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WMUK update, 24 March 2015
by Michael Maggs 01 Apr '15

01 Apr '15

*Draft annual accounts for the 2014-15 financial year *Today we are releasing our draft annual accounts for the 2014-15 financial year, ending 31^st January 2015 [1]. The contents of these accounts have been a matter of significant concern for the Board, and we are making this statement to provide some context and to set out the steps we have taken. In December 2013 the board approved a budget for 2014-15 based on expected income of £623,000. Net income over the period was in line with expectations but expenditure on Wikimania and other projects was not well controlled during the latter part of last year, and we are facing a projected deficit of £192,000 as against our original budgeted deficit of £32,000. While Wikimania 2014 was an international success, for which volunteers, the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia UK can all take some credit, the experience was challenging for us as the local chapter. Although we were not running the conference, we were providing significant staff and logistical support, and we did so too enthusiastically given that not all of our expenses were recoverable. Overall, and after allowing for a one-off Foundation grant of £65,000 to cover our international support, we overspent by around £45,000. Our Wikimedians in Residence programme gained real traction over the year with demand significantly outstripping available funds, resulting in an overspend of £49,000. Much of this arose from agreements made with several high-profile organisations late last year which could not have been deferred without significant reputational damage to the charity. The board had hoped that these costs could have been delayed until February, when they would have fallen into the 2015-16 financial year, but have been advised that that is not possible. There were smaller overspends on a variety of other project areas as well. Finally, we had an off-budget net expense of £57,000 during the year, representing the Chief Executive transition. These disappointing overspends in 2014-15 have left us with reserves of only £165,000, which is below the £200,000 level that the board considers to be the acceptable minimum for a charity of our size. *Action to restore stability* Immediately that the charity's overspends became clear, shortly before the December 2014 board meeting, the interim CEO, supported by the board, introduced a moratorium on further non-essential expenditure until a 2015-16 budget could be prepared. In order to allow time for the interim CEO to review activity the second volunteer strategy day as well as a number of other projected programme activities were postponed. *Draft budget and plans for 2015-16* We are also today releasing our draft budget for 2015-16 [2]. This is subject to amendment, particularly on staff costs. The funds we have available to spend on charitable programmes will be significantly lower than in 2014-15. There are three main factors: * To ensure charity stability it is crucial that we increase our reserves to the minimum level of around £200,000. The board has set a core budget for this year which is break-even or better. * Our grant from the Wikimedia Foundation has been reduced from £353,000 to £314,000. * For the moment at least the board does not consider it prudent to set a budget that assumes in advance that the charity will be able to obtain significant project-based or corporate funding, nor that direct debit income can be rapidly increased. The combined effect of these factors is that the board has to take decisive and fairly radical action to ensure that we can work effectively within our smaller core budget of £570,000 (a full £242,000 below the amount indicated as WMUK's projected budget in the FDC bid of October 2014). To ensure greater clarity and transparency for the future, as well as better alignment with our strategic goals, our 2015-16 budget will besplit into a variety of categories, of which the first three ('contracted', 'necessary' and 'should')cover limited core activities that can be supported within the resources (funds, staff, volunteers etc) we are almost certain to have available. The remaining two categories ('like to' and 'icing')cover activities that we can support only to the extent we can expand our resource base, either by specific project-based or general fundraising, or by building active volunteer engagement. Our aim with this project-based approach is to encourage community involvement with decisions on what we should do and not do, based on an assessment of which potential projects are best aligned with our strategic goals. A large part of the assessment must be to decide which projects are capable of generating sufficient active volunteer support (and fundability if funds are needed), and then selecting based on those givingthe greatest charitable impactfor the resources required. We will need some new community mechanisms to embed volunteer inputs into all of this, and we will be discussing widely, including further discussions at the rescheduled second volunteer strategy day on Saturday 25^th July. *WMUK organisational structure* In their comments ofNovember lastyear theFunds Dissemination Committee (FDC)said: "/While the FDC understands that reducing Wikimedia UK's funding might be a strain on the organization, the FDC hopes it will lead to a productive re-evaluation of priorities and direction. The ED transition should be seen as an opportunity to rethink and restructure. The governance reshuffle and adaptation has been managed well, recommendations brought about by the governance review have been implemented, and board diversity has been achieved, which will provide a strong foundation for the coming transition. At the same time, the FDC notes that it seems difficult to identify a sustainable and clear staff structure beneath the executive level."/ It is clear to the board that many of theassumptions and plans on which the current organisational structure was originallybuilt are no longer fit for purpose. As previously announced, we are already engaged in a review of our staff structure. Thisis currently in a period of consultation with the staff concerned and it would be inappropriate to discuss in detail. However, the Board's intention is to have a more streamlined organisation,better focused on our strategic goals, better able to engage with and involve volunteers of all kinds, and more appropriate to the level of resource we have. The committee further noted: "/The FDC urges Wikimedia UK to carefully consider its plans to hire additional fundraising staff, and to articulate a clear strategy for how that position will benefit the organization and the movement. The FDC acknowledges that there may be many untapped resources in Wikimedia UK's context, but resources will need to be clearly identified in order to be targeted effectively."/ The board believes that the charity'sexisting capacity and model for fundraising is not adequate, and we cannot at present recommend a core budget that assumes significant project-based or general contributions fromtrusts, foundations and corporates. The board isseekingapermanent Chief Executive with significant expertise in this area, and who is capable of taking a stronger personal lead within a restructured staff team. ____________ Michael Maggs Chair, Wikimedia UK on behalf of the board [1]: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Draft_statutory_accounts_2014-15_as_at_M… [2]: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Draft_2015-16_budget_for_board_meeting_o…

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You are invited to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich
by Jonathan Cardy 30 Mar '15

30 Mar '15

Dear all, Wikimedia UK and the National Maritime Museum would like to invite you to an editathon in Greenwich on the 15th April re the Board of Longitude. Our partners at the NMM are supplying lunch and several experts on the subject who want to improve Wikipedia's coverage of the search for longitude. Experienced Wikipedia editors would be very welcome. The registration page is at https://donate.wikimedia.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?id=185&reset=1 the project page which includes articles we hope to work on is here <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetups/UK/National_Maritime_Museum…>, There is also a talkpage <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Meetups/UK/National_Maritime_M…> which gives opportunities to ask questions to some experts from the museum. Lunch will be provided by our partners the National Maritime Museum. The National Maritime Museum is the world's largest maritime museum, "filled with inspirational stories of exploration and endeavour at sea and packed to the gunwales with intriguing objects and fascinating galleries". The Board of Longitude were the administrators of a prize for the development of accurate ways to determine longitude, and thereby the sponsors of some major scientific and exploratory discoveries that had an important impact on world history. Regards Jonathan Cardy GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums) Organiser Wikimedia UK 020 7065 0921 (I'm normally in the office Tuesday's, Wednesdays and Fridays - Emails on Mondays and Thursdays wont usually be seen till the next day) Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.

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Changes to timings of membership approvals
by Katherine Bavage 30 Mar '15

30 Mar '15

Hello everyone, I am copying here from a post I've just made on the Engine room <https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#Changes_to_timings_of_membership_…> : At the meeting of the Board of Trustees on 7th March a decision was made in lieu of a permanent Chief Executive appointment that the full board of trustees would return to considering and approving applications for memberships i.e. these will not be done under the scheme of delegation by a staff member until a permanent appointment is made and following induction. In practical terms this means new members (whether a former lapsed member applying or a brand new member) will apply for membership as before, but it will not be approved and therefore active until the date of the next meeting of the board of Trustees. The language on our sign up page now reads: *New member:* *Your application to become a member of Wikimedia U.K. is now pending approval. If you are applying following a previous membership expiring then you will need to be re-approved. Following a decision made by Trustees on 7th March 2015 memberships will be approved by the full board of Trustees pending the recruitment of a permanent Chief Executive. The dates of board meetings for the year are 20th June, 25th July (AGM), 12th September, 12th December. New memberships, including those of former members who have lapsed and are re-applying will not be approved until these dates. If you wish you application to be approved today, for example, in order to apply for a micro-grant, please contact membership(a)wikimedia.org.uk <membership(a)wikimedia.org.uk> with your request and reasons.* Please do continue to encourage supporters and event attendees to consider applying for membership, only make them aware that there will be a wait for approval unless there is an urgent need to consider sooner based on project support (Grant application/Equipment loan) If you have questions or concerns you can reply in the Engine room, email membership(a)wikimedia.org.uk or reply here. *Katherine Bavage * *Fundraising Manager * *Wikimedia UK* +44 20 7065 0752 Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). *Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*

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Re: [Wikimediauk-l] WMUK update, 24 March 2015
by peterc＠cix.compulink.co.uk 29 Mar '15

29 Mar '15

In-Reply-To: <CAEgLstR6hEym_xvq6ugVynKacLpkELQgBUecD4=RrkJnkLau6Q(a)mail.gmail.c- om> What might be useful is an indication as to how the £57,000 breaks down. In other words how much is down to recruitment costs (e.g. advertising) how much is down to maybe an interim CE demanding more pay and how much to a period in which more than one person being paid a salary related to the post (e.g. due to accumulated untaken annual leave amounting to several months pay or an unworked notice period or paid sick leave entitlement, you needn't specify which) or ex gratia payments being made to the departing CE. Also are there any plans being put into place to try to reduce the potential for the next transition costing as much?

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Scottish Fairground culture editathon - 7 May
by Sara Thomas 26 Mar '15

26 Mar '15

(x-posted to Scotwiki mailing list / Glamwiki mailing list) Hello all, Are you a fan of all things fairground? Candy floss, toffee apples and games of chance? And might you be in the vicinity of Glasgow on the afternoon of 7th May? If so, myself and Glasgow Museums would love to see you at the Scottish Fairground Culture Editathon, being held at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow. More details on the event page: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Scottish_Fairground_Culture_Editathon All the best, Sara Sara ThomasWikimedian in ResidenceGlasgow Museums / Museums Galleries Scotlandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/Museums_Galleries_Scot…

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8th Edinburgh Meetup 22 April
by Crockford, Ally 25 Mar '15

25 Mar '15

Extending an invitation to all Wikimedians who are in or near Edinburgh on the evening of Wednesday 22 April: please come along to the 8th Edinburgh Meetup, which will be held at Platform 5 - a newly-opened, family-friendly pub located right across the road from Haymarket Station! - from 18:30 onwards. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Meetup/Edinburgh/8 This is our first try at a weekday evening meetup, in an attempt to cater to a wider array of schedules, so hopefully we will see many faces both new and old! Cheers, Ally Ally Crockford Wikimedian-In-Residence National Library of Scotland George IV Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1EW Scotland, UK e: a.crockford(a)nls.uk<mailto:a.crockford@nls.uk> t: (0) 131 623 3797 w: http://www.nls.uk<http://www.nls.uk/> Follow us on Twitter and Facebook National Library of Scotland, Scottish Charity, No: SCO11086 This communication is intended for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the addressee please inform the sender and delete the email from your system. The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of National Library of Scotland. This message is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. No liability is accepted for any harm that may be caused to your systems or data by this message. www.nls.uk

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WMUK update, 24 March 2015
by Michael Maggs 24 Mar '15

24 Mar '15

/Follow up note:/ On the advice of our accountant I have struck the paragraph relating to Wikimedians in Residence as it probably gives a misleading impression. In fact, direct cost spend on this programme was almost exactly as expected, and the £49,000 figure is an accounting artefact resulting from the treatment of a gift in kind plus salary costs. Our accountant advises that the two major items which contributed to the overrun of the deficit were (1) Wikimania and (2) the CEO transition expenses. The link to the Wiki is: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#Wikimedia_UK_update.2C_24_March_2… ____________ Michael Maggs Chair, Wikimedia UK > *From:* Michael Maggs <Michael(a)maggs.name> > *Date:* 24 March 2015 13:14 > *To:* "wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org" > <wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> > *Subject:* WMUK update, 24 March 2015 > *Draft annual accounts for the 2014-15 financial year > > *Today we are releasing our draft annual accounts for the 2014-15 > financial year, ending 31^st January 2015 [1]. The contents of these > accounts have been a matter of significant concern for the Board, and > we are making this statement to provide some context and to set out > the steps we have taken. > > In December 2013 the board approved a budget for 2014-15 based on > expected income of £623,000. Net income over the period was in line > with expectations but expenditure on Wikimania and other projects was > not well controlled during the latter part of last year, and we are > facing a projected deficit of £192,000 as against our original > budgeted deficit of £32,000. > > While Wikimania 2014 was an international success, for which > volunteers, the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia UK can all take > some credit, the experience was challenging for us as the local > chapter. Although we were not running the conference, we were > providing significant staff and logistical support, and we did so too > enthusiastically given that not all of our expenses were recoverable. > Overall, and after allowing for a one-off Foundation grant of £65,000 > to cover our international support, we overspent by around £45,000. > > Our Wikimedians in Residence programme gained real traction over the > year with demand significantly outstripping available funds, resulting > in an overspend of £49,000. Much of this arose from agreements made > with several high-profile organisations late last year which could not > have been deferred without significant reputational damage to the > charity. The board had hoped that these costs could have been delayed > until February, when they would have fallen into the 2015-16 financial > year, but have been advised that that is not possible. > > There were smaller overspends on a variety of other project areas as well. > > Finally, we had an off-budget net expense of £57,000 during the year, > representing the Chief Executive transition. > > These disappointing overspends in 2014-15 have left us with reserves > of only £165,000, which is below the £200,000 level that the board > considers to be the acceptable minimum for a charity of our size. > > > *Action to restore stability* > > Immediately that the charity's overspends became clear, shortly before > the December 2014 board meeting, the interim CEO, supported by the > board, introduced a moratorium on further non-essential expenditure > until a 2015-16 budget could be prepared. In order to allow time for > the interim CEO to review activity the second volunteer strategy day > as well as a number of other projected programme activities were > postponed. > > > *Draft budget and plans for 2015-16* > > We are also today releasing our draft budget for 2015-16 [2]. This is > subject to amendment, particularly on staff costs. > > The funds we have available to spend on charitable programmes will be > significantly lower than in 2014-15. There are three main factors: > > * > > To ensure charity stability it is crucial that we increase our > reserves to the minimum level of around £200,000. The board has > set a core budget for this year which is break-even or better. > > * > > Our grant from the Wikimedia Foundation has been reduced from > £353,000 to £314,000. > > * > > For the moment at least the board does not consider it prudent to > set a budget that assumes in advance that the charity will be able > to obtain significant project-based or corporate funding, nor that > direct debit income can be rapidly increased. > > The combined effect of these factors is that the board has to take > decisive and fairly radical action to ensure that we can work > effectively within our smaller core budget of £570,000 (a full > £242,000 below the amount indicated as WMUK's projected budget in the > FDC bid of October 2014). > > To ensure greater clarity and transparency for the future, as well as > better alignment with our strategic goals, our 2015-16 budget will > besplit into a variety of categories, of which the first three > ('contracted', 'necessary' and 'should')cover limited core activities > that can be supported within the resources (funds, staff, volunteers > etc) we are almost certain to have available. The remaining two > categories ('like to' and 'icing')cover activities that we can support > only to the extent we can expand our resource base, either by specific > project-based or general fundraising, or by building active volunteer > engagement. > > Our aim with this project-based approach is to encourage community > involvement with decisions on what we should do and not do, based on > an assessment of which potential projects are best aligned with our > strategic goals. A large part of the assessment must be to decide > which projects are capable of generating sufficient active volunteer > support (and fundability if funds are needed), and then selecting > based on those givingthe greatest charitable impactfor the resources > required. > > We will need some new community mechanisms to embed volunteer inputs > into all of this, and we will be discussing widely, including further > discussions at the rescheduled second volunteer strategy day on > Saturday 25^th July. > > > *WMUK organisational structure* > > In their comments ofNovember lastyear theFunds Dissemination Committee > (FDC)said: > > "/While the FDC understands that reducing Wikimedia UK's funding might > be a strain on the organization, the FDC hopes it will lead to a > productive re-evaluation of priorities and direction. The ED > transition should be seen as an opportunity to rethink and > restructure. The governance reshuffle and adaptation has been managed > well, recommendations brought about by the governance review have been > implemented, and board diversity has been achieved, which will provide > a strong foundation for the coming transition. At the same time, the > FDC notes that it seems difficult to identify a sustainable and clear > staff structure beneath the executive level."/ > > It is clear to the board that many of theassumptions and plans on > which the current organisational structure was originallybuilt are no > longer fit for purpose. As previously announced, we are already > engaged in a review of our staff structure. Thisis currently in a > period of consultation with the staff concerned and it would be > inappropriate to discuss in detail. However, the Board's intention is > to have a more streamlined organisation,better focused on our > strategic goals, better able to engage with and involve volunteers of > all kinds, and more appropriate to the level of resource we have. > > The committee further noted: > > "/The FDC urges Wikimedia UK to carefully consider its plans to hire > additional fundraising staff, and to articulate a clear strategy for > how that position will benefit the organization and the movement. The > FDC acknowledges that there may be many untapped resources in > Wikimedia UK's context, but resources will need to be clearly > identified in order to be targeted effectively."/ > > The board believes that the charity'sexisting capacity and model for > fundraising is not adequate, and we cannot at present recommend a core > budget that assumes significant project-based or general contributions > fromtrusts, foundations and corporates. The board isseekingapermanent > Chief Executive with significant expertise in this area, and who is > capable of taking a stronger personal lead within a restructured staff > team. > > ____________ > Michael Maggs > Chair, Wikimedia UK > on behalf of the board > > [1]: > https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Draft_statutory_accounts_2014-15_as_at_M… > [2]: > https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Draft_2015-16_budget_for_board_meeting_o… > > > >

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No State of the Map this year; opportunities in NY & Scotland
by Andy Mabbett 24 Mar '15

24 Mar '15

The OpenStreetMap Foundation have taken the decision not to hold an international "State of the Map" conference (their Wikimania) this year: https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2015/02/25/openstreetmap-events-in-2015/ There will, though be a "State of the Map" in New York on 6-8 June: http://stateofthemap.us/ and "SotM-Scotland" in October: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/State_of_the_Map_Scotland_2015 I wonder whether WMUK have thought about offering support for the later, and making expenses available to allow chapter members to attend, in order to foster greater inter-project collaboration? -- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk

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Wiki From Above 2015
by Rod Ward 19 Mar '15

19 Mar '15

I noticed an item in the latest signpost to Wiki From Above 2015 (http://wikimedia.org.za/wiki/Wiki_From_Above_2015 ) and wondered if there were plans for anything similar in the UK? Rod

2 1

Wiffen
by Charles Matthews 19 Mar '15

19 Mar '15

Does anyone of the messing-around-in-boats persuasion have an English translation for this German term, meaning a waterway sign on a pile? https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiffe Charles

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