2012 Five Year Plan/Fourth draft

This page is kept as an archival reference.If you want to raise a point about it, please start a discussion thread on the community forum.

Welcome Wikipedians.

This is version four of our draft five year PLAN.

i.e. a route map for where we might be going over the next five years. The Vision, mission and values were established by the board over a year

The plan is divided into different sections to try and make it simpler to get our brains around. There are of course significant grey areas where items overlap.

I have sought to take on board the comments made so far and integrate them into a document that people can comment on section by section on the Discussion page.

This contains very few SMART targets - these arrive at the level below. So to continue the route map metaphor, we need to know where we are going but not the exact speed we travel at, the number of stops we take or the exact route.

I do not expect universal acceptance or applause and I am sure there will be the usual range of opinions.

If you have read this far - thanks. This is not the end of the process, we will be able to revisit it each year!

The next step is for you all to have a look and comment at which point I will be taking version five to the board on July the 1st.

Intro

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PROPOSED TEXT

This is the fourth version of our draft five year plan. It has come a long way since its earlier 'straw poll' versions and benefited from the contributions of many in the community. At the AGM others added ideas either through post-its or to me in person. As I said some ideas are contradictory and others pull in different directions. This is meant to offer a blend of the best with a flexible structure that can take us round the bumps in the road but also allow us to seize on opportunities.

Please use the discussion pages to make your feelings known.

I would like to bring a version to the first meeting of the new board on Sunday July 1st.

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Vision

Free knowledge for all

Mission

Wikimedia UK’s mission is to help people and organisations build and preserve open knowledge to share and use freely.

Values and principles

• To value the contribution of volunteers
• To encourage, involve and engage volunteers
• To recognise that the contribution of volunteers is central to the activity of the organisation
• To be transparent and open
• To promote the value of free and open licences
• To have respectful and professional working relationships internally and externally
• To promote an open approach to learning and knowledge
• To promote the cultural and linguistic diversity of communities within the UK by encouraging their contributions.

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The plan

I have taken Version two, Tango's alternatives and other comments and reformatted them into four sections that offer common aspects. Naturally there are overlaps between these headings. In each section I have described the ambition, added some illustrative detail and offered some targets that we might be measuring ourselves against.

Programmes and activities

GLAM work

We will work with a large range of Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums and other similar organisations to bring the heritage and knowledge that they hold into the public domain. These organisations will include large national galleries and museums, national archives and local museums and specialist centres.

One year target

• All existing partnerships are delivering work of a high quality, and are providing quantitative feedback.
• All local GLAM activities are supported by staff with good attendances attracting new volunteers and partners, where that support is requested.

Three year target

• WMUK is a trusted partner to over 50% of the major national institutions, and is gaining recognition for our work through their trade organisations.
• At least 20 local GLAM partnerships are taking place each year, and these partnerships are involving a broadening range of GLAM partners.

Five year target

• We are working with at least 20 GLAM institutions, and those partnerships are generating income (either directly or indirectly) to support more projects.
• An extensive programme of local GLAM activities is undertaken with dedicated staff support and and a well-developed volunteer base.

Working with Higher Education

Working with universities to build partnerships to promote open access and knowledge.

One year target

• Deliver a successful annual conference and be working with five institutions.
• Delivering at least one WIR within a UK institution.
• To be working with at least five UK universities, including tailored merchandise and support to attract this group.
• Discussion of education outreach posts started for inclusion in 2013-14 budget
• To be establishing working relationships directly with the student community through Wikimedia societies, Campus Ambassadors and Freshers Fairs.

Three year target

• A group of outreach education workers now appointed and present in regions.
• Campus Ambassador programme expanding annually and targeting courses where benefits most immediate.
• The National conference has grown and we are working with 15 institutions. International partnerships are building.
• Wikimedia UK is present at the majority major national education conferences as stallholders and keynote presentaters.
• Extend the WIR programme to involve several UK institutions while attracting matching funding to expand programme.
• A national annual wiki student event possibly as part of annual conference.
• Editing Wikis becoming integrated into some university curricula in line with US practice.

Five year target

• WMUK, in partnership with the sector, offers a range of conferences and training while working with up to 50 UK institutions and their umbrella organisations.
• WIRs working in a wide range of UK academic institutions with accreditation and deep involvement in curriculum activities. WIRs working in collaboration to share good practice.
• Campus Ambassadors becoming standard in majority of UK universities. Some appointed through sabbatical posts.

Other education projects

Training the trainers

Using the resources of the WMUK volunteer base to develop a core of editors able to deliver high-quality training to a range of people from newbies to subject experts

One year target

• 30 trainers have been created through a planned graded and supported programme. They are working throughout the UK to support would be editors.

Three year target

• At least 100 trainers are available throughout the country able to offer a broad range of training from newbie sessions to specialist professional training in partner organisations.

Five year target

• An established training programme from beginner to expert is available throughout the UK.

Working with the rest of the education sector

One year target

• Build relationships with education sector with a view to promoting strategies in school to support use of wikis.
• Adult education (AE) establishments offering editing tuition in partnership with WMUK.

Three year target

• To be a catalyst for the incorporation of wikis into national education working in partnership with relevant bodies.
• Widespread use of AE institutes and other bodies such as Workers Educational Association to deliver editing training.
• Coherent material available to encourage the use of Wikis in the classroom with the support of education institutions.

Five year target

• WIR's working in a wide range of UK institutions with accreditation and deep involvement in curriculum activities. WIR's establishing cooperation and shared working practices.
• A dedicated member of staff working with non-university education sector.
• An annual conference for 11+ education professionals.
• Editing training seen as a core part of AE IT curriculum.

Technical Innovation

Developing software and technical solutions to extend our work

One year target

• Mass upload tools have been developed in cooperation with other chapters to allow at least one major archive collection to be uploaded to Commons.
• The community is encouraged to find software solutions that support the work of the Wikimedia Foundation, WMUK and its community. New ideas are being considered e.g. feedback tools, mobile phone editing apps, comparative literature applications.

Three year target

• The mass upload system is being used by at least 10 worldwide organisations per year.
• A programme of digitization is in place working with a range of significant archives, which is linked with a significant mass upload project related with each organisation.
• The WMUK community is working closely with other chapters to find shared solutions to problems especially in the context of supporting newer Wikimedia communities. e.g. online video editing and subtitling.

Five year target

• A significant number of organisations are mass uploading their archives to Wikimedia Commons via the mass upload tool.
• The programme is well established with open source solutions leading to a significant increase in the collective intellectual wealth of the nation.
• The WMUK community is often leading in creating solutions to problems and contributing at a significant level to the development of our work in low income countries.

Members and Volunteers.

It is crucial to the good health of Wikimedia UK and our movement that through an increase in active volunteers we build the editor base and its diversity.

Membership

We will grow and nurture our membership community to ensure that they continue to play a vital role in the oversight and activities of the chapter. We will endeavour to ensure that as many of our members are active, rather than passive, members, and that they come from a diverse range of backgrounds and fully represent the Wikimedia community, partner organisations, and other stakeholders. Our main metrics here are the overall number of members, the number of members participating in votes and elections, and the results of membership surveys.

One year target

• To have continued the current growth rate and have 600 members by February 2013.
• To have developed a members benefit package that follows charity commission guidance to ensure that membership fees are still eligible for gift aid
• To have developed and implement strategies to target women and minority groups.
• To have initiated our first membership survey.

Three year target

• To have 1000 members
• To have established regional groups and special interest uses
• To have achieved (90%?) membership satisfaction on key metrics

Five year target

• To have 2000 members
• To have quarterly member's meetings to actively debate the topics and issues that are most important to WMUK's activities.

Membership communications

Creating regular and informative methods of informing our membership and supporters about our activities.

One year target

• A full evaluation of the current means of communications has been carried out and their efficiency has been measured and analysed.
• Redundant channels have been removed and successful channels reinforced through greater variety and a more timely approach to the publication of information.
• The monthly reports have been effectively utilised to correspond with existing supporters and members
• Regular localised emails are being sent drawing attention to events and activities.
• The WMUK wiki is being routinely and effectively utilized for corresponding with members, potential members and members of the wider community.

Three year target

• The WMUK wiki has been established and is being actively utilitzed to solicit input and feedback on WMUK's work
• In-person members' fora are held at least every six months.

Five year target

• All activities are being planned, implemented and analysed publicly via the WMUK wiki
• Members feel complete ownership of WMUK with regular member meetings taking place throughout the UK and offer feedback that has influence on activities.

Wikimeets

Wikimeets are an important part of the UK Wikimedia community, bringing together local Wikimedians to talk about on-wiki activities, off-wiki projects and to generally socialise and get to know each other. Wikimeets are managed and run by the local community. Wikimedia UK can provide support and encouragement for these meetups.

One year target

• WMUK is providing support for all current local Wikimeets, either by providing Wikimedia merchandise or financial support as requested, unless those wikimeets do not want support.
• WMUK has seeded new wikimeets in at least 2 new locations.

Three year target

• There are regular Wikimeets established in all major regions and the four countries of the UK.
• WMUK is ensuring that all Community members that are setting up Wikimeets are offered support.

Five year target

• Wikimeets are taking place on a regular basis within 20 miles of 90% of the population.
• WMUK is providing support for Wikimeets that are in need of that support, and is actively providing support for wikimeets in regions that are not self-sufficient.

Volunteer support

Practical ways that members and volunteers can be supported in their Wiki related activities.

One year target

• We will have a volunteer involvement and engagement strategy documented, and develop metrics to measure organisational impact and value for volunteer time.
• Regular training activities are offered at a variety of locations.
• Useful equipment is available for use by the Wikimedia community via the office.
• Macro- and Micro-grants are well advertised for volunteer activities.
• The community determines new ranges of activities to develop WMUK's mission.

Three year target

• Our volunteer involvement and engagement strategy and related metrics are reviewed and benchmarked against appropriate best practice
• An extensive training programme is on offer with a wide variety of topics.
• The pool of equipment is easily accessible and available as a range of geographical locations
• An increasingly diverse range of activities is created to develop new areas of volunteering.
• Increasingly innovative ranges of activities are created to broaden community reach and develop new areas of volunteering.
• The grants programme is expanded in real terms within budget to offer a full range of support with community decision making at its centre.

Five year target

• A respected programme of training has been established with recognised development paths for participants.
• The pool of equipment is significant and allows for small and large scale projects.
• Programmes of volunteer-led activities firmly established and being seen as good practice by wider Wikimedia community. International co-operation flourishes.
• The grants programme is significant and administered by representatives of the community.

WikiConference UK

The Wikimedia UK Annual Conference and AGM has established itself as an attractive annual event that is well attended by existing WMUK members and a wide variety of supporting individuals and organisations.

One year target

• At least 150 members and supporters attend the annual conference - either in person or remotely.
• That the conference offers a wide range of speakers, workshops and activities.
• That the conference either offers multiple tracks, or takes place over multiple days.

Three year target

• At least 250 members and supporters attend the annual conference - either in person or remotely.
• That the conference covers a weekend with multiple tracks, and offers a wider range of speakers, workshops and activities. External guests are attracted.
• That media attention increases.

Five year target

• At least 450 members and supporters attend the annual conference - either in person or remotely.
• That the conference covers a weekend and attracts many external guests from the UK and overseas.
• Gains substantial media attention.

Management and governance

The Wikimedia UK Board

WMUK's governance, oversight and strategic direction is led by the Trustees of the charity. We will endeavour to have the strongest possible trustee board that represents and implements the views of the membership, has a wide range of backgrounds and abilities and is stable over the span of multiple years to ensure continuity. We will ensure that the Board is as transparent as possible, with a minimum of in-camera discussion, and that it meets in a variety of locations to encourage community involvement in board meetings.

One year target

• All trustees have received training in their role as a charity trustee.
• That each meeting of the board includes an opportunities for feedback from the membership and wider community.
• That two-year terms are providing sufficient stability for the chapter to operate flawlessly over the course of the AGM and the bringing-up-to-speed of new trustees
• That all trustees have a comprehensive understanding of WMUK's projects and activities

Three year target

• All trustees have developed specialist roles within the board and gained the appropriate expertise.
• That the community are familiar with the board and its operations and feel able to contribute to significant debates.
• That there is a three-year term in place for Trustees.
• That there is a comprehensive support network in place for trustees.

Five year target

• The trustees are professionally qualified for the roles that they are undertaking.
• That the board has the full confidence of the community and competition for places is intense.
• That the WMUK board sets the standard for chapter boards and influences others.

Governance benchmarking

Using PQASSO, an external moderation tool to determine the quality of WMUK's systems and structures.

One year target

• To have achieved level 1 and to have largely achieved level 2.

Three year target

• To have achieved level 2 and have used external moderation to validate our judgements, and have adopted those element of level 3 appropriate to a charity of our size.
• To have also achieved the equivalent standards of other governance benchmarks.

Five year target

• To have maintained level 3 unless the elements of that qualification are not suitable to WMUK's activities.
• To have also achieved the equivalent standards of other governance benchmarks.

Staff and office functions

WMUK has a core staff and permanent office in order to support its programme of activities and development.

One year target

• The office offers value for money with core staff who develop the work of the volunteers and community.
• The office is seen as a welcoming place for visitors with dedicated user space, and a secure base for training, meetings and other community activities.
• The community are familiar with the staff and their roles and see then as an integral part of WMUK.

Three year target

• The office has only expanded to meet identifiable demands and the needs of the community.
• The office offers enhanced facilities to the community with a wide range of facilities.
• Staff are not necessarily based in London but regional and other UK nation opportunities are considered.
• That staffing offers the flexibility to embrace a variety of working patterns especially those that would encourage community members to apply for positions.

Five year target

• There will be bases for WMUK operations outside London, especially in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and other large centres of population.
• There will be friendly drop-in and socialising facilities available to enhance the role of the community and their opportunities to participate in the work and aims of WMUK.
• We will consider ownership of own premises if economic.

Publications and merchandising

The use of items such as t-shirts and annual reports to promote the work of WMUK externally and reward volunteer activists and support community involvement

One year target

• The offer of branded goods is made to those undertaking WMUK activities.
• The community is encouraged to determine design and types of goods available.
• All publications are coherent and well produced and available through wikis and in other appropriate formats.
• There is significant community input to all publications.

Three year target

• The range of goods available has expanded with a reputation for quality and innovation.
• There is an integrated strategy for our publications whether through web, paper or other media.

Five year target

• WMUK merchandise is prized and seen as of exceptional quality and imagination.
• Our publications are seen as equivalent to the best in the Wikimedia community worldwide.

External relations

How WMUK relates to external partners

UK organisations

Working to extend the influence of WMUK and its aims

One year target

• Become involved in contributing to external policy review e.g. Hargreaves
• Have built good relationships with sympathetic UK organisations.

Three year target

• Be a key 'go-to' policy source for Whitehall and Westminster. Have close contacts with senior policy makers and have gained their trust through a rigorous evidence-based approach.
• Be working closely with sympathetic UK organisations on areas of common policy to gain more leverage for our aims. To have gained their trust.

Five year target

• Be an essential and trusted part of any official consultations on areas of concern to us. Be one of the most trusted points of contact for policy discussions.
• To be central to UK and European policy groups.

Expert Outreach

Building on-the-ground relationships with expert associations and organisations from science and the humanities.

One year target

• WMUK is building good relations with approaching 25 scholarly societies with at least one joint event every month. Guest articles pointing to this cooperation and its benefits appear regularly.

Three year target

• In contact with all major societies supporting some to develop programmes of training and co-operation with others doing this independently.
• Specialist sector conferences being held e.g. health information.
• Several monthly events throughout year.

Five year target

• A growing understanding of the benefits of working with wikis and the way it complements and supports the dissemination of research and archives.
• Joint publications appear regularly.
• WMUK is represented at major UK and some international conferences.

Press and media

We aim to have comprehensive contacts with both national and local media organisations, with those organisations consistently approaching us with any story involving Wikimedia in the UK, actively seeking our input on significant matters of interest, and favourably reporting on the Wikimedia projects with a minimum of inaccuracies. We aim to have Wikimedia community members representing the projects wherever possible, with WMUK staff being available for interview as a fallback measure.

One year target

• To have built close relationships with all national media organisations, and for them to be contacting WMUK on a regular basis as stories related to the Wikimedia projects are covered.
• To have at least 5 Wikimedia community members trained in media relations, and responding regularly to press enquiries.

Three year target

• To be in a situation of being trusted for comment and input by all national, and a significant number of local, media organisations.
• For those organisations to fully understand what WMUK and the Wikimedia projects do, and to be accurately reporting on all relevant activities.
• To ensure that there is significant media coverage of a Wikimedia project on a national basis each month.
• To ensure that there is a sufficiently-sized group of community members trained in responding to media enquiries, and consistently engaging with the media with the minimum of missteps.
• To ensure that all leaders of significant Wikimedia UK projects are media trained and involved with the above point.

Five year target

• To be the trusted point of contact for mass media in all matters related to a free and open internet, access to information for all, and freely licensed knowledge
• To be having regular briefing meetings with most senior media partners.
• For Wikimedia UK-trained spokespersons for all Wikimedia and WMUK projects to be featured regularly on a wide range of media outlets

The PR industry

WMUK aims to foster a working relationship between the PR industry and the Wikimedia community. This is not a trivial issue, given that the PR industry typically has COI issues that they need to account for and focus their activities to avoid, and that the Wikimedia community has experienced the worst that the PR industry has to offer and needs to build a relationship of trust and accountability with the PR industry in order to co-operate in the future.

One year target

• To work with the PR trade bodies to develop codes of good practice for the industry with regard to Wikipedia.
• To offer training events that bring together the PR industry with Wikimedia community members, and ensure that the community supports the involvement of the PR industry on the development of Wikimedia's content.
• To support training is offered based on good practice guidelines.

Three year target

• To monitor the code of practice and pick up on breaches.
• To have supported the international development of the code of practice.

Five year target

• That the issue of inappropriate PR editing has ceased to be a problem in the UK.

International Links

Working to build international links with organisations within the movement and outside.

One year target

• Foster an ethos of thinking internationally in our aims and programmes.
• Continue to build a trusting relationship with the Foundation and other chapters.
• Become leading activists in the international movement

Three year target

• Be a leading voice in the international community offering policy initiatives and delivering innovation
• Be supporting international activities that support wiki initiatives in low income countries.
• To have hosted at least one international wiki conference.

Five year target

• To be respected and trusted internationally throughout the chapters and with the Foundation from our work and our willingness to share experience and resources.
• To have gained a reputation for supporting growing wiki movements especially in low-income countries.

Finances

Fundraising

Wikimedia UK is a young and rapidly growing charity. At the moment, we are reliant almost entirely on the WMF annual fundraiser for our operating funds. We do not consider this to be a sustainable situation, since it involves a significant concentration of risk. We therefore need to diversify our revenue. Currently, our financial planning involves an annual budget, which includes a small reserve for contingencies during and after that year. We fundraise to meet that budget with very little thought more than one year ahead. To ensure financial stability, we need a longer term outlook with our finances. The introduction of recurring donations, via direct debits, at the last fundraiser was a good first step in that direction, but we need to go further.

One year target

• To have a fundraising target of at least £1.5m (representing a conservative 50% growth), subject to negotiation with the Wikimedia Foundation in light of the global Wikimedia fundraiser total
• To have no more than 85% of our revenue coming from the WMF annual fundraiser (excluding recurring donations set up during WMF annual fundraisers), or any other single source
• Review the long-term performance of the recurring donations from the 2011 fundraiser and define a target for the proportion of income from recurring income.
• To provide donors with a comprehensive annual plan available for how the funds will be expended

Three year target

• To continue to raise growing sums from Wikimedia fundraiser in line with, or exceeding, the global fundraiser growth
• To have no more than 70% of our revenue coming from the WMF annual fundraiser, or any other single source
• To provide donors with a comprehensive annual plan available for how the funds will be expended, and to have quantifiable evidence of WMUK's ability to expend funds according to plan.

Five year target

• For our core committed expenditures to be financially independent of the annual fundraiser.
• To provide donors with a comprehensive annual plan available for how the funds will be expended, and to have quantifiable evidence of WMUK's ability to expend funds according to plan.

Financial management

We aim to have a comprehensive financial management process. This includes the relevant financial controls, a robust reserve policy and a comprehensive investment policy for both reserves and yearly project funds.

One year target

• To maintain state-of-the-art financial controls and reporting.
• To have a reserve sufficient to cover 6 months of full spending beyond the next financial year
• To ensure a prudent risk-averse programme of investment of long term reserves.

Three year target

• To maintain a minimum reserve that would ensure the majority of activities continued.
• To maintain and regularly review a prudent risk-averse programme of investment of long term reserves.
• To have a reserve sufficient to cover one year of full spending beyond the next financial year

Five year target

• To use the income prudently in line with community priorities.
• To maintain and regularly review a prudent risk-averse programme of investment of long term reserves possibly involving endowment funds.
• To have started an endowment fund with invest returns equal to at least 5% of our annual budget.

Reporting and Accountability

We aim to be as open and transparent as possible with all of our financial activities. We will publicly report expenditure as it happens, be fully accountable for that expenditure (including our accounts being fully audited to the highest quality level possible), and to actively respond to any enquiry about our financial situation, transactions and projections.

One year target

• Our financial systems will be transparent and understandable by our community
• We will be frequency publishing our financial transactions as and when possible, following our financial policy
• We will receive a clear audit from our auditors that does not identify any significant issues with our financial expenditure or controls

Three year target

• Our financial systems are robust and are sufficient to cover 99.9% of our financial transactions without issue.
• We are publishing our financial transactions publicly as they take place, and are responding to all enquiries within 3 days of them being sent to us.
• Our financial audit will take place in a smoothly and timely manner, with a minimum of minor questions and issues being raised with our financial processes.
• Our audit will be completed in time for the accounts to be approved by our members at the AGM.

Five year target

• Our financial systems are robust and are covering all of our financial transactions.
• We are publishing our financial transactions publicly as they take place, and are responding to all enquiries within 3 days of them being sent to us.
• Our financial audit will take place in a smoothly and timely manner, with a no questions and issues being raised with our financial processes.
• Our audit will be completed in time for the accounts to be approved by our members at the AGM.