Chief Executive Report 2015-12-12

Board Meeting December 2015 Chief Executive's Report

Overview

This is my first Chief Executive’s Report for Wikimedia UK and as such it may end up being rather longer than subsequent reports! Firstly, I’d like to thank trustees for the very warm welcome to the charity that you’ve shown me - which has also been extended by the staff team and the wider Wikimedia movement including the volunteers and partners that I’ve met, and other country chapters. My observations over the past two months reflect my initial experience of the charity during the interview process, which is that everyone connected with the organisation is deeply committed to free knowledge and is excited about the potential for WMUK to achieve even greater impact in future.

At the meeting in September the board agreed a number of key priorities for the incoming Chief Executive, which were broadly about community engagement, team working, communications and fundraising. Whilst these are clearly long term issues to resolve, I have taken some initial steps towards addressing each of these, which are included in the relevant sections of this report. I thought it might also be helpful, during the meeting, to share with you orally some of my other observations and reflections on some of the key challenges for the charity going forward, based on my individual meetings with staff and trustees as well as other internal and external conversations. These will also, I’m sure, feed into our discussions at the board away day on Sunday.

Strategic and Business Planning

Wikimedia UK is now two years into a five year strategy for 2014 - 2019 which was developed by a small group of trustees and approved by the whole board at the start of 2014. Since the strategy was created there has been a staffing restructure, a large turnover of trustees, and in October 2015 I joined the charity as the new Chief Executive. Whilst the high level values and goals of the strategy are clearly still relevant, there is currently no business plan for WMUK and there is a sense amongst some stakeholders that the current strategic goals are very broad, and some of them are not currently achievable. With the annual board away day already scheduled to take place the day after my first board meeting in December it therefore seemed like a timely moment to undertake a strategic planning process, which I will lead.

The intention is not to completely rewrite the existing strategy, but to take this opportunity to review our direction of travel, and ensure that the board, staff team, volunteers, funders, partners and other stakeholders have a clear sense of what we are hoping to change over the next three years, and the programmes through which we aim to achieve this change. I am envisaging that there will be three main stages to the planning process, as follows:

Gathering and analysing information about our internal and external drivers Developing our strategic priorities and overall organisational strategy Drafting the new strategic framework and three year business plan Whilst I will lead on all three aspects of this work and the staff team will be involved at every level, my intention is that the board will primarily be involved in the second of these elements, which will be the focus of the December away day. It will also be important to enable WMUK volunteers, members and other stakeholders to feed into the strategic planning process in a way that is meaningful but which doesn’t lead to drafting by committee.

The outputs from this process will be:

• A clear, concise renewed strategic framework to 2019, which outlines our vision, mission, values, strategic aims, delivery objectives and planned outcomes
• A three year business plan which puts the strategy in context, articulating the external context and drivers, planned priorities, programmes and/or themes for the three year period and internal resources including staffing and funding.
• An activity plan which details our plans for the upcoming year (led by Daria)

Following the creation of the business plan, I will also develop the communications strategy for the charity, and the fundraising case for support. As the diversification of funding is so crucial over the next few years, the fundraising strategy itself will be developed alongside the business plan, with an early draft being presented at this board meeting.

Programmes Update

The programmes team has prepared its usual quarterly report for the board, which is a separate tabular document and focuses on our KPIs. Our new Programmes Assistant, Karla Marte, has been instrumental in preparing this report, working hard over the past few months to understand the various tools and approaches used and providing significant support to Daria in monitoring and reporting. We will consider the quarterly report card as part of the discussions at today’s meeting but I also wanted Daria to prepare a short narrative report - summarised below - to draw out some of the highlights of our programmes activity this quarter.

Overall the content delivery in quarter three has been good, whilst our performance in terms of volunteers has been more mixed, with quite high numbers but insufficient activity engagement. We are meeting our targets for advocacy and international relations, but not technology. In terms of content, our statistics for articles improved and bytes added are impressive, despite the anticipated reduction in the amount of new content generated due to decreased support for Wikipedia in the Classroom. This is mainly thanks to the Stub Contest grant supported by Richard and Karla, which could be considered our most successful content generation initiative this quarter. We haven’t had any mass uploads to note during the period, with residents focusing on releasing key content from their collections that could be prominently displayed on Wikimedia projects. For Q4, the programmes team is anticipating a steady flow of images and bytes through partnerships and grants, with several partners considering larger content donations (such as the National LIbrary of Wales), although they may not take place during the current financial year.

The Wikimedian in Residence programme continues, with Richard Nevell leading two exit interviews with projects that ended in Q3, extracting key learning points. The institutions are also working on impact reports that will be circulated to the board. There are two residencies which Daria is currently in the process of setting up, which are worth highlighting:

University of Edinburgh

The University started considering a Wikimedian in Residence project after hosting our EduWiki conference in 2014, followed by the Wikipedia Science Conference in 2015, which WMUK supported. Our partnership with Museums Galleries Scotland and the link with the National Library of Scotland was instrumental in supporting the early stages of the residency set-up, and demonstrates the way in which momentum seems to be gathering for this programme. Daria has been fully involved with the recruitment process for this the resident, with a very strong shortlist and a successful candidate selected who will be starting in December or January on a one year contract. The costs of the residency will be in the region of £25,000, depending on the final salary agreed. These are being fully met by the University and represents a significant gift in kind for WMUK.

Wellcome Library

We have been developing plans for a Wikimedian in Residence project at the Wellcome Library for several years, and have now jointly set up a WIR with the partnership agreement signed in October and recruitment scheduled for the new year. It is likely to be a six month project, depending on the chosen candidate (who will be appointed on a contractor basis). Again, the costs are being fully met by the Library and are likely to be £15,000 for the contractor fee plus an additional £8000 for events and other associated activities.

All three current WIR projects are due to finish during the first few months of 2016; however due to the success of these residencies, our partners are all seeking funding towards extending their individual residencies further:

• National Library of Wales - Stuart is working on funding applications, and has secured the Library’s agreement for them to match fund 50% of the costs
• Museums Galleries Scotland - waiting on the outcome of the Esmee Fairbairn application that WMUK supported
• Bodleian Libraries - waiting on the outcome of an internal ‘diversity fund’ application that WMUK supported

We have had some underspend within our Wikimedian in Residence programme which we are looking to transfer to staffing costs for residents, to enable us to support the continuation of these posts regardless of whether external funding has been secured by the start of next year. This has been factored into the financial forecast for quarter 4 and Daria and I will provide the rationale during the meeting.

Finally, in terms of programmes, I have had a lengthy conversation with Charles Matthew about the VLE, which has been ongoing for some years; and we are hoping to launch this platform early in 2016.

Staff and Board Update

I have had individual meetings with all staff members as part of my first few weeks in post, and have instigated regular monthly staff meetings and monthly SMT meetings with Daria and Davina (who have both been an invaluable resource for me as I learn about the organisation), as well as one-to-ones with my own reports. I have supported Daria as necessary in the probationary reviews for her new team, all of whom have now been or are about to be confirmed in post. D’Arcy and I are due to meet in early December to sign off Daria’s March 2015 review (drafted by her at the time but not discussed and agreed), and to review the first six or so months in the new post of Head of Programmes and Evaluation. As mentioned above, I have now had one-to-one meetings with almost every board member, which have proved hugely helpful to my understanding of the organisation’s history, the current situation and future aspirations.

Communications and Advocacy

Quarter three has been a relatively quiet one in terms of communications and advocacy, with the unplanned departure of the Head of External Relations in early September and no handover of his work to D’Arcy or me. I have a lunch meeting scheduled with Stevie for 14th December, which may be helpful in where I’m hoping to have some kind

WMUK is currently funding or part-funding two separate staff working in the field of advocacy, with Dimitar Dimitrov’s work focused on public policy and specifically EU legislation, while Rebecca Khan’s work has been on the open space coalition. I am in contact with Dimi and we are planning a half or full day workshop in January or February next year, to explore how we can develop our UK advocacy and public policy work most effectively. The idea is that this will essentially form the first meeting of an advocacy working group, and will be attended by key staff plus volunteers including our Chair Michael Maggs, Owen Blacker from OpenRightsGroup and James Heald from UCL. In the meantime, in the past month our Project Co-ordinator Stuart Prior attended a meeting in Brussels with Dimi and staff from other Wikimedia Chapters, and also went to a digital rights conference in Warsaw, so is keeping abreast of these issues at a European level.

I met with Bekka Khan in London in November, and she gave me an introduction to the work that she’s been doing and the wider open sector context. Bekka is due to bring this and other work commitments to an end by April 2016 at the latest in order to focus on completing her PhD, and we have currently committed to paying her for the remainder of this financial year. Given our budgeting constraints next year, this therefore feels like a timely moment to bring this project to a close in its current form, whilst still remaining committed to supporting the development of the open network. Daria and I plan to meet again with Bekka in the New Year to get her input into how we could take this work forward to some degree without the same level of resource.

In broader advocacy terms, I have arranged a meeting in January with Karen Brookfield, Deputy Director (Strategy) and Fiona Talbott (Head of Museums, Libraries and Archives) at Heritage Lottery Fund, to try to influence a change or relaxation of their existing guidelines, which currently advise the use of CC by-NC licenses in the digital projects that they fund.

I feel that our relationships within the wider movement are probably best accounted for within this section. I’m pleased to have already met a number of my colleagues in other Wikimedia Chapters, both as part of the regular (six-weekly) Executive Directors TELCo, and in person in Holland, where Daria and I attended the award ceremony for the Erasmus Prize (awarded to the Wikipedia community this year) and a meeting of international Wikimedia colleagues the following day. Our Project Co-ordinator Stuart Prior has also attended several European events where representatives from other chapters were present, reinforcing our international links and networks.

Funding and Fundraising

Clearly the diversification of income streams is a pressing issue for the organisation, but as highlighted above I believe there is some work to do before we are in a position to make the most of funding opportunities. I have drafted a strategy for consideration at this board meeting, which outlines my proposed delivery objectives for 2016/17, while between now and the next meeting I plan to:

• Finalise the funding strategy, according to feedback received at today’s meeting and by email/discussion following the meeting, with a view to completing this by the beginning of February for formal approval at the March board meeting
• Develop a draft case for support for WMUK, as outlined within the strategy
• Start researching potential funding prospects, and create an action plan accordingly

Volunteer Engagement

The programmes team has been considering new ways of engaging with volunteers, following the restructure and also feedback from the volunteer strategy days. The online information about grants has been updated to be more encouraging and accessible and Richard Nevell has written a report on how this aspect of our volunteer engagement is working:

The team has also been continuing to develop the training offered to volunteers, and in particular has been collaborating with Midas over the past few months on the creation of ‘training modules’, which will include lesson plans and materials that volunteers can use to deliver their own sessions. These will cover basic topics such as ‘how to edit Wikipedia?’, drawing on best practice that exists within our volunteer and trainer community. A workshop launching this programme was delivered in October, and the materials should be ready early in the new year.

Richard has taken a lead on making sure the programmes team are able to capture volunteering activities through the more effective use of CiviCRM. This will need continuous support, to ensure that all staff are engaging with the database, but should improve our metrics results. Having said that, we know we are not currently achieving the levels of volunteer activity that we were anticipating at the start of the year. With the programme team being largely new to volunteer engagement (and our systems of recording volunteer activity), it will take time to see the results of our work. The team will be focusing a lot of time and energy on volunteer engagement, which we are hoping will be fruitful. However we are unlikely to meet the activity unit targets for 2015-16, in part because a lack of major engagement events such as Wikimania and the Barclays editathon meant a steep drop in activity units. Additionally, we have become much more stringent in the way we count lead activity units, limiting them to instances where volunteers truly are leading on activities.

Coming up in the next few months, the team will be supporting volunteer engagement by:

• Sending out the newsletter (in December)
• Circulating the annual Volunteer skills and engagement survey (in January)
• Preparing Volunteer skills training (project management and volunteer engagement)
• Contacting our volunteer base to re-engage with us where possible, highlighting specific volunteer roles and opportunities

Committee Structure

Following feedback from the volunteer strategy gatherings in Birmingham last year and in London this year, the team has been considering the best way to move forward with the new approach to project planning and delivery, and the proposed new committee structure, which aims to put volunteers at the heart of our work. In my conversations with staff, trustees and volunteers over the past month it’s apparent that everyone would welcome clearer mechanisms for enabling volunteers to engage with the Chapter, but are mindful of the need to balance the needs and interests of volunteers with staff resources and capacity. Following conversations with staff and board, and taking into consideration the feedback from the strategy days, the proposed committee structure and delivery model for project planning is as follows:

Board of Trustees

Meetings held quarterly, attended by board members and the WMUK Senior Management Team (made up of the Chief Executive, Director of Finance and Operations and Head of Programmes and Evaluation). Volunteers are encouraged to attend board meetings as observers if they would like to, however some sessions may be held ‘in camera’.

Sub Committees

Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) and Governance Committee (GovCom) Meetings held quarterly, usually in the few weeks preceding the full board meeting. Membership is predominantly trustees but with invited non-board members who bring specific skills and expertise. Both meetings are attended by the Chief Executive, with the Director of Finance and Operations also attending ARC.

Partnerships Advisory Board

This is a new group, and will advise the WMUK staff team and board at a strategic level about partnership working. The group will have a particular focus on the education and GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) sectors, but with a broader remit to explore where there is the greatest potential for WMUK to deliver its strategy and achieve maximum reach and impact. In the first instance, this group will be made up of a smaller number of relevant board members, and will also be attended by the Chair, CEO and Head of Programmes and Evaluation. The CEO is responsible for convening and administering this group.

Evaluation Panel

This group builds on the previous Grants Committee but with a broader remit, which is essentially to agree project grants and approve programme activity at WMUK. This will include considering all proposed projects (that have not already been committed to in our business or activity plan) and agree the level of support and resources that can be provided by the Chapter. Projects can be initiated by an individual WMUK member, a group of volunteers who have formed a working group, a member of staff or an external organisation, who might approach us about a potential partnership or collaboration. To be considered, projects will need to be written up in the form of a short, simple proposal, using the template created by WMUK and developed through the volunteer strategy gatherings. The Head of Programmes and Evaluation is responsible for convening and administering this group, with the CEO and one trustee also being members - alongside several volunteers.

Working Groups

Working groups are made up of interested and knowledgeable volunteers who get together to work on specific areas of work in relation to WMUK. Working groups may undertake voluntary activities that forward the mission of the organisation with little or no support or input from the staff team, however there may be ideas for more substantial pieces of work that would benefit from the involvement of the programmes team or other staff, and for which funding is required; either from the charity’s core budget or from an external funding source.

The staff team at WMUK do not dictate what the working groups should be or who they should involve, however there are a number of key areas where working groups have been or are in the process of being established and in which WMUK staff are likely to be involved. These currently include Advocacy and Public Policy (being set up in the new year and involving Michael from the board plus me and some of the programmes team) and Education (being organised by Josie, the first meeting of which should hopefully take place in April 2016), with tentative plans for a working group on diversity.

Membership

There are currently around 200 members of WMUK, which feels very low given the potential reach of the charity, and the fact that there are thousands of British editors of Wikipedia. This low figure means that the income generated through membership, which costs only £5 a year, is minimal; and also represents a risk in terms of governance, given the voting rights of members. Membership obviously overlaps with both fundraising and volunteer engagement with WMUK, but I’ve addressed it separately in this report for clarity.

There are a number of areas to consider when looking at membership, which I have started to explore with input from Doug Taylor, who has been talking to members over the past months to gather their views. These are mainly around existing and potential membership benefits, how to retain current members, and crucially, how to recruit and retain new members.

There are few tangible benefits of WMUK membership, and the benefits that do exist - such as voting at elections and applying for a project grant - have a relatively limited take up. Informally, most members have a relationship with staff and trustees, with Doug in particular making an effort to meet and talk to as many members as he can in order to help represent this stakeholder group to the rest of the board. These conversations suggest that the key thing that existing members want is more and better communications with the charity. They want to know what’s going on and how they can engage with it, and they also need to know when their membership fee will fall due. These are relatively simple needs to address and could be helped by ensuring a Newsletter is written and circulated on a regular basis, and that a better system is put in place for reminding members of their annual subscription dates.

The people that Doug has spoken to about membership but who are not currently, or weren’t previously, members, are not generally interested in benefits, but would treat the £5 membership fee like a small donation because they think Wikimedia is a worthwhile cause. Wikimedia UK has very limited potential to offer tangible benefits and it is therefore my recommendation that we focus on the ‘charitable cause’ aspect in our communications to potential members.

Moving forward, we need to research how other membership organisations have been able to attract and retain a thriving membership and ensure that membership fees are set at an appropriate level. I think it’s very important to retain a low entry point to members, such as the current £5 a year membership rate, as it recognises that people who have time to give to projects don’t always have a high level of disposable income. The focus on this membership level should be on existing members and people who are, or who want to be, an active part of our volunteering community. However we should explore the potential for introducing a new level of membership, which is more in line with the amount our individual donors give us, for people whose primary engagement with the charity is likely to be through this donation. We could also look into converting our donors to members; although that wouldn’t necessarily increase the number of people who actually choose to vote at the AGM. We should also ensure that we are maximising the potential of the corporate membership, currently set at £100, with all partner organisations expected to become corporate members of WMUK as a statement of intent and commitment to our mission.

Clearly, this is an area that needs further exploration, and I will report back on this at the next board meeting. I have already had useful conversations with Doug and Nick Poole about membership but if any other trustees are particularly interested in this area of our work, please do let me know.

Key external meetings and events attended

• Visit to the Bodlean Libraries, meeting with Martin Poulter and Liz McCarthy
• Participation in Ada Lovelace image-a-thon
• Telephone meeting with Colin Hambrook, Editor of Disability Arts Online
• Meeting with Fabian, lead volunteer and former staff member
• ACEVO Parliamentary Reception
• Telephone meeting with Charles Matthews about the VLE
• Meeting with Brandfit consultancy
• Meeting with the Wellcome Trust (invited by Daria)
• Meeting with Bekka Khan, who manages the Open Space Coalition
• Meeting with Nicole Ebber, from Wikimedia Deutschland
• Development House presentation on potential new premises
• Chapters Telco
• Erasmus Prize Awards Ceremony, Reception and Dinner, Amsterdam
• Amsterdam wiki-meet
• Chapter Executive Directors meeting
• Oxford wiki-meet
• Phone call with Katy Love from the Wikimedia Foundation
• Development House Christmas Party!