[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia (Foundation) endowment

[MZMcBride]

Nathan wrote:
>To return to the endowment again as the main topic, I think there are
>some risks we need to consider in an endowment. In general I think
>having an endowment is a good idea for a charitable institution, and
>certainly the WMF needs a strategic reserve of some size to maintain
>operations in the event of a crisis. But a lot of thought has to go
>into the target size of that fund, the nature of its fundraising, how
>or whether it is used, and what role (and of what prominence) it plays
>in WM/WMF public relations.
>
>[...]

These are all good points.

I suggested quite recently that the Board pass a resolution creating a
committee to examine the points you raise and additional questions
outlined here: <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Endowment/Questions>.

I continue to think that we (as a community) are still not at a place
where we can make good judgments about whether to set up an endowment.
There simply isn't enough information available to make a sound decision,
in my opinion. That said, the idea of creating an endowment does seem like
an idea that has broad support for further consideration and exploration,
which is why I think an investigative or exploratory committee would make
a lot of sense here and now. Thoughts?

MZMcBride