Boards training workshop March 2014

Are you a board member of a Wikimedia chapter or thematic organisation? Then this workshop is for you! We are drawing on expertise from within the Wikimedia movement and beyond to produce a two-day training session which will aim to give board members the skills and knowledge to do a great job.

Sunday group photo

Basic information

• Date: Saturday 1 March – Sunday 2 March 2014.
• Venue: 56–64 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4LT.
• Cost: £50 registration (includes lunch and dinners), accommodation £120 per night.
• Registration: is open here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/board-training-workshop-tickets-8850487045
• Scholarships: There is a (limited) budget for scholarships. If you wish to attend but your organisation has no budget for Board travel / training, please indicate this on registration and we will confirm whether a scholarship is available for you. Any scholarship will be inclusive of travel, registration and accommodation.
• Any questions: Richard Nevell leading for Wikimedia UK (richard.nevellwikimedia.org.uk). The organising committee consists of: Markus Glaser (WMDE), Chris Keating (WMUK Board), Michał "Aegis Maelstrom" Buczyński (WMPL), and Claudia Garad (WMAT Executive Director).

Overview

This workshop will give board members of chapters and thematic organisations the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to do a good job. It is particularly focused on the needs of organisations which are making the challenging transition between being an entirely volunteer executive and an organisation with staff and budget. It will draw on experience within the movement and best practice from outside the movement.

We also hope that this workshop will give people who attend confidence that they can (and should) do their job well, and also to have a network of peers from other chapters they can talk to about issues that come up. Further, we hope that people who attend will be able to spread what they have learned within their own Chapter.

Agenda

Friday 28 February

There is no programme on Friday 28 February, but we expect most people will arrive during Friday.

• 5pm: Optional – Cultural activity.
• 7.30pm Dinner.

Saturday 1 March

• 9.00am Arrivals/registration
• 9.30am: Welcome.
• 9.40am: Housekeeping.
• 9.45am: Icebreaking exercise.
• 10am: Governance (I).

  Session led by Keith Smith / Delphine Ménard, Mike Hudson – Compass Partnership

  This session will cover the principles and practice of governance. Compass Partnership are a leading UK governance consultancy who provide advice and training to a wide range of charities. They were commissioned to lead Wikimedia UK's governance review, and have a good knowledge of the Wikimedia movement from that. Key questions we will cover include:

  • "What is the role of a board, how does governance work, and how should a board think about its own performance?"
  • "How do the roles of Board members and staff differ, and how do you make professional relationships with your staff?"

• 1pm: Lunch (provided at venue).
• 2pm: Governance session continues.
• 4pm: Afternoon tea.
• 4.30pm: “What is the role of chapters in the Wikimedia movement?”.

  Over the course of the past months, Nicole Ebber and Kira Kraemer from Wikimedia Deutschland conducted an extensive interview tour among all 40 chapters and their stakeholders, under the name “Chapters Dialogue”. In this session, they will present a preliminary selection of important insights from their research. The presentation is followed by a discussion among the participants about possible developments, responsibilities and next steps. (The official presentation of the “state of the movement” will be ready and held during Wikimedia Conference in April 2014.)

• 7.30pm: Dinner (group dinner to be arranged).

Presentation from Sunday

Sunday 2 March

• 9.30am–1pm: Strategy, planning and evaluation (I).

  This session will be led by Dariusz Jemielniak (FDC Chair and Associate Professor of Management) and Jessie Wild (WMF Senior Manager, Learning and Evaluation), with the participation of Delphine Ménard. The aim of the session is to cover the role of the Board in defining strategy and measuring your organisation's work. Key questions include:

  • “How does your board make strategy, plan, and evaluate your organisation's work?”
  • “Best practices in strategic planning.”
  • “Understanding the relations between the organizational domain, strategic advantage, goals, functional programs, and mission.”
  • “Why are SMART goals useful?”

• 1pm-2pm: Lunch (provided at venue).

• 2pm–3pm: Strategy, planning and evaluation (II).

  Session continues.

• 3.30pm–5pm: “What are my expectations of being a board member and how can I avoid burnout?”

  Facilitated by Sandra Rientjes (ED, WMNL).

  Resource: link to WMF Board Handbook

• 5pm–5.30pm: Close, next steps, evaluation.

Attendees

• Information about the March 2014 workshop
• There will be 20 places for people who are board members of chapters / thematic orgs. There will be a maximum of two per chapter, on a first come first served basis. Places are strictly limited.
• Please note that unlike a conference, all delegates are expected to attend and participate in all sessions on the Saturday and Sunday.
• The sessions will all be conducted in English.
• There is an amount in the budget for scholarships, but this will be quite limited. If you need financial help to cover travel, registration and accommodation please tell us when you register and we will see what we can do.

Minutes

Minutes

Notes

• Notes and resources

Further actions

Findings of the event were shared during the Wikimedia Conference in Berlin (11-13 April) in a session led by Chris Keating.