Annual Plan for Fiscal Year 2015–16
This plan documents Wikimedia District of Columbia's program and operational plans for the fiscal year starting October 1, 2015 and ending September 30, 2016.
Program plan
As part of its strategic planning process, Wikimedia DC has divided its programs into four principal areas:
- Institutional partnership
- Contributor recruitment and support
- Grantmaking and sponsorship
- Public policy
The program plan for the 2015–16 fiscal year defines the specific programs that are to be executed within each of these program areas, as well as the metrics that will be used to evaluate the successful execution of specific programs individually as well as program areas in the aggregate. The measures of success for each area are a combination of Wikimedia Foundation-defined global metrics as well as Wikimedia DC-defined program objectives.
The program plan additionally includes major cross-program event, the Wikimedia Diversity Conference.
Institutional partnership
The institutional partnership program area includes programs whose principal objective is to leverage the resources, holdings, and expertise of institutions in the cultural, academic, and government sectors to improve the Wikimedia projects and other free knowledge repositories. This is achieved both through the direct contribution of institutional records, collections, and other holdings to such repositories under suitable free licenses, and through the participation of institutional staff and other affiliated individuals in such projects.
As part of our strategic planning process, we have developed an institutional partnership scale that can be used to quantitatively evaluate the progress of both individual institutional partnership programs and the overall institutional partnership portfolio. We aim to continue refining this scale, as well as to conduct initial evaluations of our existing institutional partnerships, over the course of the fiscal year, with the goal of fully transitioning to using the scale as the principal mechanism for measuring and reporting institutional partnerships by the beginning of the 2016–17 fiscal year.
During the 2015–16 fiscal year, Wikimedia DC plans to hold at least 27 events with institutional partners distributed across several institutional categories, including GLAMs, academic institutions, government agencies, professional associations, and NGOs. This represents a 12.5% increase from the 2014-15 fiscal year, when 24 such events were held. In addition, we will aim to hold at least 6 events (22%) outside the Washington, DC metropolitan area in order to expand our reach throughout the region.
| Program | Active Editors | New Editors | Total Participants | Images/Media Uploaded to Commons | Unique Images/Media Used on Wikimedia Articles/Pages | Wikimedia Articles Added or Improved | Absolute Bytes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edit-a-thons | |||||||
| Scan-a-thons |
GLAMs
Partnerships with galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs) have been the mainstay of the Wikimedia DC program portfolio since the organization was established, and will continue to be our highest-impact programs for the foreseeable future. We will aim to hold a minimum of 14 events with GLAMs, including 12 edit-a-thons and 2 scan-a-thons, over the course of the fiscal year.
We will continue to cultivate our existing relationships with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Smithsonian Institution, which have been key partners for us in prior years, and will additionally aim to engage with a broad spectrum of local and regional GLAMs. Of these additional GLAMs, three are currently of particular strategic interest to Wikimedia DC, and we will aim to hold one or more events in collaboration with each before the year ends:
- District of Columbia Public Libraries (DCPL)
- Historical Society of Washington, DC
- National Museum of Women in the Arts
Other potential GLAM partners for this fiscal year include the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland; the Laurel Historical Society in Laurel, Maryland; and the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC.
Academic Institutions
Partnerships with academic institutions are an important and growing segment of the Wikimedia DC program portfolio. The 2015–16 fiscal year presents a unique opportunity to significantly increase our engagement with this sector by leveraging the "Year of Science" initiative of the Wiki Education Foundation, a key movement partner for our academic partnership programs. We aim to work closely with the Wiki Education Foundation, providing local support for their programs and leveraging the best practices and program materials which they have developed in our own efforts.
We will aim to hold a minimum of 6 events with academic institutions over the course of the fiscal year, with a focus on edit-a-thons as the principal event format. Four academic institutions are currently of particular strategic interest to Wikimedia DC, and we will aim to hold one or more events in collaboration with each before the year ends:
- American University
- Howard University
- University of Delaware
- University of Maryland
Other potential academic partners for this fiscal year include Catholic University in Washington, DC; the George Washington University in Washington, DC; Georgetown University in Washington, DC; George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia; the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia; and the University of West Virginia in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Government Agencies
Wikimedia DC's location in the nation's capital makes us uniquely suited to effectively engage with a broad spectrum of government agencies and affiliated organizations. The DC area is home to numerous agencies, many with significant existing collections of digitized educational materials as well as large pools of subject-matter experts who could be recruited as Wikimedia editors.
We will aim to hold a minimum of 2 events with government agencies over the course of the fiscal year, with a focus on edit-a-thons as the principal event format. The events will include a continued and growing partnership with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), our key institutional partner in this sector, as well as an expanded relationship with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of significant strategic interest to Wikimedia DC.
Other potential government partners for this fiscal year include a number of offices in the executive and legislative branches of the US government, as well as inter-agency groups with an interest in wiki technology.
Professional Associations
Professional associations, organizations, and societies are a significant and heretofore largely untapped potential resource for the Wikimedia projects, with substantial pools of subject-matter experts and, in many cases, explicit commitments to the promotion of public knowledge that align closely with the Wikimedia mission.
We will aim to hold a minimum of 2 events with professional associations over the course of the fiscal year, with a focus on edit-a-thons as the principal event format. Two professional associations are currently of particular strategic interest to Wikimedia DC, and we will aim to hold one or more events in collaboration with each before the year ends:
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
NGOs
The significant concentration of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the Washington, DC area offers Wikimedia DC a unique opportunity to build a network of effective institutional partnerships in this sector. Individual NGOs may employ or have access to a substantial pool of subject-matter experts who can contribute to the Wikimedia projects directly; additionally, NGOs can serve as bridges to third-party or privately-held collections of materials that could be released under free licenses.
We will aim to hold a minimum of 2 events with NGOs over the course of the fiscal year, with a focus on edit-a-thons as the principal event format. The events will include an expanded relationship with the public media sector, with particular focus on our growing partnership with National Public Radio (NPR), as well as potential partnerships with open government NGOs.
Contributor recruitment and support
The contributor recruitment and support program area includes programs whose principal objectives consist of recruiting new contributors to the Wikimedia projects and supporting existing Wikimedians in their ongoing contributions to the projects. The programs focus on introducing members of the general public to the Wikimedia projects, teaching them to participate safely and effectively, and providing opportunities for collaboration as well as spaces for social participation and interaction with other contributors.
During the 2015–16 fiscal year, Wikimedia DC will hold a minimum of 25 public participation events, including events designed to recruit and retain contributors to various Wikimedia projects, such as Wikipedia, Wikisource, and Wikimedia Commons.
| Program | Active Editors | New Editors | Total Participants | Images/Media Uploaded to Commons | Unique Images/Media Used on Wikimedia Articles/Pages | Wikimedia Articles Added or Improved | Absolute Bytes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citizen Editing and Scanning
With the opening of the Innovation Hub at the National Archives in Washington, DC, we have a unique opportunity to leverage the Hub's resources and NARA's existing "citizen scanning" program as a mechanism for recruiting new participants to the Wikimedia projects. The planned citizen editing and scanning program will utilize the Innovation Hub to host events that will invite members of the public to contribute to Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikisource by digitizing NARA holdings and using them to edit Wikipedia articles. We will aim to hold a minimum of 5 Innovation Hub events over the course of the fiscal year, including 3 scanning-oriented events and 2 editing-oriented events.
WikiSalons
Wikimedia DC's monthly WikiSalon program has proved to be an effective mechanism for introducing new contributors to the movement and for providing existing contributors with an effective social participation space and offline support network. We will continue to augment the program by increasing the number of events to accommodate varying participant schedules, holding a minimum of 20 WikiSalon events over the course of the fiscal year.
Volunteer Training
Wikimedia DC has a significant track record of effectively conducting volunteer training for both new and experienced Wikimedia project contributors. We will continue this program, with the aim of holding 2 training workshops over the course of the fiscal year, including one training workshop on event facilitation and one training workshop on GLAM engagement.
Grantmaking and sponsorship
The grantmaking and sponsorship program area includes programs whose principal objective is to provide direct financial and administrative support to individuals, groups, and organizations within the Wikimedia movement. These programs include both direct grantmaking activities, where Wikimedia DC evaluates and selects grantees, as well as fiscal sponsorships, where Wikimedia DC acts as a financial administrator for Wikimedia Foundation or third-party grants to eligible groups or organizations.
| Program | Active Editors | New Editors | Total Participants | Images/Media Uploaded to Commons | Unique Images/Media Used on Wikimedia Articles/Pages | Wikimedia Articles Added or Improved | Absolute Bytes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small grants | |||||||
| Book grants | |||||||
| Fiscal sponsorship |
Small Grants
Our small grants program has proven to be an effective vehicle for supporting programs and events independently organized by individuals and groups both within and outside our region. We plan to continue this program, with a goal of funding a minimum of 5 small grants over the course of the fiscal year, including 3 grants (60%) outside the Wikimedia DC region.
Book Grants
Introduced during the 2014–15 fiscal year, the Wikimedia DC book grants program provides direct financial support to individual Wikipedia editors by funding the purchase of books to be used as sources for articles. The program provides an opportunity to achieve significant impact for each dollar spent through the careful selection of grant recipients based on prior editing history and demonstrated ability to effectively utilize print sources to create high-quality articles.
During the 2015–16 fiscal year, we will expand the book grants program, funding a minimum of 10 book grants, including grants to 5 first-time recipients (50%), defined as individuals who have never received funding through any Wikimedia DC grants program.
Fiscal Sponsorship
Wikimedia DC undertook significant fiscal sponsorship activity during the prior fiscal year, with a highly successful sponsorship for the international Art+Feminism program. During the 2015–16 fiscal year, we aim to continue and further expand the range of fiscal sponsorships, administering a minimum of 2 grants under fiscal sponsorship with an aggregate grant value of at least $50,000.
Technology Grants
In addition to direct financial support, Wikimedia DC offers in-kind technology donations, including domain hosting and mailing list administration services, to eligible Wikimedia movement groups and organizations. We will continue this program in the 2015–16 fiscal year, with a goal of providing such services to a minimum of 4 groups or organizations.
Public policy
The public policy program area includes programs whose principal objective is to effect regulatory and legislative changes that will benefit the Wikimedia projects and the broader free knowledge and culture movement. Our activity in this area is constrained by the statutory limits on lobbying activity that Wikimedia DC must follow as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, which restrict both the nature of the activities we may undertake and our financial expenditures on certain permitted activities.
During the 2015–16 fiscal year, our public policy efforts will continue to take a primarily exploratory form as we seek to better define our long-term role in this area. To the extent possible, we will coordinate our efforts with those of the Wikimedia Foundation's public policy department. We aim to host at least 1 public policy forum on a topic relevant to our mission during the fiscal year.
Wikimedia DC has previously engaged in advocacy on copyright matters, having submitted a written comment to the US Copyright Office's roundtable on orphan works legislation. We aim to continue this during the 2015–16 fiscal year, and will submit further comments as suitable opportunities arise.
We plan to formulate guidance to the staff of legislators in Congress on how to appropriately edit Wikimedia, and to make a presentation during the fiscal year to an audience of them.
Wikimedia DC will begin exploring potential public policy positions, partnerships, and areas of activity relative to the subject of online harassment. We will engage with existing groups and organizations in this space, with an aim to create a working group that will serve as a forum for further discussion of this topic and a vehicle for collaboration on and coordination of future activity.
We will monitor other potential areas of public policy activity including questions of mass digitization, copyright reform, and public domain.
Cross-program events
Wikimedia DC plans to host the 2016 Wikimedia Diversity Conference, a global gathering of Wikimedia contributors, movement allies, and diversity experts convened to address issues of diversity within the Wikimedia community and the broader free knowledge movement. The conference will aim to ensure that the spectrum of online knowledge represents voices and perspectives from across the diversity of human experience.
Attendees at the conference will participate in the development of a shared framework for understanding and enhancing diversity within the context of the Wikimedia projects, both through improvements to existing structures and programs and through targeted engagement with under-represented groups in the United States and around the world. The conference will consider diversity in its broadest sense, with particular attention to issues of gender diversity; geographic, ethnic, and linguistic diversity; and socio-economic diversity.
The conference is planned as a multi-day event with several concurrent tracks. Anticipated conference participation is 100-200 people, including both significant local attendance as well as contingents from other parts of the United States and from around the world.
Operational plan
Communications
Wikimedia DC sees communications as a key area for organizational improvement. Our communications strategy for the 2015–16 fiscal year involves a combination of traditional publishing, increased use of social media, and effective engagement with other communications channels within the Wikimedia movement.
As a principal mechanism for structured dissemination of organizational news and program information, Wikimedia DC will establish a regular newsletter that will be distributed to individuals interested in Wikimedia DC and through movement-wide communications channels. We will aim to publish the newsletter on a monthly schedule, with a target of at least 9 newsletter issues published over the course of the fiscal year.
We will refocus our social media engagement strategy, reducing or eliminating our presence on social networks with which we do not have the capacity to effectively engage and instead focusing on more targeted engagement through a smaller number of networks. We will aim to increase the audience engaged through these networks over the course of the fiscal year, with a target of at least 1,000 people reached through each network.
In addition to establishing and maintaining its own communications channels, Wikimedia DC will engage with key third-party communications channels throughout the movement to disseminate information about Wikimedia DC activities and programs. Potential channels include the Wikipedia Weekly podcast, the English Wikipedia Signpost, the This Month in GLAM newsletter, and the Wikimedia Foundation blog.
Fundraising
Wikimedia DC's fundraising strategy for the 2015–16 fiscal year will continue to rely significantly on substantial grants from the Wikimedia Foundation, likely through the Project and Event Grants (PEG) program or a successor program yet to be determined. However, Wikimedia DC aims to reduce its dependence on a single funding vehicle over the course of the fiscal year, with a target of 20% non-WMF funding, not including funding related to third-party fiscal sponsorships.
We will continue to seek and cultivate private sources of funding. Of particular strategic interest are recurring monthly or annual donations from members solicited as part of the membership renewal process; we will aim to establish a minimum of 100 recurring donations with a total annual value of no less than $2,000, by the end of the fiscal year.
Staffing
Wikimedia DC's staffing approach for the 2015–16 fiscal year will continue to rely primarily on volunteers, including a small group of core volunteers responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization and a larger pool of volunteers who will assist with specific programs and events.
Wikimedia DC sees a lack of effectively managed volunteer capacity as a critical challenge for the organization to overcome. We will establish a formal database of volunteers, including information regarding individual volunteers' interests, skills, and availability, and aim to utilize this database to. We will actively solicit volunteers through the communications methods described above, with a goal of having a minimum of 20 active volunteers over the course of the fiscal year.
In addition, we will establish new mechanisms for coordinating volunteer activity, matching available volunteers to specific programs and events, and tracking volunteer participation. To improve the latter, Wikimedia DC will provide increased recognition to volunteers in the form of awards, mentions in communications materials, and professional development opportunities.
Appendix: Institutional Partnership Scale
| Level | Description | Distinguishing Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| I | Exploratory Participation
The partner institution, or individuals at the institution, engages with Wikimedia DC to plan and execute individual, isolated Wikimedia-related activities. An institution at this level may have little understanding of what a partnership with the Wikimedia movement entails, and will typically require significant hands-on support from Wikimedians in order to successfully execute a Wikimedia-related activity or event. The institution will typically prefer to plan events based on external factors, such as anniversaries, commemorations, or public holidays. |
(a) Participation is largely episodic, consisting of isolated Wikimedia-related events or activities which are planned at random or in conjunction with external events. An institution whose participation is sustained over a period of time should be assessed at the next level. |
| II | Collaborative Participation
The partner institution, or individuals at the institution, engage in a sustained, long-term program of Wikimedia-related activities, characterized by programs and events which are planned and executed in close collaboration with Wikimedia DC. An institution at this level has developed an understanding of and experience with planning and executing Wikimedia-related activities and events, and has begun to allocate internal resources to support such activities. However, the institution's desire and/or ability to independently plan Wikimedia-related activities is limited, and continued participation relies on proactive planning by Wikimedians outside the institution. An institution at this level may support ongoing, resource-intensive programs, such as bulk digitization or content donations, if adequate Wikimedian support can be provided. It is unlikely to engage in such programs if they are to be accomplished principally using the institution's own resources. |
(a) Participation is sustained over a period of time, taking the form of multiple, regularly scheduled events or ongoing Wikimedia-related programs. An institution whose participation is largely episodic or opportunistic should be assessed at the previous level.
(b) Participation is motivated principally by the activity of Wikimedians external to the institution, who plan Wikimedia-related activities for the institution and are fully or partially responsible for executing those plans. An institution that independently plans and executes Wikimedia-related activities should be assessed at the next level. |
| III | Independent Participation
The partner institution, or individuals at the institution, engage in a sustained, long-term program of Wikimedia-related activities, characterized by independently planned and executed programs and events with limited support from Wikimedia DC. An institution at this level understands and sees significant value in its partnership with the Wikimedia movement, and is willing to commit non-trivial resources to supporting this partnership. Decision-makers at the institution are able and willing to independently plan and execute Wikimedia-related activities with limited hands-on Wikimedian support, and will continue to plan such activities even in the absence of any urging from Wikimedians to do so. An institution at this level may begin dedicate staff (either existing internal staff or newly hired Wikipedians-in-Residence) to supporting Wikimedia-related activities. |
(a) Participation is principally motivated by decision-makers at the institution, with little or no action from Wikimedians required to sustain program momentum. An institution that requires significant Wikimedian involvement in order to plan and execute Wikimedia-related activities should be assessed at the previous level.
(b) Participation is principally the result of support from individual decision-makers at the institution rather than a deliberate institutional strategy. An institution which has made a strategic commitment to partnership with Wikimedia should be assessed at the next level. |
| IV | Championing Participation
The partner institution has made a strategic commitment to partnership with Wikimedia DC and the Wikimedia movement. This commitment is made at the highest levels of leadership within the institution, applies to the institution as a whole, and encompasses a significant duration of planned activity. The leadership of the institution advocates on behalf of the Wikimedia movement within its sector, encouraging other institutions to engage in Wikimedia partnerships. An institution at this level devotes significant internal resources, including staff and funding, to supporting Wikimedia-related activities across multiple independent programs and/or organizational units. |
(a) Institutional participation is the result of a deliberate decision at the institution's highest levels of leadership, and applies across the entire breadth of the institution. An institution whose participation is driven by support from individual decision-makers, but which has not made an institutional decision to partner with Wikimedia, should be assessed at the previous level. |