Hi everyone,
I'm delighted to announce that the Wikimedia Foundation's Annual Plan for
FY18-19 is now on Meta[1].
This year, we have organized our efforts around three goals that focus on
making critical improvements to our systems and structures to ensure that
we’re better positioned for our coming work against the strategic
direction[2]. The Foundation’s goals for this year should not only move us
closer to knowledge equity and service, but will prepare us to execute
against the 3- to 5-year strategic plan which we intend to develop this
year in order to guide the Foundation’s work into the future.
As you’ll see, we’ve made some changes to the structure of this year’s
annual plan. This year’s plan is organized around three goals for the
Foundation’s work in the year to come. By restructuring the Annual Plan, we
have written a plan for the whole Foundation, rather than an aggregation
of plans from all of our departments and teams. In this sense, we’re
seeking to become a better-integrated institution, rather than a collection
of teams and departments with disparate goals.
We’ve also reduced the overall length of the published Annual Plan. We
wanted to make sure that the focus and goals of our work don’t get lost in
the details. Of course, we know that many community members enjoy reading
the particulars of our planned work, so you can still access the details of
departmental programs through links to their descriptions on Meta or
MediaWiki.org. These links will provide interested readers with detailed
departmental programs, which describe the specific and detailed program
goals, impact and outcomes. This change does not sacrifice the depth and
rigor of our planning process, but rather, it is meant to keep the Annual
Plan lean and focused while allowing interested readers to dive deep into
the details.
Finally, we’ve expanded the planning framework we instituted last year for
cross-departmental programs to all of our programs across the Foundation.
This allows us to clearly link a program’s resources to outcomes and
measures. As such, we’ve presented the Annual Plan budget in terms of our
investments in the three defined goals rather than in terms of our internal
organizational structure.
Thank you all for your support over the past year. I'm really looking
forward to your feedback on this year's proposed plan during the open
comment period -- a reminder it runs through May 15th.
Thanks!
Katherine
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_
Annual_Plan/2018-2019/Draft
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017
--
Katherine Maher
Executive Director
Wikimedia Foundation
1 Montgomery Street, Suite 1600
San Francisco, CA 94104
+1 (415) 839-6885 ext. 6635 <(415)%20839-6885>
+1 (415) 712 4873 <(415)%20712-4873>
kmaher(a)wikimedia.org
https://annual.wikimedia.org
The Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, which operates
Wikipedia, the world’s largest online repository of free knowledge, believe
that the European Union’s proposed copyright directive is a threat to
essential human freedoms. If passed, it would limit free expression, and
cause serious harm to collaboration and diversity online.
Over the last few months, the Wikimedia Foundation has been watching
developments around new proposed copyright laws in Europe very closely.
On June 20, the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament voted to
support proposed copyright laws that, if enacted, will significantly limit
the openness of the internet, diminishing the ability of people around the
globe to access knowledge, while stifling innovation and imposing what we
believe will be unreasonable costs on new or smaller websites. We expressed
our opposition to these proposals at the time, and the Wikimedia Foundation
-- along with many in the Wikimedia movement—advocated against them. We now
do so again as we approach July 5th, which will be another critical moment
in the legislative process as the issue comes up for a vote once again.
The Wikimedia Foundation and its projects exist to harness the power of a
free and open web to make knowledge more accessible for everyone. Our
mission to create a world where everyone can share in the sum of human
knowledge requires a web in which all people can freely collaborate to
create and access knowledge.
This flawed EU copyright proposal contradicts that vision.
Instead of truly modernizing copyright for Europe and promoting everyone's
participation in information society, the proposal threatens freedom online
and creates new obstacles to access by imposing new barriers, filters, and
restrictions.
We are committed to remaining a strong advocate and partner for enabling
society’s ability to share and curate knowledge in free and open spaces.
Now is the time to stand up for the free and open internet.
Today we, as Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, *unanimously and
strongly*, urge the European Parliament and Council *to oppose* the
proposed directive in its current version and stand on the side of the
people in Europe. Please read the Wikimedia Foundation's statement on EU
copyright reform
<https://blog.wikimedia.org/2018/06/29/eu-copyright-proposal-will-hurt-web-w…>
and take action at Changecopyright.org <https://changecopyright.org/>.
On behalf of the Board,
María Sefidari
Vice Chair of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
Hello everyone,
The next Wikimedia Foundation metrics and activities meeting will take
place on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at 6:00 PM UTC (11 AM PDT). The IRC
channel is #wikimedia-office on https://webchat.freenode.net, and the
meeting will be broadcast as a live YouTube stream.[1] We’ll post the video
recording publicly after the meeting.
During the June 2018 meeting, we will hear about new improvements to maps
on Wikimedia projects and different paths of contribution as an editor on
Wikipedia.
Meeting agenda:
* Welcome and introduction
* Movement update
* Map improvements 2018
* Understanding workflows for editors
* Questions and discussion
* Wikilove
Please review the meeting's Meta-Wiki page for further information about
the meeting and how to participate:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_metrics_and_activities…
You can also sign up to participate in future meetings on Meta-Wiki:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_metrics_and_activities…
Due to Wikimania, information about the next metrics & activities meeting
will be coming soon.
Thank you,
Lena
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otAX58IZ6KA
Lena Traer
Project Coordinator // Communications // Advancement
Wikimedia Foundation
Dear members of the Wikimedia community,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, I write to
confirm that the board has approved [1] the full slate of the FDC’s Round 2
2017-2018 recommendations [2] for the Annual Plan Grants. In this round, 5
organizations will be receiving a total of roughly US $1,517,363. Grants
are made in local currency, so the USD figure is approximate.
The Board wants to thank the Funds Dissemination Committee members and
staff for the time and effort they have put into this process, as well as
all members of the community who have participated in this round of review,
analysis and deliberations. We appreciate and value the efforts put in this
process.
Thank you to all the organizations who submitted proposals in this round,
and for the work that the volunteers and staff of these organizations have
put in to further our movement’s mission.
Volunteers are at the heart of the Funds Dissemination Committee. We are
lucky to have a committee comprised of nine dedicated community members who
give a lot of their time and energy into making this funding program a
reality. We thank you all for your work this year!
[1] https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:Board_approval_of_FDC_
recommendation_(2017-18,_Round_2)
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/FDC_
recommendations/2017-2018_Round_2
Best regards,
antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv, on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of
Trustees
*NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
advance!*
Hi all,
The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has approved and published
minutes from its meeting on April 19, 2018:
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Minutes/2018-04-19
Best,
Charles M. Roslof
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation
croslof(a)wikimedia.org
(415) 839-6885
NOTICE: As an attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation, for legal/ethical
reasons I cannot give legal advice to, or serve as a lawyer for, community
members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal capacity. For more
on what this means, please see our legal disclaimer
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Legal_Disclaimer>.
Hi all,
The agenda for the next Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees meeting, on
June 12, 2018, is now available on Meta-Wiki:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_board_agenda_2018-06
Best,
Charles M. Roslof
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation
croslof(a)wikimedia.org
(415) 839-6885
NOTICE: This message might have confidential or legally privileged
information in it. If you have received this message by accident, please
delete it and let us know about the mistake. As an attorney for the
Wikimedia Foundation, for legal/ethical reasons I cannot give legal advice
to, or serve as a lawyer for, community members, volunteers, or staff
members in their personal capacity. For more on what this means, please see
our legal disclaimer
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Legal_Disclaimer>.
*---- 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_fi…>*
*[2] Link to FAQ
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IRS_tax_issues_and_information/2016_Wikimed…>*
*[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(a)wikimedia.org
*We've moved! **Our new address:*
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
1 Montgomery Street, Suite 1600
San Francisco, CA 94104
This message is confidential and may be legally privileged or otherwise
protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, please
telephone or email the sender and delete this message and any attachment
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