Wikimedia Foundation elections 2015/Call for candidates

The election ended 31 May 2015. No more votes will be accepted. The results were announced on 5 June 2015. Please consider submitting any feedback regarding the 2015 election on the election's post mortem page.

Please help recruit new candidates for the WMF Board community elections

Dear Wikimedians,

As our projects grow and mature, we must look ahead in order to continue to build the world’s knowledge for the next decade. Last month, the WMF invited many of our readers to share their thoughts in a strategy consultation. Some of the most frequent responses were requests for more focus on languages and communities, including those only now coming online. In our pursuit of knowledge in every corner of our planet and in every expanding mind, these requests are turning our attention to being more inclusive of diverse and emerging voices.

At the same time, the Board of Trustees has been discussing Board composition, and we agree that we need a diverse representation of our communities and projects in our membership. This includes bringing in trustees from our communities, languages and projects that represent geographies and languages from around the globe, including those that to date have not been included or well-represented in our Board's composition.

That’s why we are asking you to help us reach out into communities, in Wikimedia and beyond, to bring forward excellent potential candidates who:

• Come from Africa, India, Asia, or the Middle East; or
• Have expertise with one of our smaller projects or non-Wikipedia projects; or
• Have deep subject matter expertise in technology & product or finance; and
• Have basic management experience (teaching, people management, project management, larger non-profit board experience, especially those of international organizations, etc.)

All potential candidates must be able to communicate and discuss in English, since this is the language we use in all our board discussions. Effective trustees are also mission-driven, strategic, thoughtful, have high integrity, and are respectful and community-oriented.

The Board is committed to diversity and gender balance. Please help us find candidates who have perspectives and voices that are currently under-represented, but whose participation is crucial to the future of our projects. We also encourage candidates from all of our projects and communities who are considering running for the Board to do so, and encourage all qualified voters to participate by asking questions and voting. We need the full participation of the Wikimedia community to ensure that the Board is as strong and diverse as it can be going forward.

To find more information, nominate candidates or publish your self-nomination please visit the election homepage:

Thank you for your support,
The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees

Seeking 5 new members and ombudsperson to join the Funds Dissemination Committee

Hello Wikimedians,

As you may know, the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) is a volunteer committee that makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees on how to spend funds to achieve the movement’s goals. Each year, the FDC meets twice to deliberate on annual plan grant proposals submitted by Wikimedia organizations. Allocated through a participatory, transparent, collaborative grantmaking process, these funds are used by organizations to expand and deepen participation and enable the creation and curation of quality content on Wikimedia projects.

Five seats on the committee are open this year, as is the position of the ombudsperson. Serving on this committee is an opportunity to deepen your engagement in the movement, build your leadership and experience, and work closely with other colleagues who are interested in helping the movement achieve more impact.

The commitments are significant: you will be expected to come to at least two face-to-face meetings each year that last up to 4 days, in addition to reviewing more than 18 proposals and significant background documents each year. For most committee members, participation in the meetings also includes significant international travel. Note that the committee will meet in San Francisco for a four-day period from November 15-21, so you must be available during this period.

We're looking for a diverse group of people with the following attributes:

• Experience directing or evaluating programs, within or outside of the Wikimedia movement;
• Expertise with grants (you have received or managed grant funds or you have experience making grants);
• Knowledge and understanding of, and personal credibility within the Wikimedia movement and on the Wikimedia projects (that is, experience with Wikimedia programs, Wikimedia organizations, or on-wiki leadership roles);
• We seek gender, geographic and linguistic diversity on the committee, as well as experience with diverse roles within the Wikimedia movement (e.g. content contributors, program leaders, user group leaders, functionaries, chapter board members)

To find more information about eligibility requirements, how to nominate candidates, or to publish your self-nomination, please visit the election homepage:

Please reach out to me with any questions.

Cheers,
Katy Love
Senior Program Officer
Funds Dissemination Committee