Grants:Project/MSIG/WMAT and WMPL/Volunteer Supporters Network 2022/Report

Movement Strategy Implementation Grant Report
Accepted

Please review the notes below before submitting your report.

Your draft implementation plan document should address the following questions clearly:

What movement strategy initiative or goal are you addressing?
What activities will you be doing to address that initiative?
What do you expect will happen as a result of your activities? How do those outcomes address the movement strategy initiative?
How will you measure or evaluate your activities? What tools or methods will you use to evaluate your activities?

To create a draft implementation plan, we recommend the use of a logic model, which will help you and your team think about goals, activities, outcomes, and other factors in an organized way. Please refer the following resources to develop a logic model:

Overview of logic models on Meta-wiki
Example logic models for reference for other movement activities (such as partnerships and edit-a-thons)
Blank logic model template on Google Drive

Outcomes

Please respond to the following questions below:

Where have you published your draft plan? Share the link to it here:

Volunteer Supporters Network/VSN 2022 (before start)
Volunteer Supporters Network/Hub Report 2022 (documentation)

What Movement Strategy initiative is this draft plan supporting?

What activities have you completed to produce this draft plan?

Administration and organizational development: From the beginning in 2014, VSN operated as an open working group with little administration needs. This open structure had weak points, which became increasingly noticeable. Our goal was to find an organizational structure that would eliminate these weak points while retaining the advantages of an open working group as much as possible. We approached our organizational reform under the (sometimes conflicting) perspectives of efficiency and participation.

→ Point of departure → Process and results → Internal coordination and project management → The Hub’s place in the Movement’s structure → Learnings and recommendations

Global skill-sharing activities: The skills and leadership development of people working in the field of community support was accelerated and amplified by 11 virtual meetings/workshops, each lasting about 60–90 minutes. A special focus was on community health issues and technical skills including Wikidata. In addition, a 2-days virtual “annual conference” held in November intensified the skill-sharing activities.

→ Input → Outcome

Peer group support: Peer group networking culminated in the 2-days virtual “annual conference” in November. Throughout the year, several internal communications channels were established or reorganized.

→ Input → Outcome

Global community competition: As an example of how to support a global community contest, the VSN contributed to the International Museum Day Wikidata Competition in May. The VSN served as a multiplier and expertise provider in order to engage Wikimedia affiliates as local organizers and to ensure high participation and free content numbers.

→ Input → Outcome

Published resources: The VSN published several resources that can inspire and be adapted by others in the Movement. The resources include a concept for “Wikipedia Ambassadors”, different policies and resources related to skill-sharing.

→ Input → Outcome

Movement conversations: The VSN participated in and initiated conversations relevant to Hub topics, in order to bring the learnings to a wider audience and to learn from other Hub-makers in the Movement.

→ Input → Outcome

In which community channels have you announced your draft plan?

volunteer-supporters@lists.wikimedia.org (VSN mailing list)
Movement Strategy Forum

Finances

Grant funds spent

Please describe how much grant money you spent for approved expenses, and tell us what you spent it on.

Unit	USD
WMAT project management	8,174.75
WMPL project management	8,511.45
VSN skill share meetings	685.73
VSN conference	4,515.27
Awards packages for Wikidata Contest	3,056.80
Material costs, postal costs	56.00
Graphic designer for report	0.00
Unforeseen costs	0.00
SUM	25,000

Remaining funds

Do you have any remaining grant funds?

No.

Anything else

Anything else you want to share about your project?

“	In accordance with our mission to enhance volunteer support in the Wikimedia movement, the Volunteer Supporters Network agrees on investments in skills and leadership development and funding for underrepresented communities as our key programmatic activities in 2023. We invite our members, liaisons and allies to implement these activities. We welcome and support the allocation of movement resources by the Wikimedia Foundation (1) through a project grant paid to Wikimedia UK and/or Wikimedia Argentina for the coordination of our regular skillshare meetings, our membership management and the financial management of our annual meeting and (2) through the annual budget of Wikimedia Österreich for prizes of the International Museum Day Wikidata Competition in May 2023. We thank Wikimedia Deutschland and Wikimedia Foundation staff members for their intentions to contribute to our activities related to community leaders and peer support.	”
— formal resolution by the Volunteer Supporters Network from 3 November 2022.