Annual plan (2014–2015)

This plan documents Wikimedia District of Columbia's program and organizational development plans for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015. Wikimedia DC embarked on a strategic planning process during fiscal year 2013–14, a process that will result in a completed strategic plan during this fiscal year. We have diversified our outreach efforts to include historical, scientific, and technological organizations, and we began improving our technical infrastructure to support our work.

This year, we are focused on increasing our outreach efforts to firmly establish our presence as knowledge workers while working to embed the values of the Wikimedia movement in our current partner organizations. We are developing an infrastructure of best practices and technologies that will boost our ranks as a membership organization and as a volunteer organization. These efforts work together to institutionalize Wikimedia DC as a Washington-based organization working to share our knowledge with the world.

Content programs

In 2015 our content programs will focus on encouraging individual content contributors and empowering broader institutional participation. During the last fiscal year we hosted several edit-a-thons with institutions in various subject areas, including the fine arts, chemistry, history, and law. These events allowed us to build connections with these organizations and to develop a list of over 100 potential Wikipedia editors. Through the research of Emily Temple-Wood, our Vice President and an Individual Engagement Grant recipient of the Wikimedia Foundation, we have developed a program to train small groups of motivated individuals in writing Wikipedia articles through recurring events. Our goal this year is to implement this program in at least three organizations. We will also continue our institutional outreach efforts through edit-a-thons and content donation efforts.

Wikipedia Workshops

Wikipedia Workshops build on the edit-a-thon concept that has been successfully implemented at Wikimedia DC events. While edit-a-thons as currently carried out are successful promotional events that give participating individuals and organizations a taste of editing Wikipedia, they have not been proven effective to recruit people to become Wikipedia editors. The workshop concept developed by Wikimedia DC works to improve the editing skills of participants through small instructional groups and pre-scheduled recurring events.

Edit-a-Thons

Content Donations

• WORKSHOPS
  • NIH
  • Education program
  • Capitol Hill
  • Women in the Arts (or something else at Smithsonian)

• INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS (CULTURAL, SCIENTIFIC, GOVERNMENT)
  • We continue to build and nurture existing relationships
  • Eventual goal is to get them to progress in the nature of relationship (to workshops, content contributions, etc.)
  • Build on Leo's efforts, working with historical archives

• Cultural Partnerships Fellow
  • Works with Dominic, local institutions, and with the GLAM-Wiki Consortium
  • Could potentially house person in Smithsonian Institution
  • Funded by WMF (could we get another organization to provide funding?)
  • Set up position and recruit from October–December 2014; position filled from January–June 2015

Technology programs

• OPEN DATA
  • Wikidata and open data efforts

• Open Data Fellow
  • Works with Wikimedia DC; could potentially house this person in CREW, Sunlight Foundation, or GSA 18F
  • Potential funding sources: WMF, Sunlight, Cato, Google, Knight Foundation
  • Set up position and recruit from October–December 2014; position filled form January–June 2015

Community programs

• TRAINING
  • Workshop Facilitator
  • Campus Ambassador Training
  • GLAM Boot Camp
• PROMOTIONAL EVENTS
  • Public health summit
  • Diversity Conference
  • Attending other events
• SOCIAL SUPPORT

Notes

In 2013–2014 we are working on growing (more partners, bigger community), diversifying (different types of partnerships), and infrastructure (measuring outcomes, data storage mechanisms, organizational structure, strategic planning). Next year should focus on taking this built-up capacity and working to institutionalize the Wikimedia movement in the DC area through collaborations that improve Wikimedia projects, facilitated by dedicated fellows. The work of these fellows will provide valuable insight for the rest of the movement.

For the future

• Wikipedia for Activists
• Campus ambassador training. Cultivating DC-area campus ambassadors with help of resources from WEF. Rob from Georgetown would be helpful for this
• Program evaluation training
• Volunteer training will help us bring other people into our organization, allowing others to carry out work in fulfillment of our mission
• See User:James Hare/Wikiparty. Could we get funding to cover the development of this?