[Foundation-l] Update of Foundation organization

Erik Moeller erik at wikimedia.org
Mon Mar 5 23:13:00 UTC 2007


On 3/5/07, Florence Devouard <Anthere9 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Sandy is not the only one answering the press, very far from it. At
> least a dozen people answer the press on a daily basis. But by answering
> in the office, setting up press contact database, drafting press
> releases, trying to coordinate press interviews, working on PR crisis,
> she is of unvaluable help. And we are happier because we are *sure*
> someone is taking care of this. That's a weight lifted. We still need a
> lot of volunteer help, but she is really reducing concerns for many of us.

And, my subjective impression is that volunteer activity has also
greatly increased since she joined. The very fact that at least one
person is constantly working on these issues (and discusses them with
the ComCom) appears to energize people.

And, of course, that is exactly the reason we are advertising the role
of Volunteer Coordinator with such high priority, even before hiring
other people who are very much needed. We strongly believe that
mobilizing and coordinating volunteers is going to be key to building
a sustainable organization. Some of these volunteers may eventually
become hired staff -- and that, so far, seems to have worked well.

In general, I believe we're going in the right direction. While it's
easy to point to established volunteer driven organizations, it's
important to recognize that there are very few that are almost
completely Internet-driven. The Debian project is perhaps one of the
best examples to learn from (both their strengths and their
weaknesses). But in many ways, we are unique. That keeps things
interesting. :-)
-- 
Peace & Love,
Erik

DISCLAIMER: This message does not represent an official position of
the Wikimedia Foundation or its Board of Trustees.

"An old, rigid civilization is reluctantly dying. Something new, open,
free and exciting is waking up." -- Ming the Mechanic



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