Internal:Partnership guide

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Revision as of 06:19, 15 March 2013 by Econterms (talk | contribs) (→‎Decision-making: brevity ; leave internal officer consultations implicit, since audience for this is broad ; temporarily excise "pursue" bit; authorize Treasurer action even if Treasurer is mistaken)
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Status: Under Review

This document details the strategy by which Wikimedia District of Columbia will engage with partner organizations in holding outreach events and for other purposes.

Purpose

WIkimedia DC benefits when it has the opportunity to partner with organizations on events that further the mission of the organization. Partnerships allow us to share resources and experience, to include more people into our organization, and to work on innovative projects based on a common interest. Wikimedia DC has partnered with several institutions in the Washington, D.C. area, including high-profile organizations like the Library of Congress, and we will continue to maintain and pursue these kinds of partnerships.

This plan is developed to ensure that Wikimedia DC gets the greatest benefit possible out of a partnership, and to ensure that Wikimedia DC can provide the greatest benefit possible for its partners. A quality partnership requires the active involvement of Wikimedia DC, and this plan describes how to achieve this.

Policy

Wikimedia DC will not enter into partnerships that do not further the mission of Wikimedia DC. Further, Wikimedia DC will not enter into partnerships that would jeopardize its status as a Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization or would otherwise violate the law. For example, a partnership involving a political organization for the purpose of electioneering would be inappropriate, as would a partnership for a project contrary to the Wikimedia movement's values.

Tracking partnerships

Wikimedia DC should maintain a central database to store information regarding the persons and institutions it has contacted. The purpose of this is to create an institutional record of inter-organizational relationships that anyone working under Wikimedia DC's employ can use. This database should include:

  • Name of partnering institution
  • Name of contact(s) at partnering institution
  • Contact information for contact(s) at partnering institution
  • Events and programs pursued with partnering institution
  • Resources, financial and in-kind, contributed to or received from the partnering institution.
  • Name and contact information of the Wikimedia DC representative adding the information

When a Wikimedia DC officer, director, staff member, or volunteer ("Wikimedia DC representative") engages with a representative of a partnering institution, the Wikimedia DC representative is responsible for recording this information into the database.

Support options

Wikimedia DC can offer support to partnering institutions in a number of ways:

  • Expertise—Wikimedia DC, as the official Wikimedia chapter of the Mid-Atlantic, has members who are knowledgable in the practices and communities of the Wikimedia projects. Wikimedia DC can offer advice to partnering institutions on how to be more involved with Wikipedia, including the creation of Wikipedian in Residence programs, edit-a-thon-style events, or how to make their collection available for public consumption.
  • Financial Support—Wikimedia DC's outreach budget can be used toward sponsoring events, for instance by providing refreshments. Wikimedia DC, where possible, should partner with additional organizations to share the costs or to solicit in-kind contributions. Wikimedia DC can also serve as a fiscal agent for an event or program.
  • Use of Equipment—Wikimedia DC has scanners, hard drives, a projector, and wireless modems for use at events. Note that wireless modems require re-activation for the month, increasing the cost of the event.
  • Promotion—Wikimedia DC can promote Wikimedia-related events through the Wikipedia meetup page, through its event calendar, and through various mailing lists and communication channels.

Decision-making

The President of Wikimedia DC may enter into agreements with partners and carry out transactions in the course of ordinary business. Certain limits to the President's authority are listed in the Delegation of Authority Policy.

The Treasurer has the authority to deny funding for any program or expense on the basis that it would jeopardize Wikimedia DC's financial position or would violate relevant laws and regulations.

Issue: I excised from previous draft "The president may determine ... whether Wikimedia DC can pursue a particular partnership." I didn't find "pursue" transparent. Does this phrasing constrain members from creative discussions? I think it couldn't and shouldn't. Is it meant to protect the president from dealing partnerships that members of the board support? My instinct was that policy should be that the board decides ultimately, and intermediate steps are left implicit; members who fail to get the president to make an agreement with a partner won't usually bother to appeal to the board but if they were do to so the board should consider it. --Econterms
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