Correct me if I'm wrong, but the WMF has used Oppenheim before for senior level hiring (appointed board members and maybe C-suite level staff? I'm not sure about that last one, but I'm almost certain I recall the WMF has used Oppenheim for executive searches before.) My understanding is that the value in the prospect is simply because Oppenheim simply has a wider reach and base of contacts than the WMF does. If memory serves, they were the ones who found Geoff Brigham, and I believe they also found the replacement for Veronique as CFOO. I'm not really sure why this is suddenly a concern now, and not before, especially given the quality of success they've had in the past.
-Dan
Dan Rosenthal
On Sun, Feb 17, 2013 at 4:21 PM, rupert THURNER rupert.thurner@gmail.comwrote:
my first thought when i read this was "should i use my free time to edit wikipedia so that somebody donates money to wmf, and they use it to pay oppenheim?"
On Sun, Feb 17, 2013 at 9:28 PM, Itzik Edri itzik@infra.co.il wrote:
I don't understand. The board hired and pays to a company to find a board member? Have we tried before via our networks, chapters, and via our advisory board to find such a person (as been done until now?).
On Sun, Feb 17, 2013 at 1:55 AM, Alice Wiegand <awiegand@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi everyone,
as you know, we have one vacant appointed seat on the Board of
Trustees. We
have asked m/Oppenheim Associates to assist us in finding a new board member and and we are reaching out to the community for suggestions and nominations.
The Board functions as a governance body that is ultimately responsible
for
the Wikimedia Foundation and its activities, supervises the disposition
and
solicitation of donations, and evaluates the organization’s Executive Director who leads all Foundation staff. As arguably the most
influential
and respected organization in the free knowledge movement, the Wikimedia Foundation and its Board have a great responsibility for setting policy deliberately and with due consideration for the diverse interests of a truly global community. To find out more about the responsibilities and workings of the board you can have a look at the Board manualhttp://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_board_manual .
As with any search process we will be communicating with a lot of
potential
candidates to see if we are a good match. The Board’s objective is to
use
this search to strengthen its competence with regards to board
governance,
grantmaking, strategy, and expertise with regions where Wikimedia is
trying
to make rapid strides in the growth of our projects.
Board terms are for a two year period. Compared to other boards the time commitment is very significant. The Board of Trustees meets four times a year, twice in San Francisco and twice in changing locations around the globe. Meetings take two days and travel can add another two days to
each
meeting. In addition, the Board communicates frequently by email and Internet Relay Chat (IRC) as it navigates policy issues. This can absorb 4-10 hours weekly. Board members also regularly engage with the
Community
through wiki pages.
We think that the WMF would benefit from a Board member who has
experience
with organizations that have grown and evolved rapidly, and who
understands
how boards can evolve to provide appropriate governance support in these changing circumstances. Experience with international, community-driven, consensus organizations is also important as the Foundation would not
exist
without the community.
We would like to call upon you to help us out with finding the right individual. A complete position description can be found here<
http://moppenheim.com/searches/links/Wikimedia%20Foundation%20-%20Board%20Me...
and
additional information can be found at www.moppenheim.com and www.wikimediafoundation.org. Your suggestions
and
nominations are very welcome. Please feel free to reach out to your networks and distribute this note as you deem appropriate.
Interested individuals should contact Lisa Grossman
lisag@moppenheim.com
-- Alice Wiegand Board of Trustees Wikimedia Foundation
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