Grants:APG/Funds Dissemination Committee/Ombudsperson role, expectations, and selection process
- Summary of this Section
- The FDC Ombudsperson plays several important roles in the FDC process:
- To receive and publicly document complaints about the FDC process;
- To support complaints investigations (only when formally requested to do so by the Board representatives on the FDC);
- To publish an annual report to the Board that summarizes the feedback it receives and make recommendations about how the FDC process could improve
- To be eligible for the Ombudsperson role, an individual:
- Must be over 21 years old and over the age of majority in their home country;
- Must be able to work effectively in English (although full fluency is not required);
- Must have been active in the Wikimedia community for at least 2 years;
- Should have sufficient time and dedication to commit to this process;
- Have a track record of constructive engagement in community discussions and an orientation toward collaborative problem solving; and
- Be able to set aside any conflicts of interest and work towards the mission goals of the Wikimedia movement without considering individual or organizational interests
- The FDC Ombudsperson will be elected by the community every two years coinciding with FDC member elections
Roles and responsibilities of FDC Ombudsperson
editThe FDC Ombudsperson plays an important role in the funds dissemination process:
- To receive and publicly document complaints about the FDC process;
- To support complaints investigations (only when formally requested to do so by the Board representatives on the FDC);
- To publish an annual report to the Board that documents and summarizes complaints, and identifies any systemic problems in the FDC process that warrant Board review of FDC policies, procedures or structures, and to be responsive to Board member questions about the content of the report.
Expectations for FDC Ombudsperson
editActing as FDC Ombudsperson will require dedicated time and energy. Nominees for FDC Ombudsperson should expect to undertake the following:
- Receiving and consolidating feedback about the FDC throughout the year, via Meta or email (may be more intense during application periods)
- Participating in an annual report-writing process to summarize the feedback from the community
- Participating, as needed, in complaints investigation between the time of FDC recommendations and Board decisions (November 15 - December 15 and April 15 - May 15 each year)
Criteria for FDC Ombudsperson
editWikimedia community members who seek to volunteer as the FDC Ombudsperson should meet the following criteria, in addition to agreeing to the expectations as outlined above.
To be eligible for the Ombudsperson role, an individual:
- Must be over 21 years old and over the age of majority in their home country;
- Must be able to work effectively in English (although full fluency is not required);
- Must have been active in the Wikimedia community for at least 2 years;
- Should have sufficient time and dedication to commit to this process;
- Have a track record of constructive engagement in community discussions and an orientation toward collaborative problem solving; and
- Be able to set aside any conflicts of interest and work towards the mission goals of the Wikimedia movement without considering individual or organizational interests.
Staff / board members of entities requesting funds through the FDC may serve as the FDC Ombudsperson.
Selection process for the FDC Ombudsperson
editThe term of the FDC Ombudsperson will be two years, with election years coinciding with FDC elections and elections for the community-elected seats on the Board of Trustees, to streamline processes and communications. There will be no term limits, so Ombudspeople may serve multiple consecutive terms so long as they are re-elected by the community.
Interested candidates will self-nominate for the Ombudsperson position. The Board, the FDC and other members of the community can encourage individuals to self-nominate if they identify someone who would be a particular asset.
Off-cycle attrition would be addressed through Board-appointed replacements.
The Board of Trustees has the right to remove any Ombudsperson if it determines that the Ombudsperson has not fulfilled her / his responsibilities.
Current FDC Ombudsperson
edit- The current Ombudpserson is Kirill Lokshin
- Complaints should be made on Grants:APG/Complaints_about_the_FDC_process.
Open elections for FDC Ombudsperson
editEvery other year, there are elections for Ombudsperson.
Process for submitting feedback to the Ombudsperson
editVisit the feedback page to learn more about how submit feedback, input, or suggestions to the Ombudsperson.