Minutes 2024-03-14

Wikimedia UK board meeting

14th March 2024, 10 am - 12:30 pm (online)

MEETING MINUTES

Chair’s Welcome

Present, Apologies, and Introductions

Present: Monisha Shah (MS), Vivan Wineman (VW), Rod Ward (RW), Sangeet Bhullar (SB), Adrian Beidas (AB), Alex Ashby (AA), Daria Cybulska (DC), Lucy Crompton-Reid (LCR), Sharon Mitcheson (SM), Natasha Iles (NI), Sammy Tarling (ST), Sarvesh Ramachandran (SR), (remote) and Chuks Ogbonna (CO) (minutes).

Apologies: Caroline Ball (CB), Julian Manieson (JM), Mark Cruickshank (MC).

The Chair welcomed everyone to the first meeting of the year.

Declaration of interests: None

Review and Approval of minutes of the previous meeting Approved

Matters arising

MS asked about the office space and the update was that we are still following up with time frames and that there is slow progress at this time. LCR updated that we have been using the NCVO building at Kings Cross for recent meet-ups, she also updated that people are using co-working spaces where needed and are being supported.

CEO Report (LCR)

LCR gave the report, additionally acknowledging that NI is leaving WMUK next month and thanked her for her contributions over the years and wished her the best for the future, she also updated that the recruitment for the post is underway.

On the topic of Information Literacy and the Online Safety Bill, we said that we will recognise how Ofcom categorises and whether Wikipedia will be categorised as a “high-risk” platform. WMF is leading on the compliance and have received verbal assurance that Wikipedia will receive a low-risk category. LCR will continue to update the Board and it has been added as a risk on the Risk Register. .

MS suggested putting a paper together that will allow us to consider the risks and their implication to the charity

ACTION: LCR to put together a briefing document to mitigate risks to the board and bring it to the next meeting

Referencing International Movement, LCR said that WMUK has been recognised as exemplary with regards to governance and expertise.MS added that there might be things to add regarding policy and our frameworks
On the Information literacy, SB asked about the education project funding that we failed to receive and why we might have been unsuccessful with that. NI responded that they were enthusiastic about education but the feedback was that they wanted environmental projects which was frustrating as WMUK submitted a brief beforehand. . DC added that there are still plans to develop our education strategies going forward. NI also added that part of the work with the Fundraising consultants is the development of this area. MS asked if it’s possible to circulate the work WMUK is doing in education with the Board and NI said they are developing a 2-page case for support with the consultants which can be shared.
MS reflected on the work that Lucy Moore is doing for WMUK and that a formal Thank You should come from the board. LCR to share Lucy Moore’s email address with MS.
On the work with Full Fact, LCR added that we were looking to update pages to reflect current events through Editathons amongst other things, and also a chance for PR. AA praised the work with Full Fact and said that it is an amazing opportunity to gain exposure and collaborate.

ACTION: Write a note from the board to Lucy Moore. To appreciate her contributions to WMUK

Organisational Dashboard for (LCR)

The dashboard was taken as presented, and it was looking good overall. She said that we are just shy of the overall targets.

DC commented on the dashboard that last quarter we were short of targets and that the team worked very hard to get it to the targets.
AB commented that it looks great and LCR. He said that at the point of the next grand seeking round, should we increase these targets as we’re currently achieving these. DC responded that the team worked very hard to reach this so wouldn’t want to reach this far at the moment.
AA stressed that we have to have achievable targets and suggested that we maybe keep some of the targets internal.

Programmes Report (DC)

DC gave the report, and it was taken as read. The report included updates on programs team structure, Train the trainer, as well as her attendance at the WMF board meeting.

DC updated the board on the WMF board meeting. Online safety is at the front of their minds. Pillars and strategic themes and how they make Wikipedia more intergenerational. Nurturing editors is important and how to provide more micro volunteering opportunities. How to bring communities together. This is what WMUK is thinking about as well.
AB asked about the truth infrastructure of the internet and if this is something that WMF they’re realistically trying to do and what actions are being taken. DC suggested that she share something on this and LCR added that she is mentioning this a lot in her talks and emphasised how important WMUK work on knowledge equity is, with AI using Wikipedia more frequently.
SB suggested that this is also an opportunity here that we could take advantage of, in an age where more and more content is being created using AI.

Development and Communications Report (NI)

NI gave the report, she split the report based on major metrics, the report showed a healthy position overall.

Highlight was a really positive year in terms of income. Performance vs budget. NI acknowledged that this is a whole charity effort including the efforts made by Trustees on social media which shows a really strong performance.
There has been wonderful feedback from the storytelling facilitators on how engaged and enthusiastic the entire Wikimedia UK team are.
Re targets, media reach was surpassed. But in Q2 we were lagging behind. It’s important to be really engaged with it each quarter in order to make sure we can deliver by the end of the year.
There are some really fantastic opportunities over the next three months within the team. Animation, Paysuite (on CRM) which are really positive. NI will write a paper on this before she leaves so it’s not lost in translation.
MS asked for additional thoughts on Legacies and why there is such an increase in the last few months. NI said a few have been from people who donated previously (not necessarily regular givers)...but some not and thinks that it comes from really strong communications - press and talks from LCR.

Finance and Operations Report (SM)

SM gave the report and it was taken as read, she communicated that we have started working with our new Auditors Albert Goodman and discussing the Audit and Financials. She reported that the net savings from the office move stands at £11,169 and the work being carried out on all the policies and procedures and updates that are needed.

AA said that the he was happy with the net savings on the rent. He also offered his help with the audit whenever it is needed.
On the CRM, RW asked about how things are going at the moment and if the figures can justify the spend, SM answered that until full integration is done, we are not able to give a definite answer to that.