Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Wikimedia Canada 2022-2024/Yearly Report (2023)
Report Status: Under review
Due date: 16 February 2024
Funding program: Wikimedia Community Fund
Report type: Yearly Learning Report (for multi-year fund recipients) , reporting year: 2023
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General information
[edit]This form is for organizations, groups, or individuals receiving multi-year Wikimedia Community Funds to report on their yearly results.
- Name of Organization: Wikimedia Canada
- Title of Proposal: Wikimedia Canada 2022-2024
Part 1 Understanding your work
[edit]1. Briefly describe how your proposed activities and strategies were implemented.
- 2023 was the second year of our strategic planning. The appointment of our first Executive Director in October 2022 enabled us to focus our efforts on professionalizing our structure in 2023. Consequently, we worked on adapting the governance, operational structure, and finances of Wikimedia Canada. Our main objective was to build a permanent operational team to support volunteers, with the aim of restructuring and optimizing processes, enhancing internal knowledge management, and implementing mechanisms for iteration, evaluation, and adaptation.
In addition to this work on our structure and governance, we also organized and participated in several activities: uploading images to Wikimedia Commons with the Atikamekw community, organizing the North American WikiConference in Toronto, and the #ArtLitt Wikithon on Franco-Canadian literary works, among others.
2. Were there any strategies or approaches that you felt were effective in achieving your goals?
- The establishment of mechanisms for iteration, evaluation, and adaptation is an important strategic approach to ensure the ongoing relevance of the organization's activities. By regularly assessing progress against strategic objectives and adjusting strategies accordingly, Wikimedia Canada can remain agile and responsive to changes in its environment. Therefore, we have created an action plan for the period from 2023 to 2025, in which we have outlined performance indicators. This tool enables us to measure the success of our endeavors. Thus, throughout the year, it was possible to evaluate whether we had achieved our objectives and, if not, to adjust accordingly to get back on track.
3. Would you say that your project had any innovations? Are there things that you did very differently than you have seen them done by others?
- Overall, Wikimedia Canada's project presents a combination of innovative initiatives aimed at advancing its mission while embracing diversity, fostering community collaboration, and enhancing organizational efficiency. These innovative approaches contribute to Wikimedia Canada's unique identity and position it as a leader within the Wikimedia movement. We draw inspiration from best practices elsewhere in the movement and strive to adapt them to our reality.
For example, the initiative with the Atikamekw community not only enriches Wikimedia platforms with valuable content but also fosters significant partnerships with Indigenous communities, thereby promoting their culture and knowledge globally. It is through such activities that we aim to engage with other Indigenous communities in Canada.
4. Please describe how different communities participated and/or were informed about your work.
- The WikiConference in Toronto was a significant momentum for us. It allowed us to maximize our visibility throughout the year 2023 and to forge new connections within the Canadian community. We continued our work with GLAM institutions and Canadian universities (organizing an edit-a-thon with the University of Ottawa, for example), and we are continuing our collaboration with the Atikamekw community.
5. Documentation of your impact. Please use the two spaces below to share files and links that help tell your story and impact. This can be documentation that shows your results through testimonies, videos, sound files, images (photos and infographics, etc.) social media posts, dashboards, etc.
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
- N/A
6. 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.
| A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Strongly agree |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Strongly agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Strongly agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Strongly agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Agree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Agree |
| G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement. | Strongly agree |
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?
- An example: we have extensively collaborated with the Canadian LGBT+ community alongside various stakeholders (such as the Archives gaies du Québec, the Humanities Data Lab at the University of Ottawa, the Edmonton Queer History Project, and the University of Alberta, among others). With these partners, we have organized, funded, or participated in editing days as well as training sessions.
Part 2: Your main learning
[edit]8. In your application, you outlined your learning priorities. What did you learn about these areas during this period?
- We are still dedicating a lot of time to professionalizing our structure. Among our learnings, much involves improving our governance. It's essential to learn how to effectively divide tasks and roles among the board of directors, the executive management, and the permanent staff.
Additionally, we are gaining valuable insights into time management. Prioritization and identifying the key areas we want to focus on are crucial, as it's easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tasks that need to be accomplished.
9. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities?
- Yes, several unexpected or surprising occurrences occurred during the implementation of our activities. For instance, we were pleasantly surprised by the extent of community participation and engagement during certain events we organized (for example, more than 50 participants to the Wikithon #ArtLitt for a complete day).
Additionally, we encountered unforeseen challenges when adapting some initiatives to our specific context, necessitating flexibility and adjustments to our approaches along the way. Sometimes, we lack resources to accomplish everything we have in mind. Additionally, the vastness of Canada presents a constant challenge as it limits our mobility, often making it difficult to establish connections and network in person, especially in more remote regions. Ultimately, these surprises allowed us to learn and improve, thereby enhancing our ability to respond effectively and creatively to the needs of our community.
10. How do you hope to use this learning? For instance, do you have any new priorities, ideas for activities, or goals for the future?
- Based on these learnings, we aim to reinforce community participation, leveraging successful events like the Wikithon #ArtLitt, which attracted over 50 participants. Flexibility and adaptability remain key priorities, recognizing the need for adjustments to address unforeseen challenges. Our future goals include measurable growth targets, such as increasing event participation and expanding our network across Canada. Allocating resources to support these objectives underscores our commitment to community development and organizational capacity-building. By integrating these insights into our strategic planning, we aim to enhance our ability to effectively address evolving community needs while working towards long-term growth and impact.
11. If you were sitting with a friend to tell them one thing about your work during this fund, what would it be (think of inspiring or fascinating moments, tough challenges, interesting anecdotes, or anything that feels important to you)?
- Having the opportunity to welcome the entire North American community to Toronto and thus create momentum for WMCA was extraordinary and definitely something we want to build on in the coming years. We saw the Canadian community come together and regain strength after the pandemic. As evidenced by several WikiClubs regaining activity since the event.
As one of our goals is to increase the number and diversity of free knowledge and contributors for all Wikimedia projects in Canada, we aim to support the development of local and thematic WikiClubs and promote collaboration and information exchange among WikiClubs and contributors in Canada. It's time to seize the opportunity to achieve this goal.
12. 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.
- N/A
Part 3: Metrics for Year 2
[edit]13a. Open and additional metrics data
| Open Metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Wikiclubs | Active WikiClubs | 15 | 10 | There is 10 active WikiClubs which is under our target. However, we have observed that the WikiConference in Toronto has contributed to the revitalization of WikiClubs. Additionally, for the past few weeks, we have had a program officer whose mandate is precisely to oversee the animation of this community. | N/A |
| Number of activities | Number of activities organized by Wikiclubs supported by the chapter | 15 | 8 | As WikiClubs are managed by volunteers with our support, it is challenging to determine the exact number of activities organized by them. Based on our analysis, we estimate that around twenty activities were organized during 2023. Among these, notable events included edit-a-thons, training workshops, and participation in events such as Wiki Loves Folklore. | N/A |
| Number of Indigenous projects | N/A | 3 | 1 | We have begun our networking efforts with Canadian Indigenous communities and have also invited them to participate in the WikiConference in Toronto. However, currently, only the Atikamekw community is active. Once again, we are placing great emphasis on the arrival of our program manager to progress this initiative. We anticipate tangible results by the end of 2024. | N/A |
| Number of French language projects | N/A | 3 | 3 | We are collaborating with BAnQ (Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec) and the Cinémathèque Québécoise on various projects within the Canadian Francophonie. In addition to organizing the Wikithon #ArtLitt, we are also considering the return of Wiki workshops to the Grande Bibliothèque in Montreal. With the Cinémathèque, we are working on developing a Wiki toolkit on gender biases. Lastly, we are also collaborating with the Archives gaies du Québec for workshops with the LGBT+ community. | N/A |
| Number of members of the Collective of free knowledge | N/A | 20 | 0 | We have experienced delays in establishing this coordination table. However, we presented a panel during the "Journée des savoirs ouverts" in November 2023 in Montreal. This day specifically focused on open knowledge and enabled us to forge connections with other stakeholders in the field. A meeting is scheduled for March 2024 to begin developing a strategy for forming this collective. If all goes as planned, the announcement of the formation of the Collective is expected to take place next fall during the 2nd "Journée des savoirs ouverts". | N/A |
13b. Additional core metrics data.
| Core metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | N/A | 4000 | Once again, like in 2022, we didn't collect any data, in 2023, to measure Individuals who attend or benefit from the proposal’s activities, either in person (offline) or virtually (online).
Our intention for 2024 is to utilize measurement tools to obtain better indicators. |
||
| Number of editors | N/A | 2500 | Once again, like in 2022, we didn't collect any data, in 2023, to measure Individuals who attend or benefit from the proposal’s activities, either in person (offline) or virtually (online).
Our intention for 2024 is to utilize measurement tools to obtain better indicators. |
||
| Number of organizers | N/A | 65 | Once again, like in 2022, we didn't collect any data, in 2023, to measure Individuals who attend or benefit from the proposal’s activities, either in person (offline) or virtually (online).
Our intention for 2024 is to utilize measurement tools to obtain better indicators. |
| Wikimedia Project | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | New and improve articles | 600 | N/A | Once again, like in 2022, we didn't collect any data, in 2023, to measure Individuals who attend or benefit from the proposal’s activities, either in person (offline) or virtually (online).
Our intention for 2024 is to utilize measurement tools to obtain better indicators. |
N/A |
| Wikidata | New and improve items | 2000 | N/A | Once again, like in 2022, we didn't collect any data, in 2023, to measure Individuals who attend or benefit from the proposal’s activities, either in person (offline) or virtually (online).
Our intention for 2024 is to utilize measurement tools to obtain better indicators. |
N/A |
| Wikimedia Commons | New content | 1400 | N/A | Once again, like in 2022, we didn't collect any data, in 2023, to measure Individuals who attend or benefit from the proposal’s activities, either in person (offline) or virtually (online).
Our intention for 2024 is to utilize measurement tools to obtain better indicators. |
N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Once again, like in 2022, we didn't collect any data, in 2023, to measure Individuals who attend or benefit from the proposal’s activities, either in person (offline) or virtually (online).
Our intention for 2024 is to utilize measurement tools to obtain better indicators. |
N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Once again, like in 2022, we didn't collect any data, in 2023, to measure Individuals who attend or benefit from the proposal’s activities, either in person (offline) or virtually (online).
Our intention for 2024 is to utilize measurement tools to obtain better indicators. |
N/A |
14. Were there any metrics in your proposal that you could not collect or that you had to change?
- Yes
15. 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.
- We believe that the arrival of the program officer will assist us, on one hand, in identifying the numerous Canadian projects, and on the other hand, in measuring the associated metric data. Furthermore, as projects multiply, it will become increasingly challenging to measure results. Therefore, we are considering implementing a measurement tool to support us in this task.
In 2024, we are working on a survey to understand better our community.
16. Use this space to link or upload any additional documents that would be useful to understand your data collection (e.g., dashboards, surveys you have carried out, communications material, training material, etc).
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
- N/A
Part 4: Organizational capacities & partnerships
[edit]17. Organizational Capacity
| A. Financial capacity and management | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| B. Conflict management or transformation | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| C. Leadership (i.e growing in potential leaders, leadership that fit organizational needs and values) | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| D. Partnership building | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| E. Strategic planning | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| F. Program design, implementation, and management | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| G. Scoping and testing new approaches, innovation | This capacity is low, and we should prioritise developing it |
| H. Recruiting new contributors (volunteer) | This capacity is low, and we should prioritise developing it |
| I. Support and growth path for different types of contributors (volunteers) | This capacity is low, and we should prioritise developing it |
| J. Governance | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| K. Communications, marketing, and social media | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| L. Staffing - hiring, monitoring, supporting in the areas needed for program implementation and sustainability | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| M. On-wiki technical skills | This capacity is low, and we should prioritise developing it |
| N. Accessing and using data | This capacity is low, and we should prioritise developing it |
| O. Evaluating and learning from our work | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| P. Communicating and sharing what we learn with our peers and other stakeholders | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
17a. Which of the following factors most helped you to build capacities? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
- Formal training provided by a Wikimedia Movement organizing group (i.e., Affiliates, Grantees, Regional or Thematic Hub, etc.), Formal training provided from outside the Wikimedia Movement, Using capacity building/training resources onlinee from sources OUTSIDE the Wikimedia Movement
17b. Which of the following factors hindered your ability to build capacities? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
- Lack of knowledge of available capacity building opportunities, Lack of staff time to participate in capacity building/training, Lack of financial resources
18. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your organizational capacity has grown, and areas where you require support?
- The organizational capacity of Wikimedia Canada has grown significantly in 2023 with the implementation of the Strategic Transformation Plan, the hiring of our 2nd employee, and a continued improvement in governance standards, processes and policies of the chapter. The chapter is on the right path to continue this growth in 2024 and in the coming years with further capacity building.
19. Partnerships over the funding period.
| A. We built strategic partnerships with other institutions or groups that will help us grow in the medium term (3 year time frame) | Agree |
| B. The partnerships we built with other institutions or groups helped to bring in more contributors from underrepresented groups | Strongly agree |
| C. The partnerships we built with other institutions or groups helped to build out more content on underrepresented topics/groups | Strongly agree |
19a. Which of the following factors most helped you to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
- Permanent staff outreach, Staff hired through the fund, Partners proactive interest
19b. Which of the following factors hindered your ability to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
- Lack of staff to conduct outreach to new strategic partners, Lack of staff capacity to respond to partners interested in working with us, Limited funding period
20. Please share your learning about strategies to build partnerships with other institutions and groups and any other learning about working with partners?
- We believe that building relationships with Canadian institutions is one of our strengths. The arrival of the executive director has allowed us to solidify our network and expand it across Canada. As a result, we are in the process of establishing several agreements with institutions in Canada, including universities, archival centers, museums, etc., to support them in project implementation or collaborate with them on various programs. Many of these partners (or potential partners) attended and participated in the WikiConference in Toronto.
Part 5: Sense of belonging and collaboration
[edit]21. What would it mean for your organization to feel a sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement?
- Wikimedia Canada always maintained and continues to maintain a high sense of belonging to the Wikimedia movement and free knowledge movement in general.
The arrival of our executive director has allowed us to invest time and delve deeper into the movement's strategy by actively participating in discussions about the movement charter. Inside the Wikimedia movement, the chapter is highly involved in the Francophonie by being a key member of WikiFranca and by supporting the emerging community in Haiti. As we organized the WikiConference in Toronto, we also strengthened our ties with the North American community. Furthermore, we will also be involved in organizing the event in 2024, albeit on a much smaller scale.
22. How has your (for individual grantees) or your group/organization’s (for organizational grantees) sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement changed over the fund period?
- Somewhat increased
23. If you would like to, please share why it has changed in this way.
- As stated in the previous question, Wikimedia Canada always maintained and continues to maintain a high sense of belonging to the Wikimedia movement and free knowledge movement in general. This hasn’t changed significantly over the fund period, but continued to be increased through participation in collaborative efforts with other affiliates, for example the WikiConvention francophone and the WikiConference North America.
24. How has your group/organization’s sense of personal investment in the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement changed over the fund period?
- Somewhat increased
25. If you would like to, please share why it has changed in this way.
- See question #23
26. Are there other movements besides the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement that play a central role in your motivation to contribute to Wikimedia projects? (for example, Black Lives Matter, Feminist movement, Climate Justice, or other activism spaces) If so, please describe it below.
- One of the main goals of Wikimedia Canada is to increase free knowledge in particular about the Indigenous communities in Canada, as well as other underrepresented groups in order to increase the diversity of the knowledge from Canada on the Wikimedia projects.
Supporting Peer Learning and Collaboration
[edit]We are interested in better supporting peer learning and collaboration in the movement.
27. Have you shared these results with Wikimedia affiliates or community members?
- Partially
27a. Please describe how you have already shared them. Would you like to do more sharing, and if so how?
- As a member of WikiFranca, we're able to share our knowledge, our successes and our failures with the French-speaking community. For example, during the WikiConvention in Abidjan, we proposed three conferences on WMCA projects.
Our Executive Director is also a member of the Ed Group. This enables him to establish links with other executive director to share his knowledge and learnings. It's an excellent channel for us to exchange ideas with chapters from all over the world.
28. How often do you currently share what you have learned with other Wikimedia Foundation grantees, and learn from them?
- We do this occasionally (less than once a month)
29. How does your organization currently share mutual learning with other grantees?
- We are members of WikiFranca and actively collaborate in the creation of a North American hub. Our Executive Director is also a member of the Ed Group. These platforms provide valuable networking and exchange opportunities with other community members, both in Canada and worldwide. Additionally, we consider it important to participate in discussions related to the movement's charter, as it helps shape the direction and values of the broader community.
Part 6: Financial reporting and compliance
[edit]30. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency.
- 306838
31. Local currency type
- CAD
32. Please report the funds received and spending in the currency of your fund.
- Upload Documents, Templates, and Files.
- Report funds received and spent, if template not used.
- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Nzl8ol3CnR6tTN2wP4l2ZgfEelSEOPRZSxXUdpEiGU0/edit?usp=sharing
33. 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.
- No change
34. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?
34a. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.
- N/A
34b. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
- N/A
34c. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
- N/A
35. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?
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.
36. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
- Yes
37. 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
38. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here.