Project grants/Mobile phone

Basic information

Project details

Full project name

Mobile phone

Project start date (include month, day, and year)

ASAP

Project completion date (include month, day, and year)

Ongoing

Please describe the project in 1–2 sentences

I'd like a mobile phone so that I can be reachable for Wikimania and other WMUK activities, and s that I can have access to emails rom home.

Amount requested

These things seem to start at around £40 and increase exponentially. I'm certainly looking for something towards the lower end of the market. There may be reasonable deals available on contract. I'm open to discussion on the specifics

Project lead details

Are you an individual or an organisation?

Individual

Are you currently a member of Wikimedia UK?

Yes

Project lead name

HJ Mitchell

Project lead username or email

hjmitchell at ymail.com

Project lead title (position), if any

N/A

Project description

Please describe what the project will entail, in as much detail as you feel appropriate.

My current mobile phone is rapidly giving up the ghost (the battery barely lasts a few hours, it keeps switching itself of, and the battery completely flattens on any attempt to make a phone call; receiving calls is nigh impossible). I have no Internet connection at home as I am living with my grandmother for the time being, so I am only reachable and can only reach others through my grandmother's landline. Thus, I am unrechable electronically when at home, and unreachable by telephone when out of the house. Even this is not sustainable, as it interferes with my grandmother's ability to use the landline, and increases the phone bill. As the vast majority of my calls are related to the Wikimedia movement, and the majority of those are directly related to Wikimedia UK (the volume of which has significantly increased recently as I have been involved with volunteer recruitment and coordination for Wikimania, and is almost certain to increase further as Wikimania gets closer). Thus, I would like WMUK to cover (or help with) the cost of a smartphone. I need something that is capable of accessing emails (as well as making and receiving calls, obviously), and ideally capable of using Skype and tethering to a laptop.

Goals and measures of success

Project goal

Please briefly describe what will be accomplished if the project is successful.

Project goal

N/A (not really a project per se)

Measures of success

Please provide a list of measurable criteria that will be used to determine how successful the project is. You will need to report on the success of the project according to these measures after the project is completed.

Measures of success

I don't know about anything measurable. I will be more reachable, which will mean I can make a greater contribution to WMUK,and better able to liaise with other volunteers; this will be especially important in the run-up to Wikimania

Budget and resources

Project budget breakdown

As above, these things seem to start at about £40 and go up from there.

Non-financial assistance requested

I'd prefer the phone be purchased and any other arrangements made through the office.

Impact and benefits

How will this project support Wikimedia UK's Outcomes, charitable objects and vision, values and mission?

By enabling me to keep in better touch with goings-on within Wikimedia UK and with other Wikimedians and WMUK volunteers, especially as regards Wikimania, and thus to enhance my own ability to contribute to those objects and to better encourage others to contribute.

Discussions

Comment from Chris McKenna

As someone who is working closely with Harry in relation to my job delivering Wikimania and who has also worked closely with him on various volunteer tasks, I think making Harry more reachable is something that will benefit Wikimedia UK significantly.

Phones come in two flavours - contract and pay as you go, with no companies apparently interested in short term business contracts. I am not an account, but it might be simpler for accounting purposes to give Harry a grant to cover the cost of a PAYG handset, SIM card and an initial amount of credit, and then cover ongoing costs of top-ups as expenses minus any personal calls (e.g. if Harry topped up £40 and spent £5 on personal use of the phone he would claim £35 in expenses). My guess is that this would also simplify matters should the charity (for whatever reason) wish to stop supporting him in this manner (there would be no contracts to transfer/cancel). Harry, would this be OK for you?

I would also suggest that if this grant is accepted that Harry publicise the number as a contact point for meetups he attends - a forum unrelated to Wikimedia I am involved with finds this very useful for reassuring people they are in the right place or who don't feel comfortable searching around a venue for people they may or may not recognise, I have done this with my work phone for the Portsmouth meetup in a fortnight (and would have done for today's Leeds meet had I thought of it before just now). Chris McKenna (WMUK) (talk) 18:44, 14 June 2014 (BST)

Agree with the sentiment here. Harry is a valuable, and very much valued, Wikimedian. He does a lot of excellent work, not only supporting the chapter but supporting other volunteers. Anything we can do to support Harry in his endeavours, I think we should do if we can. Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 19:59, 14 June 2014 (BST)

I would hope that we can be flexible enough to provide active and effective volunteers with a little help here and there as needed. Here, the need seems evident, and I would support this application. --MichaelMaggs (talk) 23:12, 14 June 2014 (BST)

Given Harry's work with Wikimania, and the fact that he runs so many other events for us, this is something that I would support as Office Manager. It's difficult to get in touch with Harry sometimes (through no fault of his own) and clearly, getting him a phone would make it easier for everyone involved. Richard Symonds (WMUK) (talk) 23:21, 14 June 2014 (BST)

Giffgaff offers quite good SIM only deals. For example, for £12, you can get 250 minutes, unlimited texts, and unlimited data. The best bit is that it's PAYG so there's no monthly commitment. It's probably sensible to also provide Harry with one of these things too on a month-by-month basis. --Deskana (talk) 02:47, 15 June 2014 (BST)

Comment from CT Cooper

I'm happy to support the principle of this request, and while we will need to agree something specific at some point, the current costs I'm reading seem fine to me. I don't know the ins and outs of the industry well enough to make specific suggestions. However, it is my general feeling also that PAYG is the way to go, with expenses claimed on an ongoing basis; from what I know, monthly contracts often aren't worth it unless usage rates are very high. CT Cooper · talk 12:42, 15 June 2014 (BST)

Grant application form

I've taken note you didn't like the form. I didn't design it but I recognize that creating a one-size-fits-all one is difficult. It is okay to ignore the parts that are irrelevant. CT Cooper · talk 12:45, 15 June 2014 (BST)

It's a simplified version based on the one the WMF used for its PEG grants application. -- Katie Chan (WMUK) (talk) 14:41, 15 June 2014 (BST)

I would leave it for now, but we can always make modifications as needed at a later date. CT Cooper · talk 17:32, 16 June 2014 (BST)

The grants process was simplified not so long ago, so if there are still concerns about applications then it'd be good to know them. If this conversation could happen on the Engine room that'd be best. Cheers Sjgknight (talk) 20:42, 16 June 2014 (BST)

Note from the office

Thank you Harry for your application. I have formally notified the Grants Committee for any extra comments. I hope to get back to you on this application soon. -- Katie Chan (WMUK) (talk) 17:29, 16 June 2014 (BST)

Comments from Simon

Happy to support this, think the detail should be sorted between Harry and the office. Whether we go contract or PayG the two models are that 1) we purchase a phone which we 'loan' to you (it's not a bad idea to have volunteer phones in fact), or 2) we give you a one off grant to cover a phone and some use. I think the office is likely to be best placed to explore options here and may have an existing commercial provider who could offer some sort of deal. Thanks Harry! Sjgknight (talk) 20:42, 16 June 2014 (BST)

Approval

This grant application has been approved. As with other grants supplying equipment of some form, the phone will remain the property of WMUK. Top-ups will be reimbursed appropriately. We will review after Wikimania and then on an ongoing basis whether the phone may be re-purposed for some other use or remain with Harry, whatever serve the charity best. -- Katie Chan (WMUK) (talk) 15:41, 22 June 2014 (BST)