Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2023/Final Report

Conference Fund Final Report

Report Status: Under review

Due date: 15 November 2023

Funding program: Conference Fund

Report type: Final

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General information

Title of proposal: Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2023
Username of applicant: Mehman
Name of organization: N/A
Amount awarded: 129143
Amount spent: 127792.2 USD, 339927 GEL

Part 1: Understanding your work

1. Did your event have any impact that you did not expect, positive or negative?

The annual conference, which has been held in the region for 11 years, has a positive impact on the development of regional affiliations and gives impetus to the development of regional communities. At the same time, the CEE Hub began to work in the region actively; the conference allowed representatives of regional affiliations and communities to become more closely and in detail familiar with the work of the Hub and also allowed everyone to contribute to the development of the regional Hub.

The conference also provided an opportunity for participants to gain insight into the knowledge and experience of others working on Wikimedia projects, as well as in such topics as advocacy, education, glam, etc. Also, all interested parties could share their knowledge and experience with others through reports, lectures, workshops, etc. From the survey of conference participants, it can be understood that they gained new skills after the conference.

At the same time, all 100% of the conference participants surveyed indicated that they were able to establish new contacts during the conference, which is an absolutely positive achievement of the conference this year.

2. What do you think will be the long term impact of this conference?

The Wikimedia CEE Conference is a platform for constant interaction between the affiliation and communities of the CEE region and every year, the function and significance of the annual meeting in the development of the Wikimedia Movement both globally and at the regional level increases. After the creation of the CEE Hub, the importance of the annual meeting has increased since, at this meeting, a development plan for the Hub is being developed, and a road map is being developed. Also, at this meeting, the annual strategic plan for the Hub is adopted.

At the CEE meeting, knowledge and experience are exchanged between conference participants, delegates, communities, etc. Representatives of communities and affiliations also received a lot of technical and educational knowledge, and according to their feedback, they plan to share the acquired knowledge with their colleagues in the community and develop new projects to implement the acquired knowledge.

The meetings also included sessions on the implementation of the recommendations of the movement strategy and on digital security in Wikimedia spaces. This will contribute to implementing movement strategy initiatives in the region and raising awareness of communities in the region. This will increase the region's involvement in global discussions about Wikimedia.

Also, for two years now, this conference has been attended by representatives of Central Asian communities, which provides an incentive for developing the Wikimedia Movement in this region. With the help of this conference and through the mediation of the region's affiliations, we think the Central Asian region will be more active within the global Wikimedia movement.

3. Would you say that your work improved participants’ ability to apply new skills and knowledge?

Yes

3a. If yes, please describe how and why you think this was successful. Please describe why you think this is the case.

1. This conference was attended by the maximum number of participants (compared to previous conferences), and we had delegates from almost all affiliations and communities in the region. Thus, the entire region was involved in a common cause towards developing the Movement and Wikimedia projects.

2. CEE Hub has adopted an annual strategic plan for next year. This happened after long consultations and discussions with all communities and affiliations in the region. This plan will help develop the regional Hub and involve the region’s communities in implementing the regional Movement Strategy.

3. CEE Hub selected new members to the Hub Steering Committee, and now there are representatives from different communities in the region.

4. The conference participants made new connections. They received a lot of technical and educational knowledge and will apply it in their work on the development of local projects and communities.

4. Please use this space to upload media and other files that help tell your story and impact. You can also provide links to them.

Field to type in URLs.

1. Commons Category: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2023

2. Here you can find photos by day from the conferences: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2023_by_day

3. Impact story: https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/11/05/wikimedians-from-cee-region-connected-to-learn-in-tbilisi/

5. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with the support of this Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals.

Our efforts during the Fund period have helped to...
A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups
B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community	Agree
C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups
D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives	Agree
E. Encourage the retention of editors	Neither agree nor disagree
F. Encourage the retention of organizers	Agree

6. Please share resources that would be useful to share with other Wikimedia organizations so that they can learn from, adapt or build upon your work. For instance, guides, training material, presentations, work processes, or any other material the team has created to document and transfer knowledge about your work and can be useful for others. Please share any specific resources that you are creating, adapting/contextualizing in ways that are unique to your context (i.e. training material).

Upload Documents and Files

Here is an additional field to type in URLs.

1. More visual resources: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2023_visual_resources

2. Branding materials: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2023_branding_materials

7. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your efforts helped to bring in participants and/or build out content, particularly for underrepresented groups?

1. This year, we invited and more actively encouraged communities in the region to send delegates to the conference. These communities do not have formal affiliations and remain on the periphery of our movement. With this, we wanted to spread our knowledge and experience to underrepresented groups in our region.

2. This year, at least two communities took part in the conference for the first time (Tajiks and Aromanians).

Part 2: Your main learning

8. Were there any major challenges or things you found difficult that you would like to share? What would you do differently next time?

1. Despite active communication with communities and affiliations to register or submit submissions for sessions, some communities and affiliations could not register for the conference or submit applications on time. Therefore, correcting the situation in an emergency was necessary, which caused excess expenses on processes (for example, on tickets). Next time, we need to be more flexible and start the process earlier while setting specific dates for affiliations and communities and not giving latecomers additional benefits.

2. Unfortunately, due to various factors (COVID-19, etc.), there were changes in the program in the last days and days of the conference, which caused delays. To no longer depend on a more strict schedule, we need to make the program more flexible, which can be adapted to emergencies. For example, we can add a program for spare sessions, and when some sessions are canceled, we can put them into the main program.

3. The Internet communications infrastructure needs to be better prepared. Unfortunately, with many event participants, sometimes the Internet connection cannot overcome the load, and the connection is interrupted.

9. Was there any non-financial support that the Wikimedia Foundation could have provided that would have better supported you in achieving your goals?

1. This year, the Wikimedia Foundation sent the largest number of employees to the conference, representing different departments and areas of work of the WMF. This greatly helped the conference participants from different communities and affiliations communicate directly with Foundation representatives. This positively affects the connection between volunteers and those who make and implement decisions related to the Wikimedia Movement. In addition, the foundation staff shared useful tips and experiences with the community, which will help local communities develop.

2. The Foundation also helped us, as organizers, develop useful documents for holding a safe and inclusive event in the region. With the help of the Foundation, Wikimedia Georgia developed Safety Guidelines for Participants in the CEE Meeting.

10. What would you recommend on a local and/or regional level as the best next step to leverage your success and momentum?

1. In the future of the CEE region, we think that the active work of the CEE Hub after the conference will play an important role in the region's development. Increased connectivity and the provision and exchange of resources between communities should be encouraged.

2. Closer connections between communities and affiliations of the region among themselves, as well as with the Wikimedia Foundation, can play a positive role in the region’s participation in global initiatives and in implementing the recommendations of the movement’s strategy. The conference plays an important role in establishing such connections.

3. Also, there is a need to contact the region's communities and take an interest in their progress. Local communities should be helped and encouraged to take more active action by providing experience and knowledge when necessary.

11. Please add any 3 operational recommendations for future events organizers.

1. Make the program more flexible so it can easily change some sessions at the last minute.

2. More communication with the community and delegates.

3. Prepare better infrastructure (Internet etc.).

Part 3: Metrics

12. Open Metrics reporting

In your application, you defined some open metrics and targets (goals). You will see a table like the one below with your metric in the title and the target you set in your proposal automatically filled in.

Open Metrics Summary
Open Metrics	Description	Target	Results	Comments	Methodology
Number of Participants	We expect at least 150 members from different affiliations and communities + local members.	150	141	Total number of participants (not including organizers and volunteers). Unfortunately, due to Covid and other factors, some were unable to attend the conference.	WMGE internal data
Number of Submissions	Based on the number of previous conferences, we expect approximately 70 submissions for the program.	70	76	The number of applications exceeded our expectations.	Meta-Wiki data (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2023_submissions)
Feedback from participants	The number of feedback we expect from participants, which will help us analyze our event during preparing a report.	50	44	We have almost received the number of feedbacks we expected.	WMGE internal data (Google survey)
Partner Involvement	We are expecting 10 representatives from the Wikimedia UG Georgia Partner Organization	10	11	We have received the expected number of participants.	WMGE internal data
Institutions	We expect the involvement of at least 4 Gov and non-Gov institutions of Georgia in our event.	4	4	Parliament of Georgia, National Broadcaster, Ilia State University, Tbilisi State University, etc.	WMGE internal data

13. Were there any metrics in your proposal that you could not collect or that you had to change?

No

13a. If you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results, please describe and add any recommendations on how to address them in the future. Also mention why you felt you had to change some metrics.

N/A

14. Here are the templates of registration and survey tools that the Wikimedia Foundation has developed so that you can use in your conference fund work.

1. Standard Registration Form, 2. Post-event participant survey

14a. Please share the result(s) with us, provide the link(s) or summarize the main result(s) and insight(s) from them.

The main conclusions from the survey of conference participants based on their responses are given on this page: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_CEE_Meeting_2023/Survey_results

14b. If you used other forms, please share them with us, as these forms might be useful for others to use.

Part 4: Financial reporting and compliance

15. & 16. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency.

339927 GEL

17. Please state the total amount spent in USD.

127792.2 USD

18. Please report the funds received and spending in the currency of your fund.

Upload a financial report file.

Please provide a link to your financial reporting document.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fCWmCwQz2Pv2s5rUm8OhtFUTk2f8Txf90FBOKPlQcro/edit?usp=sharing

As required in the fund agreement, please report any deviations from your fund proposal here. Note that, among other things, any changes must be consistent with our WMF mission, must be for charitable purposes as defined in the grant agreement, and must otherwise comply with the grant agreement.

19. If you have not already done so in your budget report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal.

N/A

20. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?

Yes

20a. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.

$1,351.00 — This amount remained unspent after paying all expenses for the conference.

20b. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?

B. Propose to use them to partially or fully fund a new/future grant request with PO approval

20c. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.

We want this amount to be deducted when transferring (after confirmation of the annual budget for 2024) the budget for the next year within the framework of the APG. Thus, technically, this amount will be returned to the Foundation.

21. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?

Yes

22. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?

Yes

23. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.

Yes

24. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here.