Wikimedia Deutschland/Volunteer Support/en

Here you find an overview of Idea and Volunteer Support at Wikimedia Deutschland. For further information, you can visit our page in the German Wikipedia (translate with Google) or read our monthly reports about supported volunteer projects. (translate with Google)

Live At Wikimania 2015

• https://wikimania2015.wikimedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Supporters_Network_Meetup - Date: Thursday July 16, Time: 10 AM and one session in the afternoon (TBA), Place: Hotel Fiesta Inn (morning session)
• Meet Veronika and Sebastian
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Materials (quick overview)

Annual report 2014

[...] A large part of Wikimedia Deutschland’s work involves supporting volunteers in their activities for Wikimedia projects. We do this, for example, by covering travel costs for conferences, by providing photo equipment and specialist literature for work on Wikipedia articles, and through helping out with the logistics of hosting events and implementing projects.

When it came to supporting volunteers in 2014, the year’s motto “connecting and enabling” took on a spatial dimension. With the opening of our new premises in Berlin, we were able to offer volunteers a physical space in which to develop new ideas. Throughout the year, various groups of volunteers met regularly at the location Tempelhofer Ufer to edit Wikipedia articles together, debate Wikipedia issues in roundtable discussions with experts, or to learn from one another in workshops. The positive feeling of working together on big new ideas and projects helps create the motivation that is fundamental to all voluntary activities, and the popularity of our new location in Berlin is a clear indication of just how invaluable these get-togethers with other free knowledge enthusiasts can be in providing such motivation. Much more can be achieved together. The idea of a physical meeting point for the local volunteer community served as a blueprint for groups of volunteers in various other German cities.

→ read all (pdf)

Impact report 2014

WMDE video on Volunteers

[...] 2014 was a year of big changes for the volunteer support team of Wikimedia Deutschland. We went through a shift in management and also a shift in the general approach to how we work with communities and within our own headquarters. In the second half of 2014 we transformed from a siloed "community support team" to an impact driven "idea support lab", that works in an integrated manner with software development and the other WMDE units.

Our analysis of recently supported projects showed a significant gap in results and impact between two different clusters of projects. Occasionally supported small projects resulted in some interesting content, but barely ever created learning patterns, sustainable results, nor did they support the on-boarding-process for new community members. On the other hand, community-lead thematic or local projects from groups or highly active volunteers were more successful: They made it easier to hop on for additional volunteers, shortened the time from idea to project-realization and provided other volunteer groups with documentation and learnings. [...]

→ read all

Annual plan 2015

[...] To increase the impact of our volunteer support, we are merging our funding programs and decentrally supporting groups of volunteers who work together on a specific topic. We are focusing on ideas and projects that get started as soon as possible, that publish their successes and failures as lessons learned, and that make it easier for as many volunteers as possible to work on Wikimedia projects. In addition, we are expanding existing information and communication structures at the local and international level and activating potential volunteers and supporting partnerships. [...]

→ read all

Annual Compass 2016

We would like to significantly increase the number of volunteers contributing to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects again. New editors are essential for us to be able to guarantee openness, diversity, and thus the long-term viability and quality of Wikimedia projects. As certain projects have only had limited success in the past in leading to the attraction of new editors, we want to try out a new approach in 2016. We will analyze why the approaches that have been taken so far have not been effective enough and look for new ways of getting new volunteers to contribute to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, while also supporting their continued involvement. We need to be accessible, welcoming, vibrant, and allow for a multiplicity of voices if we are to motivate as many as possible of the thousands of daily Wikipedia readers to actively participate and get involved.

→ read all

Gallery

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  Wikipedia Academy, Bautzen
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  Open Editing, Stuttgart
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  Wikipedianischer Salon, Berlin
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  Guide Camp, Berlin
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  Open Editing, Hannover
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  WikiCon, Cologne
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  Wiki loves Monuments, Erfurt
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  Photo project in German Bundestag
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  Wikipedia promotion, Munich
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  Local space, Hannover
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  Lokal space, Cologne
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  Local space, Hamburg

Contact and further information

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to contact us: community@wikimedia.de.

Or just add your username here:

Keep me informed!

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Via our main page in de:Wikipedia (translate with Google), you can propose new ideas, find current activities, inform about our grant guidelines und participate in their further development. In addition there is an overview of frequently requested grants, as well as a newsticker that shows samples of resently given support.

Besides we also cooperate with the german speaking chapters Wikimedia Austria and Wikimedia CH, for example in international conferences or meetups or request for techniqual support.

See also

• Volunteer Supporters Network
• Grants:IdeaLab