Affiliations Committee/News/Issue 4

Welcome to the third issue of the AffCom News! The newsletter distributes relevant news and events about the work of Wikimedia's Affiliations Committee. This issue covers October-December 2024 (Quarter 2 2024-25).

previous issue next issue

The AffCom News is delivered quarterly to all Wikimedia Affiliates and individual subscribers. You may leave comments or ideas for future newsletters on the talk page. You can also help us by translating the newsletter into your language(s). Subscribe to the newsletter by adding your talk page to this list.

If you have an interesting story about what your Affiliate has been doing and want to share it with the entire Movement, feel free to reach out to us at cst@wikimedia.org.

Affiliate Strategy Updates

AffCom at its Strategic Retreat in Frankfurt, November 2024

AffCom's strategic retreat, held from November 22-24, 2024, focused on refining the committee's vision and addressing key challenges in supporting Wikimedia affiliates. A central theme was the affiliate ecosystem pilot, where discussions centered around thinking about the future role of affiliates within the Wikimedia movement.

AffCom explored how to strengthen affiliates’ impact, focusing on expanding communities, advocating for free knowledge, and increasing resources for the movement. Capacity building emerged as a significant priority, and a dedicated capacity-building plan will be designed in collaboration with support staff, with implementation to be considered in 2025. Another key focus was optimizing AffCom’s operational processes by delegating parts of certain workflows, such as the logistics for conflict management workflow and routine communications, to support staff, allowing AffCom to concentrate on strategic decision-making. The committee also recognized the importance of developing clear guidelines for affiliate recognition and derecognition and continuing the work to provide feedback and inputs into the ongoing process to reform the Affiliates ecosystem.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming Diff blog post, which will soon be published, highlighting the key outcomes of our strategy meeting.

Affiliate Recognition and Derecognition

AffCom is responsible for overseeing the recognition and derecognition process for Wikimedia movement affiliates (Chapters, Thematic Organizations, and User Groups). This section covers updates of affiliate applications as the applications progress through the review process.

This past quarter, AffCom recognized no new Affiliates. The pause on the applications was lifted in mid-November 2024 and AffCom looks forward to recognizing new affiliates in the near future.

No Wikimedia Affiliates were derecognized in the past quarter.

Chapters/Thematic Organisation Recognition Status Report

In December, the Affiliations Committee (AffCom) submitted its review of the Chapter application request from Wiki Movimento Brasil to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. We look forward to communicating the status of that application in the very near future when the process is complete.

Meanwhile, other applications for chapter recognition that are in progress include Wikimedia User Group Georgia, Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand, and Wikimedia User Group Nigeria, all of which are currently undergoing criteria review with Wikimedia Foundation staff.

We look forward to supporting these affiliates in their journey toward recognition.

User Group Recognition Status Report

In October-December 2024, the Affiliations Committee received 10 new User Group applications:

You can track the status of User Group applications at this page on Meta-wiki.

Affiliate Activities and Compliance Report

As of 9 January 2025, 192 Wikimedia affiliates are recognised and active:

36 are Wikimedia Chapters
2 are Thematic Organizations
152 are User Groups.

Affiliates in good standing: 84%.

The current compliance level of all Wikimedia User Groups: 80%.

The current compliance level of all Wikimedia Chapters: 100%.

The current compliance level of all Wikimedia Thematic Organizations: 100%.

Compared to September-December 2024 (Q1 FY24-25), in Q2, there is an increase in compliance level for Chapters (from 97%); no change for the ThOrgs (from 100%); and increase for the User Groups (from 78%).

See the detailed quarterly compliance archive for October-December 2024 (Q2 2024-25) on Meta-wiki.

Here are the activity reports from Wikimedia Affiliates published within the past quarter:

User group reports

AffCom Conflict Intervention

AffCom had eight active affiliate conflicts, with two new reports received during October–December 2024. The committee continues to address cases involving governance challenges and difficulties in collaboration within overlapping spaces.

AffCom is not only actively addressing these issues but is also working to understand the underlying causes of such patterns. The goal is to identify constructive solutions that can help affiliates prevent similar challenges in the future.

Additionally, AffCom has shared final action recommendations with three affiliates, and these cases are considered closed upon the affiliates' implementation of the recommendations. The committee’s conflict-resolution efforts remain focused on promoting healthy governance and fostering cooperation within the affiliate ecosystem.

AffCom Movement Contribution

AffCom participates in Wikimedia movement conversations that relate to the affiliate system or where AffCom's experience and expertise would be otherwise beneficial, including answering questions about the affiliate system, providing advice relevant to affiliates or potential affiliates, and sharing knowledge and lessons related to operating as a committee with other movement bodies.

In the past quarter, AffCom members participated in one conversation:

AffCom presentation at WikiIndaba, October 2024

WikiIndaba 2024

The WikiIndaba Conference is the regional conference for Africans both within the continent and in the diaspora. The 2024 conference, held from October 4 to 6, was the 8th edition and was organized by Wikimedia ZA in Johannesburg, South Africa. Conferences such as Wiki Indaba and other movement-related conversations serve as platforms for Affcom to share experiences and expertise. This includes answering questions about the affiliate system, providing advice relevant to affiliates or potential affiliates, and sharing knowledge and lessons related to operating as a committee with other movement bodies. At Wiki Indaba 2024, Harriet presented on affiliate health criteria and changes to the User Group recognition process.

AffCom Administrative Updates

Change to the officers’ roster

AffCom Officers, November 2024

During this quarter, Maciej Nadzikiewicz, a member and the secretary of the AffCom, resigned following his election to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. Considering the necessity of the secretary's role, the committee decided to nominate eligible members and hold a vote. As a result, Mari Avetisyan has been appointed as the AffCom secretary for a one-year term. Congratulations to Mari, and thank you for stepping up for this service.