Well, we've apparently generated a bit of interest from perspective members, so maybe it's safe to start thinking about what to do next. As I see it, there are three tracks we need to be paying attention to, and should try to concentrate our efforts on one of them, or perhaps break into working groups for each.
The first track is dealing with the Wikimedia Foundation itself. That's a bit tricky because they can sometimes become a bit more interested in debate than in getting things rolling along :). Personally I think we could have the chapter independent of their approval (though we might need a name change if we're forced to go that route), but on the other hand I also (opining again) think that our *mission* should really just stay focused on the promotion and improvement of the foundation-run projects.
The second track is our legal status. Setting up a non-profit is quite easy to do (just requires a small infusion of cash, a set of bylaws, and a board of members to sign the papers). However, I don't think we should do that until we know where we stand with the foundation (we can set up the paperwork, but we can't submit them until we know what we're called).
The third track is developing our plans for doing things, and doing them. It might be better to work on this track until the first track gets straightened out, since most of the ideas we can develop and/or act on won't really be affected by where the other tracks take us. Small, short-term projects (such as scheduling another Wikimeetup where we can hold a quorum on what tracks to follow) could be easily arranged via irc, this mailing list, and the "Pretzel Stand" on meta. It also wouldn't be a bad idea to run a small fundraiser to raise whatever we'll need for submitting our articles of incorporation when the time comes (not to mention opening a bank account to keep the money in). Medium-term goals --such as developing informal curricula for outreach sessions-- can certainly get started too. Long term projects like making partnerships with non-profs, academic bodies, and even state agencies can also be pursued (at least we could translate and synopsize what the German chapter did and see if we could do something similar with the Commonwealth or even municipal governments).
It's all a lot to think about, but no there's time like the present for making a start :).
-Johnny.
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