Annual report (2017–2018)

This report describes the activities of Wikimedia District of Columbia during Fiscal Year 2017–18, covering the period from October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018.

Programs
During the 2017–18 fiscal year, Wikimedia DC program activity focused in two principal program areas: institutional partnership and grantmaking and sponsorship.

Institutional Partnership

Consistent with past program results, collaborative editing events, such as edit-a-thons and editing workshops, comprised the bulk of our institutional partnership program activity. Over the course of the fiscal year, Wikimedia DC supported a total of 32 events (76% of our target) in partnership with 34 institutional partners (136% of our target). Of these 32 events, 14 were aimed at improving diversity, representing 44% of the total activity in the program.

Our institutional partners included a broad spectrum of cultural, academic, and government institutions, professional associations, non-governmental organizations, and other groups: 🇨🇴
 * American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
 * American Institute of Architects
 * American Statistical Association
 * American University
 * Aphra Behn Society
 * Arlington Central Library
 * Baltimore Museum of Industry
 * Beatley Central Library
 * Bureau of Land Management
 * Burney Society of North America
 * Capital Area Biospace
 * Catholic Information Center
 * Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives
 * Daughters of the American Revolution
 * DC Preservation League
 * Embassy of Sweden
 * Fembot Collective
 * Georgetown University
 * House of Sweden
 * Laurel Historical Society and Museum
 * MoCo Makers
 * National Archives and Records Administration
 * National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
 * National Museum of Women in the Arts
 * National Trust for Historic Preservation
 * Prince George's Community College
 * Rockville Science Center
 * Smithsonian American Art Museum
 * Smithsonian Institution Archives
 * United States Department of the Interior
 * United States National Agricultural Library
 * University of Maryland, College Park
 * Virginia Association of Museums
 * West Virginia University

The partner institutions included 15 new partners, for whom the collaboration marked their first engagement with Wikimedia DC, and often with the Wikimedia movement in general; these partners are marked with stars in the list above. Our success in engaging new partners was due in large part to the effective work of our Institutional Partnerships Manager, who was able to systematically identify, contact, and develop partnerships with a spectrum of institutions which had not otherwise engaged with the Wikimedia movement.

The jury for the competition included John P. Sadowski, member of the Wikimedia DC Board of Directors; Sandy Avila, Science Librarian, University of Central Florida; Esther Jackson, Public Services Librarian, New York Botanical Garden; Ryan McGrady, Community Engagement Manager, Wiki Education Foundation; Ian Ramjohn, Wikipedia Content Expert, Sciences, Wiki Education Foundation; and Laura Soito, Physical Sciences Librarian, University of New Mexico.

Organizational development
Awards

Wikimedia DC awarded its 2017 Distinguished Service Award to Soraya L. Chemaly and Julie Burton of the Women's Media Center for exemplary contributions to the advancement of public knowledge and the collection, development, and dissemination of educational content. The Women's Media Center has been an incredible partner for Wikimedia DC, organizing and hosting several outstanding events, supporting us through the development of the new Wikimedia strategic direction, and acting as advocates for the Wikimedia community as we built new partnerships. Soraya and Julie have consistently demonstrated an amazing commitment to the values of the Wikimedia movement, and have provided incredible support not only for our engagement with the Women's Media Center, but also for our institutional partnerships program as a whole.

Wikimedia DC awarded its 2017 Volunteer of the Year Award to Kevin Payravi for his dedication to the advancement of public knowledge and the collection, development, and dissemination of educational content. Kevin is a veteran Wikimedia volunteer and a recognized leader within the Wikimedia community in the United States. Having stepped up to spearhead the WikiConference North America 2017 organizing team, Kevin consistently demonstrated incredible energy, dedication, and skill, working closely with Wikimedia DC board members and volunteers to successfully design and implement a unique conference despite numerous uncertainties and challenges.

Governance

The Wikimedia DC Board of Directors held 5 meetings during the 2017–18 fiscal year, on [[Media:Wikimedia DC Board - 2017-10-08 - Minutes.pdf|October 8, 2017]], [[Media:Wikimedia DC Board - 2017-12-02 - Minutes.pdf|December 2, 2017]], [[Media:Wikimedia DC Board - 2018-02-18 - Minutes.pdf|February 18, 2018]], [[Media:Wikimedia DC Board - 2018-06-17 - Minutes.pdf|June 17, 2018]], and [[Media:Wikimedia DC Board - 2018-08-12 - Minutes.pdf|August 12, 2018]].