New subject: Funds Dissemination Committee seeking nominations for new members

30 May 2014

      tl;dr Self-nominations invited for four Board-appointed members of the FDC.
Nominate here.[3]
Dear members of the Wikimedia community,
The Funds Dissemination Committee Advisory Group (FDC AG) met recently in
Frankfurt to recommend to the Executive Director (ED) of the Wikimedia
Foundation whether the FDC - the nine member volunteer committee reviewing
annual plan grants or allocations for Wikimedia and allied organisations -
should continue or not, after the first two years of its existence.[1] The
detailed recommendations of the FDC AG will be shared with the Executive
Director and the community shortly, but we are happy to announce that the
AG recommends that the FDC continues to exist with some suggested
improvements to the process.
The final decision on the FDC will be taken by the ED and the Board of WMF
over the next few months (the FDC Framework’s timeline suggests August),
but the AG’s overall recommendation is a testimony to the deep commitment
and energy of the current FDC and the community members who have
participated in this unique peer-review grantmaking process. Thank you.
Without anticipating the ED and Board’s decision, we would like to move
forward with the process of renewing the current FDC with four
Board-appointed members of the FDC so that a full FDC is in place by August
2014. As per the Framework,[2] four of the current committee members will
be ending their two year terms in July, and four new members will be
appointed by the WMF Board to fill these vacancies.
I write to ask those of you interested in joining the FDC to signal your
interest on Meta by self-nominating by end of day UTC June 15.[3]  The
schedule for the nominations process is as follows:
* May 30 - June 15: Self nominations to join the FDC. Candidates indicate
their interest through a short paragraph about themselves, and respond to
an initial set of questions from the FDC staff
* June 1 - June 30:  Public question and answer [4] from community members
to candidates
* June 24 - July 3: FDC staff in consultation with the FDC Board
representatives (Bishakha Datta and Patricio Lorente) interview a sub-set
of nominated candidates
* July 3: Shortlist of candidates announced
* July 4 - 10: Decision on final four FDC candidates by the Board reps in
consultation with the full Board
* July 11: Public announcement to community of the four new members
* August: Based on the ED and Board’s decision on the FDC’s existence,
orientation of the new FDC at Wikimania
To be eligible to join the FDC, members need to meet the requirements
below, as outlined by the Framework.[5] They must:
* have sufficient time and dedication to commit to this time-heavy process,
including attending two 4-6 day face-to-face meetings (likely in mid-May
and mid-November) and be able to meet the expectations outlined in more
detail on the nominations page
* have a track record of constructive engagement in community discussions
and an orientation toward collaborative problem solving
* be able to set aside any conflicts of interest and work towards the
mission goals of the Wikimedia movement without considering individual or
organizational interests
* be over 21 years in age and over the age of majority in their home country
* be able to work effectively in English (note that full fluency is not
required)
* present to WMF appropriate personal identification
* Staff / board members of entities requesting funds from the FDC may serve
on the FDC;
however, they must recuse themselves from deliberations pertaining to their
entity's application.
The *skills and attributes* being sought for in FDC members include:
* Experience directing or evaluating programs;
* Grant-making expertise (either as a grantee or grantor of funds);
* Exposure to, understanding of, and personal credibility in the Wikimedia
movement (experience across different Wikimedia projects as well as
experience in programs, chapters, or administrative roles within the
Wikimedia movement);
* Gender, geographic and linguistic diversity.
There are no term limits for FDC members, and current members may choose to
re-apply for the FDC. The members whose terms end this July are Anders
Wennersten, Arjuna Rao Chavala, Mike Peel (current Secretary), and Yuri
Perohanych. The members who continue on the FDC for another year are Ali
Haidar Khan (current Vice-Chair), Dariusz Jemielniak (current Chair),
Cristian Consonni, Delphine Ménard and Sydney Poore.  More information
about the Committee’s roles is available on Meta.[6]
We’ll hold IRC office hours to answer questions, particularly for those of
you interested in joining the committee. Current FDC members may join these
office hours, based on their availability. Office hours will be held on the
#wikimedia-office channel on Wednesday, June 4 at 0:00 UTC and again later
that day at 16:00 UTC.[7]
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and my FDC staff colleagues at
FDCsupport@wikimedia.org. We’d be happy to answer any questions you may
have about joining the committee.
Warmly,
Anasuya
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Funds_Dissemination_Committee_Advisory_Group...
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Funds_Dissemination_Committee/Fra...
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Funds_Dissemination_Committee/Nom...
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Funds_Dissemination_Committee/Nom...
[5]
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Funds_Dissemination_Committee/Fram...
[6]
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Funds_Dissemination_Committee#Role...
[7] http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IRC_office_hours
-- 

*Anasuya SenguptaSenior Director of GrantmakingWikimedia Foundation*

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