One suggestion I made was that, since communication between office and community is so critical, it might be worth the foundation employing one person at the office purely for community/office liaison (via this list, on Meta, etc). In other words their role is to be at the office and responsive to the community on lists and wikis, ensure community questions and concerns are addressed or not lost, where other staff may not be able to do so as fully as some would wish. It'd cost, but it may well be worth it. Worthwhile? Or wasteful?
FT2
Yes, worthwhile, although this list would be only a minor part of such monitoring. An experienced Wikipedian needs to monitor the mailing lists, Village Pump, requests for arbitration, and the administrative noticeboards regularly and prepare a brief summary for staff daily. Emphasis would be on issues which have potential to or already affect public relations or Foundation resources.
Fred