no one else has stepped up to do it, and I can do it for the most part" is to create an *informal* communications primary contact list that goes something like this:

University of Washington facilities/logistics: Mako

Portland events, social media coordination, event calendar coordination, and mailing list administration: Jason

GLAM: Peaceray

Seattle events, and finance/grants/legal: Pine

Is that all ok so far?

It would be great if we got experienced, knowledgable and reliable contacts for event planning  at WSU, British Columbia, and other locations.

For the annual plan development timeline, I think we are likely to move to step 2 sometime in December or January. I am currenty woking really long days and something like 60 hours per week plus commute time. I hope that my workload will scale down to a more reasonable 50 hours per week in mid-December, so that I can do other projects including preparing for our first board meeting. One of the downsides of Cascadia's lack of paid staff and the  reliance on volunteer time is that actions that would benefit Cascadia must wait until the volunteers can actually volunteer. We can add discussion of volunteer workload, availability, abilities, and risks of burnout to our list of factors for the Board to keep in mind during Annual Plan development. Right now, paid work must be my personal priority; I estimate that I top out at 2 hours per week for Cascadia volunteer work. I hope that everyone understands, and I appreciate your patience. In the meantime, everyone please do participate in the discussion on Meta. (:

Regards,
Pine

Thank you for providing this timeline, Pine. I wouldn't mind if it were posted at Meta so we could keep track of our progress and use it as a checklist. 

As you acknowledged, I've responded with some program ideas at Meta. Throwing some spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. Truly, our group will be much stronger if more people share their program priorities and wishes, so please take a look at the Meta discussion and add your thoughts. Also, you are welcome to update the "Possible calendar" section with dates for monthly meetups, possible monthly campaigns, one-offs like holiday parties, etc. I added the possibility of a Cascadia meetup at Wikimania 2015. There was not really a Cascadia meetup in London, but since the next conference is being held in North America there may be more Cascadian presence. Also, we can add WikiConference USA once the dates are set.

Jason

On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 1:13 AM, Pine W <wiki.pine@gmail.com> wrote:

Thank you AB for commenting on Meta already (:

I will explain here how I envision that our plan development process will work.

Already done: Assemble a our Board; get consensus for creating a user group including its name and geographic scope; early program brainstorming and wishlisting; Affcom affiliation approval

Step 1 (now): draft of program list with community input; finance and legal work in background; WMF trademark agreement

Step 2: Board creation of bylaws and appointment of officers; Board selection of programs and calendar for programs; Board authorization to draft a budget and grant proposal; Board authorization to register Cascadia Wikimedians User Group as a nonprofit corporation with relevant government agencies; Board authorization to establish a registered agent and to create a bank account; Board authorization to seek a small "bridging the gap" grant for legal startup expenses like registered agent services prior to our Annual Plan grant; Board approval of trademark agreement with WMF

Step 3: Budget and program plan/calendar draft development; obtain small grant for legal startup expenses and execute the funded tasks

Step 4: Community review of budget and program plan/calendar

Step 5: Board approval of.budget, program plan/calendar, and grant request(s) to fund the budget

Step 6: Sumbit budget and grant proposal for review by grantmaker(s)

Step 7: Recieve grant funding.and begin to execute programs (:

After Step 7: quarterly Board reviews until it's time to create the next annual plan, with possible special meetings on occasion between regular quarterly meetings.

Does that all sound ok? Any questions?

Thanks,

Pine

On Nov 17, 2014 3:29 PM, "Pine W" <wiki.pine@gmail.com> wrote:
I'm hoping that people will comment so that we can get a sense about the priorities of our group. The Board can use the comments to finalize a program plan and an associated budget. The budget will be developed to support the program plan.

I'm still working in the background about the "infrastructure" budget for issues like insurance, but even these will benefit greatly by being informed by a program plan.

One important note is that the plan will likely be adjusted and adapted as our capabilities and opportunities change. My thinking is that the Board can do this via quarterly review meetings with community input.

Please share your comments!

Pine

This is an Encyclopedia
One gateway to the wide garden of knowledge, where lies
The deep rock of our past, in which we must delve
The well of our future,
The clear water we must leave untainted for those who come after us,
The fertile earth, in which truth may grow in bright places, tended by many hands,
And the broad fall of sunshine, warming our first steps toward knowing how much we do not know.
Catherine Munro



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