[Foundation-l] Fundraising & Networking updates

[simonpedia]

Eric,
 
Thought I should wait until yu have your feet under the desk.
Could I have some feedback from you and the team here (or Wikieducator’s
group).
 
1.           I know that advertising is a no no, even though when a do a
Google on most organisations/companies it brings me back a Wikipedia page,
usually in the top five, adorned with a company logo. This advertising (or
product placement) goes on for many products and services, from aeroplanes
to universities. Is there any reason the WMF wouldn’t create a
company/product templates, so it’s made plain to an occasional reader, and
charge for it?
 
2.            As one reads through this monthly thread, and tries to make
some sense of all the semi related conversation (between the usual suspects)
before they are archived after 30 days, does it ever occur to the team how
impossible it is for a newbie to get orientated? The idea of a forum in
which threads aren’t cut (I,e, where discussions go back years) and
conversations can be related (redirected) across elists and the workers
identified, has been raised quite often. Is there any reason why they aren’t
used? (Apart from “We don’t want to change!!!”)
 
3.            The aim of the Foundation is to spread knowledge. Its major
costs are hardware and software development. It wants to continue its
projects, unencumbered by commitments to private donors, while ensuring they
are kept forever, hopefully in the context in which they are created.
Logically, the only alternative to ‘pan handling to privates’ is for WMF’s
projects’ contents to become part of the global networks of NRENs, which are
funded by the public purse. Is there any reason why a group of NRENs would
not be considered as permanent hosts?
 
4.           Considering all the never-ending talk going back years, about
improving Communications in and between projects and groups, will you be
revisiting your Jan 2007 proposal? HYPERLINK
"http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/foundation-l/2007-January/026707.html"
http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/foundation-l/2007-January/026707.html
 
And congrats. It’s been interesting to watch the progress of a trusted
member of the global community into an Nth American professionalizing Head
Office. Hopefully we might see a slight change in the culture to better
support the shared learning of the global groups from which “the
organisation” is composed. I’d hate to think we are watching Rotary being
reinvented. 
 
BTW, this comparison may be of some use. OCLC and WMF. Both are a
globalizing org of library-centric good guys. One hard copy centric,
delivering furiously; one soft copy centric, interacting furiously. Both
lousy communicators. This is how OCLC handle the idea of a global Council.
HYPERLINK
"http://www.oclc.org/memberscouncil/works/default.htm"http://www.oclc.org/me
mberscouncil/works/default.htm
 
All the best, simon
 
PS. Does that note about Wikieducator count as “product placement”?
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In addition to these meetings, we've also had some first exploratory
discussions with Sun Microsystems about developing some kind of
partnership(s) - this is still very provisional, and we'll follow up
in the next month.
 
We will continue our major donor strategy,  and we hope to have a
dedicated head of fundraising to lead this process by February. (We
work with a dedicated recruiting agency that specializes on such
positions.) As we mature as an organization, we hope to also add
additional sources of revenue, beginning with a more systematic
approach to business development (led by our new head of BD, Kul
Wadhwa, as recently announced), and working towards a
grants/partnerships strategy later this year. Grants, which are
typically contingent on certain conditions being met, require the rest
of the organization to be functioning reliably & neatly, so we're
putting the other pieces in place first.
 
Let me know if you have any questions about any of these developments. :-)

 


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