Affiliations Committee/Call for Candidates 2014

Dear all,

The Affiliations Committee, the committee that is responsible for guiding volunteers in establishing Chapters, User Groups and Thematic Organizations and approving them when they are ready is looking for new members.

The main focus of AffCom is to guide groups of volunteers in forming affiliates. We make sure that the groups are large enough to be viable (and advise them on how to get bigger), review bylaws for compliance with the requirements and best practices, and advise the Board of the Wikimedia Foundation on issues connected to Chapters, Thematic Organizations and User Groups.

This requires communication with volunteers all over the world, negotiating skills and cultural sensitivity and the ability to understand legal texts. We try to get a healthy mix of different skill sets in our members.

Key skills/experience that we are looking for in candidate members, are typically:

• Excitement by the challenge of helping to empower groups of volunteers worldwide
• Willingness to process applications through a set, perhaps bureaucratic process
• Readiness to participate in (movement roles) political discussions on the role and future of affiliates, models of affiliations, and similar questions
• 5 hours per week availability, and the time to participate in a monthly ~2-hour phone meeting
• International orientation
• Very good communication skills in English
• Ability to work and communicate with other cultures, languages and cultures
• Strong understanding of the structure and work of affiliates and the WMF
• Knowledge of different legal systems, experience in community building and organising is a plus
• Communication skills in other languages are a major plus
• Experience with or in an active affiliate is a major plus

In 2012 new types of affiliation affiliations were introduced and the role of the Committee has increased in guiding through volunteers towards affiliation models that empower them to further our mission, and making sure these models meet the needs of the volunteers and the movement. We are looking for new people to help, who are not afraid of the workload and are motivated by helping other volunteers come together forming communities that further our mission around the world.

Members are usually selected every 12 months for staggered two-year terms. The applications will be voted on by the current members not seeking re-election, taking into account comments put forward by the committee's members, advisers, WMF staff and board liaisons, based on the above membership criteria. A final decision will be made by the end of the year, with new members expected to join on or around 1 January 2014.

If you are interested, You can send your applications with your full name, contact data (e-mail address, wiki username), relevant experience and motivation letter to our vice-chair Carlos Colina at jewbaskwikimedia.org.ve by 5 December 2013. You will get a confirmation that your application came through.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me. We are happy to chat or have a phone call with anyone about our work, if this helps them decide to apply.

Please distribute this call among your networks, and do apply if you are interested.

Best regards, Bence Damokos Chair, Affiliations Committee