New subject: Wikimedia Foundation Form 990 for FY 2016-2017 now on-wiki

31 May 2018

      *---- Sending on behalf of Jaime Villagomez ----Hello Everyone, The
Wikimedia Foundation has submitted our annual Form 990 to the US Internal
Revenue Service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Revenue_Service
(IRS) and posted on-wiki[1]. The Form 990 is the annual financial
reporting, known as an “information return,” which the federal government
 requires nonprofit organizations in the United States to file. In addition
to posting the Form 990 on-wiki, we have also posted an accompanying page
with answers to frequently asked questions related to the form and
information we reported[2]. Almost all financial reports by their very
nature can be confusing, so to add clarity here is a simple breakdown of
key disclosures this form covers. We have previously explained that the
applicable dates for information disclosed on our financial reports can be
confusing, given that our July 1 fiscal year is different from the January
1 calendar year. For example, this "2016 Form 990" covers the financial
activities of the Wikimedia Foundation for our  2016-2017 fiscal year,
which ran from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. However, the calendar year
applies to disclosure of compensation of our officers, key employees,
highest paid staff and independent contractors.  Those disclosures are
based on payments made during the 2016 calendar year -- in other words,
compensation paid from January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2106. The
compensation paid to individuals that is disclosed therefore spans part of
Foundation’s 2015-2016 fiscal year and part of its 2016-2017 fiscal
year. The Wikimedia Foundation's total revenue in our  fiscal year
2016-2017 was US $89,973,967. Our total expenses during  this period were
US $69,076,192 and our total net assets at the end of the fiscal year were
US $113,330,197.The Form 990 also includes information about compensation
paid to the Wikimedia Foundation's five highest paid employees. The
salaries for all paid positions are set according to salary bands which are
determined bi-annually based on independent third party survey data[3].
Executive salaries are subject to this same standard. All executive
salaries, with the exception of the Executive Director's salary, are set by
the Executive Director, using the survey data, and in discussion with the
Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees also uses the independent third
party survey data, as well as comparative data from other nonprofit
organizations, to set the salary of the Executive Director, and to assess
and advise on other executive salaries. This is not only a best practice,
but is a process that is required under applicable law.In addition to
salary information, the report includes other payments made to certain of
the highest employees upon their departure from the organization -- even
where those departures may have occurred in 2016, but prior to the
Foundation’s fiscal year. Following our regular practice for staff
departures, these severance amounts are set on a case-by-case based on a
person's tenure with the organization. We recognize that people have an
interest in this topic, and that there will be some questions. However, as
an employer we are limited in what we can discuss publicly, both because of
legal requirements, as well as respect for employees’ confidentiality. We
are very transparent about executive payments, while ensuring that our
transparency is consistent with a respectful work environment that does not
violate the confidential personnel information of our staff.Through reports
and discussions like these, the Wikimedia Foundation will continue to
strive to provide a responsible level of transparency and accountability. I
imagine there are other questions, and I invite you to review the on-wiki
FAQ[2], or email me if your question is not answered there.Thank you to the
Foundation's Talent & Culture, Legal, Advancement and Communications
departments for their assistance with developing this year's Form 990 and
related communications. A very big thank you to our Finance and
Administration department for their hard work preparing this important
public filing. Jaime VillagomezChief Financial Officer* *[1] Link to PDF
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Financial_reports#2016%E2%80%932017_fiscal_year*
*[2] Link to FAQ
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IRS_tax_issues_and_information/2016_Wikimedia_Foundation_Form_990_Frequently_Asked_Questions*
*[3] https://www.radford.com/home/surveys/gts/
https://www.radford.com/home/surveys/gts/*
-- 
Tony Le
Wikimedia Foundation
Ph: 415-839-6885 ext 6749
Fax:  415-882-0495
tle@wikimedia.org

*We've moved!  **Our new address:*

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
1 Montgomery Street, Suite 1600
San Francisco, CA 94104

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