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.
____________________________________________________________________________________ Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/
I agree with you, we really do need to think about what to do next. My opinions on your three tracks:
1) I think that our interaction with the WMF is going to be crucial, and I would far prefer to have their approval then otherwise. From what I've seen about it, the chapters committee is very helpful and is not likely to cause us a gigantic problem. If there arent any major objections to the current set of bylaws, I saw we submit them to the committee for approval.
2) Agreed. Before we do anything about incorporating or applying for non-profit status, we should see where we are with the WMF, and we should see how viable our fundraising efforts can be.
3) The more ideas for projects the better, We can list them at the pretzel stand, or we can create a new subpage for projects as well. Maybe that should be the membership requirement, in lieu of a cash fee: you must submit an idea for an outreach project.
--Andrew Whitworth
From: John McC sb_johnny@yahoo.com Reply-To: Wikimedia Pennsylvania Chapter wikimediapa-l@lists.wikimedia.org To: wikimediapa-l@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: [WikimediaPA-l] Getting the ball rolling a little more, etc. Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 18:30:18 -0700 (PDT)
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.
Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/
Wikimediapa-l mailing list Wikimediapa-l@lists.wikimedia.org http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediapa-l
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1) I agree with Andrew that the WMF's support is necessary and will not be too hard to get. :) The only thing is that we need to clarify some of the bylaws. I'll talk to you tomorrow about his.
2) About fundraising, if that is a problem at the beginning, I am sure ChapComm can and will help start us up. Furthermore, before we incorporate or file with the IRS, we are going to need to talk to a lawyer. However, to my knowledge, that is currently being taken care of by Johnny.
3) It would be interesting to have that as a "membership requirement". We must also keep in mind that we can "copy" ideas from other groups and work together with them. There are many ideas that are a "one-time thing" and there are others that will span most of our existence (things like visiting schools and discussing free licensed materials with teachers).
Another thing we need to think about like the bank account is the formation of a website and e-mail address. We were in the paper about having three meetups, think of how the press might view this. I think Andrew and I agree that pa.wikimedia.org is the best idea for a website and an OTRS queue would be good for an e-mail.
We also need to draft a letter for other mailing lists and to possibly send to local newspapers. However these two things can wait until *after* we incorporate and become "official".
Casey Brown Cbrown1023
-----Original Message----- From: wikimediapa-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org [mailto:wikimediapa-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Whitworth Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 9:47 PM To: wikimediapa-l@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [WikimediaPA-l] Getting the ball rolling a little more, etc.
I agree with you, we really do need to think about what to do next. My opinions on your three tracks:
1) I think that our interaction with the WMF is going to be crucial, and I would far prefer to have their approval then otherwise. From what I've seen about it, the chapters committee is very helpful and is not likely to cause us a gigantic problem. If there arent any major objections to the current set of bylaws, I saw we submit them to the committee for approval.
2) Agreed. Before we do anything about incorporating or applying for non-profit status, we should see where we are with the WMF, and we should see how viable our fundraising efforts can be.
3) The more ideas for projects the better, We can list them at the pretzel stand, or we can create a new subpage for projects as well. Maybe that should be the membership requirement, in lieu of a cash fee: you must submit
an idea for an outreach project.
--Andrew Whitworth
wikimediapa-l@lists.wikimedia.org