[Wikimedia-l] Are chapters part of the community and board seats for affiliates?

[Fae]

On 22 February 2013 20:15, Balázs Viczián <balazs.viczian at wikimedia.hu> wrote:
> I believe chapters are tools for the local communities to achieve certain
> goals that otherwise would be very difficult or (almost) impossible, and a
> great aid in local community building.

+1

The vast majority of volunteers like the idea that there is a Chapter
they can turn to to ask for help, or to get their idea for a project
reviewed, funded and looking "official". If a volunteer came to a
wikimeet with a brilliant idea for a project, but said they could not
stand the stupid bureaucracy of chapters, I'd say "excellent mate, you
go for it and I'll see what I can do to help with funding if you need
it."

Most of us started this stuff before our chapters were anything more
that a society for a handful of embarrassed lonely encyclopedia
fanatics meeting in a pub, confessing how much they loved the idea of
the open knowledge movement. It's just unavoidable that chapters have
to get formal once you have projects spending six figure sums rather
than three figure sums.

Getting formal without sucking all the joy out of it, well that's the
real challenge for all of us.

Fae
-- 
Ashley Van Haeften (Fae) faewik at gmail.com
Chapters Association Council Chair http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WCA
Guide to email tags: http://j.mp/mfae