Grants:PEG/WM NL/Annual Program Plan 2012

Funded

This submission to the Wikimedia Foundation Grants Program was funded in the fiscal year 2011-12. This is a grant to an organization.

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Our Program Plan for 2012 for Wikimedia Nederland introduces our newly adjusted strategy based on our strategy process that was formulated during two weekends in February and September of 2011.

Background

In 2011, Wikimedia Nederland took the first steps towards determining a strategy for the coming ten years. Around 20 members of board, association and community made a first attempt at defining strategic goals for 2020. The outcome of that first part of the strategy process (a report can be found on http://nl.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategie/Report_Strategy_Workshop_February_2011) was taken as the starting point for our program plan for 2012.

Looking back

It is only appropriate here to mention that 2011 has been a mixed year. While a number of important steps has been taken and some larger community projects have been executed or are being implemented at this moment, we did not achieve everything we set out to do. In particular, we have not been able to hire the planned 1.67 FTE worth of professional support. As a result, many of the targets set out in the professionalization grant request to the WMF (July 2010) have not been achieved, and we have severely underspent. This is not going to be remedied by just reiterating our plans for 2011 in 2012.

Moving forward

The present program plan aims to move us forward in the direction that we decided to take, but in a different way. It marks a stepping away from a mostly volunteer-managed organization towards a professionally managed one. Previous plans assumed that the Board would in some form take the lead and take executive responsibility in hiring and managing staff members. It has become clear in the past year that this approach is not going to work with the present composition of the board, nor any board composition we can imagine in the near future.

We have therefore made the conscious choice of hiring one (almost) full-time manager as 'trailblazer' who can set up the organization and take on the day-to-day management for the coming years. It is expected that this director will hire about 1 FTE of supporting staff in the course of 2012.

From strategic goals to targets and activities for 2012

We have attempted to translate the strategic goals that were articulated during the meeting in February 2011 into specific and measurable targets for each of five stakeholder groups that were identified.

Stakeholder groups

General public
Donors
Community and members
International (WMF and fellow chapters)
Cultural heritage and educational institutions

Additionally, we have defined two target areas that do not directly correspond to particular stakeholders:

Target areas

Internal organisation
Surveys and studies

For the stakeholder groups and target areas, we have defined measurable targets that are then used as a basis for proposed specific activities. For priority activities, we provide an estimate of total budget per group/area, in terms of professional and volunteer hours, and material budget.

Measurable targets are not the entire story: often, activities are also chosen for their potential to achieve less measurable goals, such as bringing people together and creating a stimulating environment. Nevertheless, the targets are what we commit ourselves to, and we believe they are a fair indication of whether we're moving in the right direction.

In addition, many activities go towards more than one goal. A "Wiki Loves ???" project, for example, is an activity that involves more than one type of stakeholder group/target area, and is about community building and increasing participation, as much as it is about quality improvement by institutional partnerships.

Less is more

After taking inventory of our current and planned activities, an initial estimation of the required resources for 2012 showed that our main limitation turned out to be the amount of volunteer time (which includes Wikimedia volunteers and board) that we could reasonably allow for the various activities needed to achieve our goals. One of the conclusions from internal discussions is that we as a board must let go of the question "How?". In order to do this effectively, board members need to reduce the amount of work done themselves and delegate tasks to the community, even if we fear there are no volunteers for the task at hand. In order to achieve this, we shall need to communicate our needs more often and and more effectively in order to let volunteers help us. We have therefore divided our goals among stakeholders and target areas in such a way that we believe will help us remain focussed.

The activities for stakeholder groups and target areas that we have prioritized

are reasonably achievable with the current level of maturity of the organization;
have a high probability of success based on past achievements (such as being based on activities that have an active group of volunteers already);
strengthen the capacity of the organization and implement best practices.

Planning for the unexpected

While planning for our "achievable results", we wanted to leave room for 'unexpected' initiatives. After all, if we look back at our achievements of the past few years, our successful projects all originated with ideas from volunteers who were given, or claimed, room to implement their projects, without any guarantee of success. We have therefore allocated a significant amount of resources (see "Budget for unspecified programs") for new ideas, with the understanding that realization depends on the ingenuity and availability of volunteers and the community, and may encompass anywhere between 0% and 100% of our measurable results.

Program Plan

Our detailed program plan for 2012 will be published for comment to all stakeholders and community members.

1 General public

The "General public" is defined as the group of people WMNL can reach within the geographic constraints of the Netherlands.

Goals

be known as a reliable organization
be recognized as a supporting force of Wikimedia projects
increase public awareness of Wikimedia and free licenses

Measurable output

By the end of 2012, 10% of respondents in a representative survey identify WMNL as an organization behind Wikipedia
WMNL is mentioned 25% more times in 2012 than in 2011 in association with Wikipedia in relevant media coverage
In 2012, the organization's reporting standards are met
By the end of 2012, 80% of respondents who know what WMNL is, consider it a reliable organization in a representative survey

Activities

Activity	prof. support	volunteer time	material budget (EUR)	time line
Press releases and press contacts	80	80	0	continuous
Reconsider communication methods and improve them according to actual needs of people interested in the organization	100	100	0	Jan-Jun
Reiterate strategic goals, vision, plans, objectives on website	8	0	0	Jan-Jun
Develop and publish reporting standards	12	0	0	Jan-Mar
Publish an annual report for 2011 in a timely fashion	240	120	3000	Jan-Mar
Total	440	300	3000

2 Donors

The stakeholder group "Donors" is defined as all people or organizations who have donated to Wiki(p/m)edia who live or are established in the Netherlands, or who have specifically made donations to WMNL.

Goals

reliability of the organization
transparency of reporting
donor retention

Measurable output

The organization's reporting standards are met
The annual plan execution is measurable and is executed within 90% of expected targets
By end of 2012, fulfill the prerequisites of CBF certification relevant to WMNL's success as an organization. The Centraal Bureau Fondswerving (CBF) is the Dutch independent monitoring agency for fundraising organisations and charities in the Netherlands.
In 2012, there will have been 1000 repeat donations
By end of 2012, 10% of donors in a representative survey state that they will donate again in the following year.
By end of 2012, 50% of respondents in a representative survey state that WMNL is a charity worth giving to.

Activities

Activity	prof. support	volunteer time	material budget (EUR)	time line
Research prerequisites for CBF certification; evaluate deviations and determine which deviations to fix how.	16	20	1200	Jan-Mar
Create online methods for recurring donations:				Jan - Mar
1. standing order explanation	20	0	0
2. set up direct debit	40	0	0
3. set up formal recurring donation process to make recurring donations tax-deductible*	50	0	1500
Draft, test, and send an appeal to approve recurring direct debit or set up a standing order:				Mar-Jun
1+2: standing order / direct debit	120	4	2000
3. with formal recurring donation process	40	0	0
Communication with donors on achievements and plans	40	0	0
Research "CharityNavigator" equivalent and, if relevant, submit information, reports to them	40	0	0
Total	366	24	4700

^*: To obtain tax deduction for charitable gifts in the Netherlands requires either that the total gifts exceed 1% of ones income, or is a recurring gift for at least five consecutive years put down in a notarial act. This activity will only be executed if total costs for WMNL are less than 25% of expected donations through this method.

3 Community and members

The stakeholder group "Community" is hard to define, because we have never measured it before. For the purposes of our 2012 plan, we define it to be contributors of the Dutch Wikipedia, as well as in a broader context, all contributors to Wikimedia sister projects in the Netherlands. The stakerholder group "members" refers to members of WMNL (who are also considered members of the "community").

Goals

activation and support of volunteers
increase in membership
activate existing members

Measurable output

Increase participation in WMNL activities by 20%.
By end of 2012, 70% of Wikimedia contributors in the Netherlands responding in a representative survey have a favorable view of WMNL.
Increase membership from the Wikimedia community by 20%.
Increase number of WMNL volunteers by 20%.
Execute at least two larger-scale events directed at Wikimedians and the general public.

Activities

Activity	prof. support	volunteer time	material budget (EUR)	time line
Wikimedia Conference Netherlands or similar events - targeting Wikimedians and interested public	160	400	10000	Nov (prep. from May)
Small-scale community events (Wikisaturday, Wikimeets, 'Wiki takes...')	10	80	2000	Continuous
Evaluate and improve membership application process (online and paper form)	20	10	400	Mar-Jun
Consider using existing donor list for participation and membership.	10	10	0	Mar-Jun
Define purpose of membership types and best use for the organization.	10	40	0	Mar-Jun
Wiki Loves Monuments NL 2012	80	400	10000	Sep (prep. from Mar)
Placing articles/how-tos in relevant topic-specific "traditional media" for the purpose of attracting participation in those topics, in particular from underrepresented groups	40	20	0	continuous
Renew small activities budget.	0	160	1500	continuous
Consider/develop additional "specialist" volunteer position and/or advisory board	0	60	0	Jan-Mar
Budget for unspecified programs	40	320	20000	continuous
Total	370	1500	43900

4 International

The stakeholder group "International" refers to other Wikimedia chapters and the WMF.

Goals

participate in activities
take the lead in innovative projects

Measurable output

Participate in all relevant international Wikimedia activities.
Fulfill all obligations of WMNL within the Cosyne project (a European project in the 7th Framework Programme).
Take the lead in one international public and community project.

Activities

Activity	prof. support	volunteer time	material budget (EUR)	time line
Send representatives to Chapters Conference / Fundraising Summit	30	60	1500	Mar-Jun
Send representatives to Wikimania.	0	160	3000	Jul
Renew international travel budget for volunteers.	0	150	5000	continuous
Wiki Loves Monuments International	160	160	15000	Sep (tentative, prep. from Mar)*
Translation rally support	0	0	2000	2x a year
Perform software testing for Cosyne project. Report on progress. Publicize project and results.	0	500**	10023	Continuous, with several milestones
Total	190	1030	36523

^*Very preliminary, exact amounts will depend on final evaluation of WLM Europe which is expected later this year.
^**Total volunteer hours cover 4 countries, the mentioned 500 is for Dutch volunteers, we foresee another 500 for other countries

5 Institutional contacts and cooperation

The stakeholder group "Institutional contacts" refers to large institutions that WMNL works with, and/or who support our larger projects.

Goals

connect Wikimedia community with institutions and their communities
giving feedback to institutions

Measurable output

By end of 2012, the Top 20 cultural heritage institutions will have been contacted by WMNL, at least three of them will have engaged in activities with us.
All contact requests by cultural heritage institutions are appropriately responded to.
By end of 2012, Wikimedia Commons contains photographs of at least two thirds of all listed monuments in the Netherlands.

Activities

Activity	prof. support	volunteer time	material budget (EUR)	time line
Create materials, presentation, guide on how partnerships could work.	40	80	1000	Jan-Mar
Recruit and train volunteers to engage cultural and cultural heritage institutions.	20	150	0	Apr-Jun
Respond to contact requests.	40	40	0	continuous
Develop statistical analysis tools for actual usage of "liberated content".	0	40	40000*	Continuous
Total	100	310	41000

^*: Project is not yet certain. This would be a partnership between several chapters and an external cultural heritage partner

6 Internal

The target area "Internal" refers to our WMNL board and the WMNL organization.

Goals

hiring staff
capacity building
process improvement

Measurable targets

Hire and retain a director
By end of March, a board manual will have been produced to improve transition between boards.
By the end of 2012, the WMNL board fulfills all its responsibilities effectively.

Activities

Activity	prof. support	volunteer time	material budget (EUR)	time line
Create board manual for smoother transitions	10	80	0	Jan-Mar
Determine specific board responsibilities, skills/qualifications needed. Improve skillset by improving board members' abilities and/or better/targeted recruitment. Evaluate and improve decision-making processes within the board.
1. Recruitment of board members	0	80	0	Continuous, with peak in Jan-Mar
2. Training (for board members and specific volunteers)	60	500	3000	Continuous
Hire and retain WMNL director	0	40	10000	Jan-Mar
Total	70	700	13000

7 Surveys and studies

The target area "Surveys and studies" is a catch phrase for our need to collect data in order to be able to measure our performance (this is new in 2012).

Goals

data acquisition for measurement of current position and 2012 objectives

Measurable output

Data for the measurable output of other targets.

Activities

Activity	prof. support	volunteer time	material budget (EUR)	time line
Survey on general public	20	80	10000*	2x: zero measurement and comparison
Survey on readers	20	80	0	2x: zero measurement and comparison
Survey on Wikimedia community	20	80	0	2x: zero measurement and comparison
Total	60	240	10000

^*We consider a part of this as setup costs and expect repeat surveys in later years to be less expensive

8 Subtotals per group/target area

Staff time for direct support in the different areas above: 1596 hours, which is around 0.85 - 0.9 FTE (this estimate may be on the low side)
Volunteer time: 4104 hours / 2.3 FTE (of which 1074 h / 0.6 FTE for the Board members)
Material budget: EUR 151.600

9 Overhead

Estimation of general overhead costs not attributable to programs:

Item	expenses
Office space	12000
Accounting/controlling/advice	10000
Misc. travel and meeting costs	7000
Banking costs	1000
Insurances	5000
Salary administration	1500
Technical facilities	3000
Total	39500

10 Staff

We assume that we'll have to spend around EUR 120.000 in total for a full-time director and 1 FTE total for supporting functions (communications person, program assistant, office support)

11 Financials

Given our current spending pattern, we estimate that our current assets at the end of 2011 will be around EUR 235.000. This includes the remainder of the 2010-2012 Professionalization Grant from WMF to WMNL. Given the totals in the present budget proposal (ca. 312.000), we would aim to bring down our reserves at the end of 2012 to ca. 156.000 (6 months of expenses under the currently proposed budget). That means that some EUR 80.000 of the proposed budget will be taken out of our reserves and designated funds in 2012 (but numbers depend on what is done before the end of 2011 with the remainder of the Professionalization Grant). The rest would then be covered by a WMF Chapters Grant and our own income (membership fees and donations outside of the yearly Fundraising campaign).

Income		Expenses
Membership fees	3500	Programs	152123
Donations	10000	Overhead	39500
WMF Chapters Grant 2012	218123	Staff	120000
Deficit	80000
Total	311623		311623

Appropriation of expected deficit
Withdrawal from designated fund "WMF Professionalization Grant"	TBD
Withdrawal from general reserve (continuity reserve)	TBD
Withdrawal from designated fund "CoSyne"	10023
Total withdrawal from reserves and designated funds	80000

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