On 23/02/16 22:34, SarahSV wrote:
​Brian, I'd be interested to hear how volunteers could be cultivated and supported. We felt under attack by the Foundation until Lila arrived, and I think a lot of editors are grateful to her for having improved that relationship. But not feeling attacked isn't the same as feeling supported.
I am not sure how much Sue Gardner or Lila Tretikov affected my passion for Wikipedia (in either direction), whereas some of the members on this list have (positively). Recently attending Wikimania in London, UK (where I live) and being a member of the local chapter, also going to meetups and editathons locally have had a real effect.
I use Mediawiki to build websites.
The Foundation often boasts that it only has around 200 employees, but the truth is that it has an enormous unpaid workforce. Most of us don't go to meet-ups, so we don't even see travel expenses. We're grateful if we can get a free JSTOR subscription.
I am a member of that unpaid workforce. Speaking personally, I don't want to be paid. My local chapter (Wikimedia UK) will usually offer travel expenses, for small amounts (e.g. within London). Larger amounts might not be met.
As a serial volunteer, I tend to disappear quite quickly when I don't have fun (or I don't get reasonable expenses).
YMMV,
Gordo