[Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Funds Dissemination Committee: Report on first year of operations

[Manuel Schneider]

Hi Itzik,

thanks for your analysis and your thoughtful mail. I'd like to echo it!

I also had some discussions with my peers in several countries about
this report. Comments were made on the time of publication and the
aggressiveness towards chapters, the volunteers who worked their "as***
off" to get their FDC proposal properly done and the FDC itself which is
described to be part of some mafia-like conspirancy.
"slap in the face of the volunteers", "pure hatred against chapters"
were named.
I don't want to go into any more details, I'd like to have this
conversation to be constructive and polite.

I wonder what others say about this? It was surprisingly quiet here.

A remark I want to make, to add to Itzik's thoughts:
There were several times when the definition of "community" - concerning
the "Wikimedia Movement" - was discussed. If WMF and WMF staff are part
of the movement or the community.
WMF people - and I am sure this included Sue especially - always fought
for an inclusive approach of the term community, including WMF people
which are hard working for the support and advancement of our community.
In the report it is criticised, that people from chapter take away the
seats from the community on the FDC, making sure that the chapters
receive more funding. Lobbying at its best!
Apart from the fact that these people have neen elected by the
community, did anyone ever question that comment?
In a country with a working chapter it is an obvious fact that the
majority of *active* volunteers will in one way or another work with the
chapter. Because this is exactly why they exist in the first place:
Because volunteers themselves made them to happen, in order to support
themselves with a legal framework, some local infrastructure to help
them to achieve more than they could as individuals. Still almost all of
the chapters have active volunteers as their board members. Being part
of a chapter doesn't mean that one isn't part of the community anymore
and that is true also for most of the people holding positions in a
chapter. They should be even more thanked, doing two jobs - their
volunteer project work and holding a position in a chapter - at once.

I'd also like to see comments from FDC members on that issue as well.

/Manuel
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