Hubs/Resources/Hub Guidelines

Hubs

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Summary

The purpose of this page is to share updated hub guidelines to support hub initiatives requesting more guidance than the initial Piloting Guidelines. These guidelines were written by the Wikimedia Foundation after consultation with community groups exploring hubs in October 2024. The feedback confirmed that further experimentation and learning are needed to understand the role and impact of hubs in the movement. With the feedback in mind, the guidelines share 3 basic principles for hub piloting. They aim to provide structure to pilots so that they are well-planned and sources of valuable learning. The guidelines are also used by the Wikimedia Foundation to make funding decisions for the Hub Fund. Alongside the guidelines and the Hub Fund, the Wikimedia Foundation is committed to supporting hub initiatives in other ways, including: improving access to information, providing individual support in hub planning, and hosting a hubs community of practice. These guidelines are not meant to be directive or final and will continue to evolve based on experimentation.

Definition

According to Movement Strategy, hubs are “a type of support structure to enable a common space for coordinating activities and identifying and advocating for the needs of the communities and organizations they serve.” They bring decision-making closer to the communities involved.

Today, we see three forms of hub organizing: regional, thematic, and linguistic. The definition of hubs is in a period of development as most hub initiatives are in the pre-pilot or pilot stage.

While we can’t yet reach a closed definition of hubs, we can start identifying existing collaborations that are not currently hubs. These include:

• Multiple affiliates or community groups collaborating on specific, time-bound projects without a shared decision-making structure or plan to collaborate long-term.
• One existing affiliate or thematic organization offering services to other affiliates, groups, or project communities, whether that is in their own country or region, in other countries or regions, or globally in their thematic area.

Guidelines

Three principles guide the piloting of hubs:

1. Service-driven
2. Independent and efficient governance
3. Well-defined stakeholders

Service-driven

A hub is formed based on the services it provides to its audience. The services respond to what is most needed by its audience, and are able to improve community growth and sustainability, Wikimedia project growth, and engagement with the Wikimedia movement.

What does this mean in practice?

• Service first: The hub plans its operation around its services. This means that the governance structure, people involved, processes, and budget are determined after the services are defined. See examples of services in the Hub Toolkit.
• Services that support, not lead, programmatic work: As a support structure, the hub’s services enable affiliates, groups, organizers, and project contributors to do their programmatic work. Hubs do not lead programmatic activities, for example, facilitating campaigns or managing GLAM programs. Instead, hubs help affiliates, groups, organizers, and project contributors carry out their work effectively and easily by offering coordination, resourcing, standards of practice, and advisory support.
• Services that respond to what is most needed: The services are determined based on a consultation or needs assessment with the audience. To gather buy-in from the hub’s audience, this consultation or research period may involve:
  • Mapping all affiliates, groups, organizers, and project communities in the region or thematic area that can benefit from the hub’s services, seeking to be as inclusive of the region or global thematic communities as possible.
  • Identifying the main needs of the audience and building services that respond to these needs.
  • Receiving endorsement from a majority (at least 50%) of these stakeholders to pilot the defined services.

See best practices in the Hub Toolkit.

• Measurable outcomes: The services are designed with measurable outcomes and measuring outcomes is a priority. Services are successful when they demonstrate evidence of improving the communities they support. See [Hubs/Resources/Hub_Toolkit| examples]] in the Hub Toolkit.
• Vision of the future: The hub’s long-term vision is considered when planning the hub’s services. This includes sharing a plan for including and supporting more communities in the region or thematic area; differentiating the hub’s services from other hubs or movement entities; and considering the financial sustainability of the hub with respect to the limited hub funding from the Wikimedia Foundation.

Independent and efficient governance

A hub has a governance structure – which is a system of rules, processes, roles, and responsibilities for making decisions – that is independent, efficient, and representative.

What does this mean in practice?

• Independent decision-making body: A hub’s decision-making processes are  independent from other affiliates, organizations or groups. While members of those affiliates, organizations or groups may take part in the hub’s decision-making, the hub is accountable to a separate governing body dedicated to the hub.

• Efficient: Decision-making is simple and efficient. Whichever method is chosen – whether it be a committee with lightweight decision-making procedures or a board with voting systems – the hub’s decision-making is timely and focused on enabling service delivery. To efficiently begin piloting, a hub can set up an interim decision-making body and evolve the governance structure during the pilot. See examples of decision-making structures in the Hub Toolkit.

• Diverse representation: The decision-making body is diverse and inclusive in its representation of the region or thematic area. The hub demonstrates this by proactively selecting representatives from diverse backgrounds (e.g., gender, age, languages, race, ethnicity, experiences, and geographies) and addressing gaps in representation throughout future cycles.
• Institutional representation: The selected decision-makers represent their affiliate or unaffiliated groups, which ensures accountability and enhances the likelihood that the hub’s services are relevant and useful. If a hub believes an unaffiliated individual adds value to the decision-making process, they can justify including them. However, potential risks of including unaffiliated individuals can include conflicts of interest, lack of institutional support, and the loss of knowledge if they stop participating.

Well-defined stakeholders

A hub’s stakeholders are well-defined with clear roles and responsibilities. Each stakeholder possesses the skills required in their respective roles. Stakeholders include the audience the hub serves, the initial hub drivers who help the hub reach the pilot stage, the staff who operate the hub, the decision-makers, advisors, the fiscal sponsor, and external communities informed. A hub may not need all roles to be filled; for instance, not every hub requires staff or a fiscal sponsor.

What does this mean in practice?

• Audience: The hub’s audience are the people who benefit from the services offered by the hub in the region or thematic area. Defining the audience not only clarifies for people how they can participate in the hub, but it also helps the hub staff design services that meet their audiences’ needs.
• Initial hub drivers: The initial hub drivers propose the hub and help it reach its pilot stage. Initial hub drivers are trusted and knowledgeable Wikimedia actors, have a visible history of positive contributions – on- and off-wiki – and are in good standing in the movement. They participate as representatives of the affiliates or unaffiliated groups that will be part of the hub. See a sample of hub driver skills in the Hub Toolkit. The initial drivers may evolve into becoming members of the decision-making body, advisors, or staff, but this depends on whether they have the time and skills required.

• Staff: The hub’s staff are the people who operate the hub and deliver its services. Staff have the skills to execute the plan defined by the decision-making body. For most hubs, there is likely a need for staff who have the skills of project management and coordination. See examples of staffing models in the Hub Toolkit.

• Decision-makers: The hub’s decision-makers constitute its decision-making body. The number, selection process, terms, and roles depend on the governance structure the hub decides on. The decision-makers are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to help the hub reach its objectives, which can include managing hub staff and budget, strategic planning, collective and participatory decision-making, working collaboratively in diverse groups, managing conflict, and providing subject-matter expertise.
  • Fair compensation: Decision-makers can participate in the hub’s decision-making either as unpaid volunteers or as part of their paid affiliate or group roles. Where needed, decision-makers can seek fair compensation from the hub’s budget. The compensation amount for decision-makers would be determined based on the person’s role and time commitment and weighed against the budget allocated for paid hub staff.

• Advisors: In addition to receiving support from the hub, Wikimedians can actively advise the hub through working groups or strategic advisory roles. Advisors do not have decision-making authority.
• Fiscal sponsor: For hub initiatives that are in the pilot stage, using a fiscal sponsor allows the hub to avoid prematurely committing to legal registration. This allows the hub’s staff to focus on service delivery. A fiscal sponsor can be an affiliate or external partner whose role is to receive and administer the grant resources based on the project plan and decisions made by the decision-making body. While the fiscal sponsor is accountable for legal and financial administration and therefore has a monitoring and management role, the decision-making of the hub sits with the decision-making body.
• External communities: The hub publicly documents its progress and decisions to keep its audience and external communities informed. Communities informed about the hub’s work can include other hubs; affiliates and groups in other regions or thematic areas; project contributors and organizers from other communities; the Wikimedia Foundation; and allied partners.