Annual financial report (2010–2011)

Letter from the Treasurer
Thank you for coming to the first members’ meeting of the Wiki Society of Washington, DC. As your treasurer I have prepared a report which summarizes the financial activity of Wikimedia DC since its founding. When it was founded, Wikimedia DC had no assets to its name whatsoever. For most of this fiscal year, we in the community agreed to pay whatever bills came up, with the promise that Wikimedia DC will somehow be able to pay them back. In fact, as recently as a week ago I was prepared to report that even though Wikimedia DC had hundreds of dollars in bills to pay, it did not actually pay any of those bills. As treasurer I spent the last few months tracking the bills that other people were paying.

To help cover these basic operational costs (the website, government paperwork, etc.), we agreed to file for a grant from the Wikimedia Foundation. The grant finally made its way into our bank account yesterday. Because we finally had money, I made good on my word and paid everyone back. As a result, we are starting the new fiscal year with zero debt and over $5,000 in cash on hand. For the year ahead, we will budget our current assets and our future income to ensure that not only are the bills paid, the organization can also put on exciting events and invest in the new Library Lab at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in downtown D.C.

In the short term, given the generosity of the Wikimedia Foundation and our relatively small budget (except for Wikimania), it makes the most sense to fund most of our operations through chapter grants, with an online fundraiser to supplement those funds and as an experiment in raising funds independently. Yet as we grow as an organization, we must look to additional means of fundraising. I call on the Fundraising Committee to research local fundraising events that can tap into the goodwill of the D.C. technology and social media communities, as well as grants from cultural institutions which would allow us to pursue loftier goals. If we’re going to grow as an organization, it will be through a diverse fundraising strategy.

Of course, none of this money means anything unless we have the community to justify it. Come to our meetings, enjoy our events, and bring your awesome ideas to the table. We’ll find a way to make them work.

—James Hare, Treasurer