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

[Chris Keating]

For what it's worth, I've posted my own comments on Meta.

I'd echo Manuel's comment that it's important to have these discussions in
a professional and respectful way. As a movement we are still dealing with
the issue of how to make the most of the funds and the opportunities we
have. This will inevitably highlight differences of opinion and approach,
but where those differences happen it's even more important to articulate
those  views respectfully. There's been much less of a sense of "us and
them" recently and let's keep it that way.

Chris
Wikimedia UK


On Fri, Oct 4, 2013 at 1:18 PM, Manuel Schneider <
manuel.schneider at wikimedia.ch> wrote:

> 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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