IRC office hours/Office hours 2013-09-10

Chat on FDC Proposal Process & Milestones
Tuesday 10 September 2013
Part 1 1600-1630 UTC
Part 2 2300-2330 UTC

MaggieD_WMF Hello!
MaggieD_WMF Welcome to the FDC office hour.
MaggieD_WMF We have Garfield and Katy with us; Winnifred is logging in.
wolliff Hello, everyone.
KatyLove Thanks, @MaggieD_WMF !
KatyLove Hello to all.
KatyLove May I ask are there any FDC members in the room? I see @mpeel .
mpeel Hi all. I'm here, but I'm also in a work telecon so ping me if I'm needed.
KatyLove OK! Thanks, @mpeel - great to see you here.
KatyLove What about any potential annual plan grant / FDC applicants?
KatyLove Alright--why don't we get started, in case any of you are here to learn about the proposal process!
KatyLove Please do share questions with us at any point. We'd love to make this as relevant and useful as possible to you.
KatyLove Let me start by sharing some important resources:
KatyLove First, you can always look at the annual plan grants / FDC portal for everything you wanted to know--and more!--about the process.
KatyLove https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal
KatyLove That is where you can find all proposal forms, reports, timelines, contact information, and more.
KatyLove The timeline of the Proposal process is outlined here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/Timeline
KatyLove So, some important upcoming deadlines.
KatyLove Eligibility to submit an FDC proposal.
KatyLove As you may remember, we asked all entities who were interested in the FDC process to submit a Letter Of Intent back in June.
KatyLove We received 17 Letters of Intent then.
KatyLove In July, our colleague @Garfield and his team in Finance published the eligibility list.
KatyLove The eligibility lists all of those who submitted letters of intent in either "yes," "yes, if" and "no" categories.
wolliff Status table: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/Eligibility_status/2013-2014_round1
wolliff Detailed checklist: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/Eligibility_checklist/2013-2014_round1
KatyLove Over the last few months, we've been working very closely--thanks especially to @wolliff and @Garfield--with each entity to ensure they know about all outstanding eligibility gaps.
KatyLove Tell us what an eligibility gap could be, @wolliff ?
wolliff For example, an incomplete or past due grant report.
KatyLove All eligibility gaps must be closed (that is, resolved) by September 15.
KatyLove So we're only a few days away from that process closing up.
wolliff Or an annual report not published by the date in the chapter agreement.
KatyLove Yep, thanks!
wolliff Exciting!
KatyLove Yes, it sure is!
KatyLove On September 16, after the eligibility closes on the 15th, @Garfield will lead the process to post the final eligibility.
KatyLove But entities now know exactly what could stand in their way to become eligible, and we hope most are working hard right now to close those gaps and even on their proposals.
KatyLove @wolliff: when are the proposals due?
wolliff 1 October 2013.
KatyLove Or: anyone in the room!
KatyLove Too fast.
KatyLove So good.
KatyLove Yes, that is correct! @wolliff will win a prize for her correct answer.
wolliff Thank you. What is my prize?
wolliff I want my prize.
KatyLove Unfortunately I cannot communicate it in public.
KatyLove Because I have not determined it yet.
KatyLove But don't worry, you will receive your reward.
KatyLove OK--any questions?
KatyLove Or is everyone else excited to answer some FDC trivia questions?
wolliff Katy, if an entity submits a proposal after the deadline (1 October) will it be considered by the FDC?
KatyLove Good question @wolliff. Unfortunately, no. It cannot be considered.
KatyLove If an entity misses the deadline, they will need to apply in the next round.
MaggieD_WMF Katy, I have a question from a community member, who writes, "What happens after the proposals are submitted?"
KatyLove @MaggieD_WMF: great news! We are more than happy to accept questions.
KatyLove @wolliff : want to take this one?
wolliff For 30 days, the proposal will be open for comments and questions from staff, the FDC, and the community.
KatyLove Bingo!
wolliff Each submitting entity will engage with these comments and questions on the discussion page of the proposal form.
wolliff This engagement is critical to the success of each proposal.
wolliff After the community review period ends, FDC staff will publish staff assessments.
MaggieD_WMF Where should people look for guidance in developing their proposals?
wolliff These assessments are but one input into the proposal review process.
KatyLove One last point on the previous question: we would like to encourage that all the entities to watch their Talk pages of the proposal as there will be many questions and feedback from a number of parties.
wolliff Finally, the FDC meets to write a recommendation about all of the proposals, which is then reviewed by the WMF Board of Trustees.
KatyLove That decision is made by the Board on January 1
KatyLove @MaggieD_WMF: happy to answer this one too.
KatyLove There are a number of places where we would recommend applicants go to for guidance and advice.
KatyLove The first and most obvious place would be the FDC Framework.
KatyLove Which can be found here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Funds_Dissemination_Committee/Framework_for_the_Creation_and_Initial_Operation_of_the_FDC
KatyLove In addition, each Round, the FDC makes recommendations that also include insights into their decision-making process, areas of excitement and areas of concern.
KatyLove Round 1 can be found here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2012-2013_round1
KatyLove There, you'll see not only a list of recommended allocations from 2012-2013 Round 1,
KatyLove But also, a number of high level comments and insights.
KatyLove Check out this section in particular: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2012-2013_round1#Key_Themes.2FIssues_of_the_FDC_discussions
wolliff It is important that entities read the previous recommendations before submitting a proposal.
wolliff That way they can be sure to take the FDC's advice into account.
KatyLove 2012-2013 Round 2 recommendations can be found here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2012-2013_round2
KatyLove Again, you'll see many comments there about what they are encouraging entities to tackle,
KatyLove like Good governance and effective leadership.
KatyLove and SMART goals with associated metrics.
KatyLove and the importance of diversifying funding sources.
KatyLove There's lots of important information there that should be taken into account.
MaggieD_WMF Does anyone have any questions about the FDC?
wolliff If you arrive later and are reading the archives, you may always Email FDCSupport@wikimedia.org.
KatyLove True @wolliff : we are always here to answer questions.
MaggieD_WMF There were also be a return engagement at 2300 UTC today.
KatyLove Many entities have been asking us about whether the annual plan grants program is right for them and we have been working closely with them to help them make that decision.
KatyLove We are also happy to meet with folks through other technologies, like Hangout / Chat / Skype / email.
KatyLove Oh, and of course ye olde telephone!
KatyLove So if you missed the office hours today, don't worry. Please just get in touch with any questions.
MaggieD_WMF Final call for questions? Otherwise, we'll close this session and come back later.
KatyLove Thanks so much @MaggieD_WMF for being here! We really appreciate it.
wolliff Yes, thanks to Maggie!
KatyLove And thanks to @wolliff and @Garfield for joining too.
wolliff Thanks to Garfield!
KatyLove And @mpeel for being online
wolliff Thank you to our gracious host Ms. Katy Love.
KatyLove We'll all be back later today to chat again.
mpeel Have a good day, @KatyLove, @wolliff, @Garfield and @MaggieD_WMF!
MaggieD_WMF You, too, mpeel.
KatyLove bows
wolliff Farewell, Mike Peel.
KatyLove Farewell all! Come again soon.
AroundTheGlobe thanks folks, sorry I came in a bit late, will check the log

Part two
2300-2330 UTC

MaggieD_WMF Hello, all, and welcome to the FDC office hour!
wolliff Hi, Maggie.
wolliff Thank you for being here.
KatyLove Hi @MaggieD_WMF and @wolliff !
wolliff Hi, Katy.
KatyLove Let's get started, shall we?
wolliff It's nice to see you.
wolliff OK!
KatyLove It's nice to see you here too.
MaggieD_WMF Garfield should be joining us soon.
wolliff Excellent!
marktraceur !tabcompletion | FYI
marktraceur sighs
MaggieD_WMF marktraceur, what is !tabcompletion?
marktraceur "Instead of manually typing another person's nickname in IRC, you can type the beginning of their name and hit TAB on your keyboard to get it autocompleted, like on the command line."
marktraceur (the bot was supposed to answer me)
MaggieD_WMF Oh!
MaggieD_WMF Bots. Cannot be trusted.
KatyLove Let me ask a question to the crowd:
KatyLove any FDC members out there?
marktraceur MaggieD_WMF: Indeed
KatyLove I see @mpeel : but I think it must be quite late in the UK.
marktraceur 23:00 in the UK now, yeah.
KatyLove Actually it's midnight!
KatyLove Ok:
Nutmore It's midnight there.
KatyLove Hi @Nutmore !
KatyLove Any potential FDC / annual plan grant applicants out there?
Nutmore Hey KatyLove.
KatyLove We'd love to tailor this chat to make it most useful to your needs.
KatyLove So if there are indeed people here we can answer all the questions you wanted to know about the FDC!
mpeel @KatyLove I'm not sure whether it's quite late, or quite early, right now.But I'm around.
KatyLove Oh hi again @mpeel !
KatyLove Great to have you, bleary eyed though you may be!
KatyLove So we have an FDC member here to, to answer any questions you might have.
KatyLove The focus of this conversation is to be the FDC process and upcoming milestones.
KatyLove But we can answer any questions that may be coming up for applicants -- or observers.
KatyLove Should we take this as a sign that there are no questions, everything is crystal clear?
KatyLove Anyone want to ask an FDC trivia question of us? Test our knowledge?
wolliff No sports.
KatyLove If there are two things to take away from this lively chat, here's what they should be.
KatyLove is thinking...
KatyLove 1) Proposals are due Oct 1, 2013 by end of day UTC
KatyLove 2) eligibility gaps must be closed by September 15.
KatyLove 3) (yes, a 3rd!) the FDC staff is here to share information with anyone who is interested in finding out more or has questions about applying
MaggieD_WMF What's an eligibility gap, KatyLove?
KatyLove Why did my 3rd turn red??
KatyLove Great question @MaggieD_WMF : over to you, @wolliff !
wolliff Well, Maggie...
wolliff an eligibility gap is a requirement that an entity still needs to meet in order to be eligible to submit an application for 2013-2014 Round 1.
wolliff You may find a summary of each entity's status here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/Eligibility_status/2013-2014_round1
wolliff An example of an eligibility gap might be, an incomplete or past due grant report for a WMF grant.
wolliff A detailed checklist is also available: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/Eligibility_checklist/2013-2014_round1
KatyLove That table sure has a lot of into on it!
KatyLove Good thing it's color-coordinated.
wolliff It sure does, Katy. We wish to be thorough.
KatyLove And I love the {{check}} template.
wolliff Thanks Mike Peel!
KatyLove And {{cross}}
KatyLove I didn't know he designed that. Thanks @mpeel !
KatyLove Now that we've done our intro, we can get to the good stuff!
KatyLove What questions are out there?
wolliff Wait… you mean eligibility is not the good stuff?
mpeel I didn't design it, I just made use of the existing template to make the page a bit more usable.
wolliff Mike Peel and I are frowning at you.
mpeel yes, we are.
KatyLove Eligibility is definitely good stuff, don't worry.
KatyLove We are in agreement.
KatyLove But it would be really great to know what people are wondering about the FDC process right ow.
KatyLove now.
wolliff Ow!
KatyLove What questions do they have? What confusions are there?
wolliff
MaggieD_WMF Any questions for the FDC team?
KatyLove Thanks @MaggieD_WMF -- I'm sure you'll get some great questions!
KatyLove So @MaggieD_WMF - what good questions have you got in ? Anything? Anyone?
KatyLove Let me share two important resources, in case anyone is following this:
wolliff We are, we are!
KatyLove meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal is the FDC annual plan grant portal.
wolliff Cool!
KatyLove It's a great site, full of everything you could ever need for the FDC.
wolliff I need a Framework! Does it have that??
KatyLove But then, there are also humans behind all of this--and the FDC staff exists to answer questions, share info, and support potential FDC applicants.
KatyLove That wasn't my second resource, @wolliff - but good one!
wolliff FDCSupport@wikimedia.org
KatyLove Oh you beat me to it.
KatyLove Bravissimo!
wolliff Supporting you.
wolliff FDCSupporting you.
KatyLove thank you!
KatyLove We should also restate the critical piece that there are places one can go for good guidance for applicants.
KatyLove @wolliff can you think of any?
wolliff FDCSupport@wikimedia.org
KatyLove If you were an FDC annual plan grant applicant, where would you look?
KatyLove Um...
KatyLove Well,
KatyLove Of course you can always contact us!
wolliff http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal
KatyLove Um, yes...
KatyLove But you're not getting the right answer!
KatyLove Try again.
KatyLove I'll give you a hint:
wolliff Those are both right answers.
wolliff I disagree.
KatyLove Yes, yes, you're right
KatyLove (I don't disagree with your disagreemtent)
KatyLove If you were an FDC applicant eager to get in the heads of the FDC, trying to understand where they would like to see the movement go, where would you look for such guidance?
KatyLove The FDC Framework is a good one.
KatyLove Also, any ideas, @wolliff ?
wolliff Wow! I would look at the recommendations from last round!
KatyLove Yes…you are good!
KatyLove Links for that:
KatyLove https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2012-2013_round2 from Round 2
KatyLove 2012-2013 that is
KatyLove and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/FDC_recommendations/2012-2013_round1 from 2012-2013 Round 1
KatyLove There's lots of great insight there.
KatyLove And comments/observations that entities should take into account when developing the proposals.
KatyLove One more thing I want to share with interested applicants:
KatyLove Do consider the WMF Board guidance to the FDC.
KatyLove http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Minutes/2013-04-18#Guidance_for_the_FDC
KatyLove This was issued by the Board as guidance to the FDC.
KatyLove Anything else @wolliff or @Garfield ?
KatyLove If not, @MaggieD_WMF - I think we should close the office hours. We did a lot of talking on the last office hours so people can read that log.
mpeel it's a shame that there aren't more entities present at these - but perhaps that means they all know everything already?
KatyLove We've been doing a lot of outreach on a one:one basis,
KatyLove so perhaps that is taking care of a lot of questions coming up.
MaggieD_WMF Okay, so let's wrap this up. Please remember that you can always email FDCSupport@wikimedia.org.
wolliff Yes, please contact us with any questions or concerns.
MaggieD_WMF Thanks, wolliff, KatyLove, and Garfield.
MaggieD_WMF and, thanks, mpeel, for talking.
wolliff And thanks to Mike Peel!
wolliff
wolliff Goodnight, everbody!
MaggieD_WMF Night!
mpeel g'night all
KatyLove Goodnight @mpeel !
KatyLove Thanks everyone for joining.
KatyLove I want to thank @MaggieD_WMF very much!
wolliff Thanks for hosting, Katy.
KatyLove Just sorry that we didn't have more questions….maybe next time!