Grants talk:PEG/Wiki Loves Monuments international team/2015 coordination

A decision has been made on this grant. Comments are still welcome on this page.

GAC members who support this request

1. based on the WLM track record I support this request --DerekvG (talk) 18:52, 6 September 2015 (UTC)

GAC members who abstain from voting/comment

1. I am the submitter, so I cannot vote my own proposal. --Ilario (talk) 13:15, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

Additional points

Hi all, I am reporting now the problem of the delay of this request. I know to have submitted it very late and I would ask to accept my apologies.

There was a request which was sent within the international team several months ago to investigate the possibility to have a member to lead the team for WLM 2015 and also to submit the grant's request but there was no reply. In addition there were some "technical" problems about important tools like the migration of the erfgoedbot. Recently these technical points have been solved and the start of the international contest has been switched in a more "workable" state. For this reason the international team started later and I offered my own help to manage the grant's request. The setup of a new international team has been a request generated by the needs of the local teams, even if too late. They already planned their local contest but there was a problem to coordinate them with all technical aspects before the start. For instance not all of them have the expertise/rights to configure the campaigns and the centralnotice. --Ilario (talk) 13:28, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

Change of the start date

Dear all, I changed the start date putting the 1st October. The grant must cover the costs of the second phase, which will start at the end of the event. Naturally the sooner is the better because if the grant is approved the international team can work to the second phase with a different approach. --Ilario (talk) 09:14, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

Rush or not rush request?

The request is very similar to that of the 2014 which was done in the middle of September when the contest already started. The request of 2015 has been submitted two weeks before that of 2014. The similarities are connected with the phases that the two grants would finance: both are/were limited to the international contest. --Ilario (talk) 09:49, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

GAC comments

Comments MADe

Wow, this is a late grant request. Thanks for your clarification, @Ilario: why it was submitted so late.

I propose you to talk to the foundation directly. I might be easier for them to select, pay and send out the prices themselves. Easier then submittal and approval of a grant request, etc. MADe (talk) 20:40, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

Hi @MADe:, it's late but I gave my explanation.

Anyway the costs will cover the prizes for the jury and the second phase, the international jury will start to select pictures one month after the end of the contest, so the time is not too short (potentially the jury will start their work the 1st October) but the sooner the better because we cannot write the regulation of the jury if the grant is not approved.

I don't know if WMF can take care of the process of the jury, I contacted the grantmaking team before the opening of the grant and this scenario has not been considered.

I have considered the question that the grantmaking team cannot finance the expenses already done, but there are any, all work (which is already done) has been done using volunteering time or tools already developed. --Ilario (talk) 23:31, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

Community comments

1. What is the status of "Wiki Loves Monuments international team"? Is it a WMF-recognized user group? (My understanding is that) In 2013, the Dutch chapter was the recipient organisation for this WLM intl grant and the chapter took care of the fund administration. I don't know the information for 2014. It is important to make sure that proper financial/governance rules and regulations apply to the proposal. If the arrangement is changed from the previous year, more disclosure and rationale on the change may be needed. --Taweethaも (talk) 01:52, 29 August 2015 (UTC)

   It currently is not and has never been an WMF-recognized user group. In 2014 I believe the Israel chapter took care of the fund administration. The text had some improvements, the budget remained the same. Romaine (talk) 05:07, 29 August 2015 (UTC)

   Yes - Last year Isreali chapter and 2/3/4 years ago the Dutch one. So there is a key question who is the recipent of the grant this year? Ilaro will receive on his private account? Maybe Wikimedia Italy? Polimerek (talk) 21:55, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

   Hi @Polimerek: and @Taweetham:, as usual the grant is assigned to the international team as group. As soon the international team will get the grant approved, they will define a fiscal sponsor. I already contacted potential fiscal sponsors. This is what happened in the 2014 and in the 2013. --Ilario (talk) 23:35, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

Tony1

This is generally supportable.

However, a few issues:

1. A priority is stated as "increasing quality". Does this include the quality of images? If so, how will that be achieved?
2. "The project itself doesn't have big risks except the organizational one and the lack of coordination among several local teams." That sounds like a big risk. What strategy do you have for minimising this risk?

Thanks and pleased to see your involvement, Romaine and Ilario. Tony (talk) 10:00, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

1. Read here: Grants:PEG/Wiki_Loves_Monuments_international_team/2015_coordination#Impact
2. More communication, and communication directly to local teams on key moments. Romaine (talk) 16:36, 8 September 2015 (UTC)

WMF comments

Hi Ilario and Romaine. Thank you for taking the initiative to organize the international component of WLM and submitting a grant request. From the endorsements, it sounds like this team is already doing a lot to support a smooth contest -- thank you! We have a few questions below and look forward to your responses:

1. We are quite frustrated that this proposal and planning is again coming in so late and we realize this is not the fault of you two specifically. It will be great to figure out a better process for future years. I see that one of the activities listed in the grant is to "build a permanent team to manage WLM at the international level in the future". Do you already have ideas about how to do this or leads for who would be on this team?
2. Have you read the challenges from last year’s group?
3. Do you have any leads on a fiscal sponsor for this grant? Having WMIL's support was very important last year for a number of reasons, especially considering the tight timeframe.
4. There are a lot of responsibilities listed under the Project Goals for the team. Please let us know who else is on the international team and what capacity the team has to deliver on all of these.
5. Please confirm which of the activities listed have already been done in preparation for the contest (if useful, you can just add "done" next to those activities).
6. One of the measures of success is "better documentation is available for all the important parts of organizing a Wiki Loves Monuments". What specifically is the team hoping to improve, by when, who will do this work, and how/where will it be shared?
7. Last year there were no gifts for the jury (or for Wiki Loves Earth 2015). Is there a reason why this has been added this year?
8. The amount for contingency funds should be up to 10% of the total budget.

Please let me know if you have questions. Again, thanks for your efforts in pulling this together last minute! Alex Wang (WMF) (talk) 01:18, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

Answers

1. My frustrations are large on this issue as well, so we can completely agree on that. In essence what is missing is someone who can lead the international team to get the contest to happen. Nobody picked up the lead, and my task in this matter is already heavy I can't add that task to it (Romaine). We know it and we agree but the international team is created in volunteering basis, the problem is that the event is becoming important and crucial for a lot of countries while the team remains still an unknown state before the start because the volunteers feel to have an important responsibility. The people helping this year can take in charge the "investigation" to setup a permanent team and to follow several options to do it. There are several scenarios to be investigated (Ilario).
2. I have read it yes (Romaine). Me too but several aspects have already been solved. The technical support and the local teams coordination is not a big challenge this year because we are experienced on that (Romaine and I can create campaign and modify the centralnotice). At the moment the big challenge, non indicated here is the possibility to give a continuity (Ilario).
3. Not yet but we are waiting the answers, I have sent four requests and waiting for an answer (Ilario).
4. The specific goals: 1. Done, 2. first half done, second half is worked on and needs to be ready with 1 November, 3. Done, 4. Done, 5. Done for 95%, last two pages will be done soon, 6. currently worked on. The technical on-wiki infrastructure is not something that can be split and be done by multiple people as it is all integrated in each other (Romaine).
5. See below
6. In general that local organizers are better informed about the process and what is expected from them. More documentation that makes it easier to build up the local contest (Romaine).
7. To motivate people to help in the organization. There are some volunteers developing and maintaining tools, for instance, who will receive only a big thank you, the nice idea of this year is to give them a small gift and the request to continue to "support" WLM
8. There are no contingency funds added to the budget table. The budget item what is referred to is to make sure costs of local teams can be covered if there is a problem, as it is important for the participants of the contest that the contest can continue in any case (Romaine).

Romaine (talk) 03:47, 6 September 2015 (UTC)

--Ilario (talk) 07:42, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

List of ToDos

5. As suggested:

General Coordination:

• Update the international rules - Done
• Update the documentation of best practices - Done
• Prepare communication material such as press releases that can be used and/or built upon by national organizations - Not done (due lack of time as result of a certain issue)
• Monitor statistics - Doing...
• Set up clear timeline - Done
• Request a grant to cover costs - Done

Project Management:

• Report on the use of budget at the end of the program - in future
• Maintain communication with relevant staff at Wikimedia Foundation - Done/ Doing...
• Collect measures and data to be reported at the end of the program - is future

Technical coordination:

• Helping the setup and maintenance of the technical infrastructure for uploading - Done
• Helping the setup and maintenance of the centralnotice - Done
• Guide the creation and the use of the monitoring tools - Done
• Help to recover tools and to communicate the use to the local communities - Done/is future
• Maintain the website - Done
• Set up a smooth technical guideline for technical aspects - Done
• Helping the setup of a jury tool - is future

Communication:

• Update wikilovesmonuments.org with the necessary information - Done
• Update social media channels - Done
• Dissemination of the results of the international jury - is future
• Maintain communication with international partners (if applicable)

Following & helping national organizations:

• Give specific suggestions and support to national organizers (mostly online) - Done
• Collect & answer questions of the national teams - Done
• Crisis management for national contests - Done

Set up & run the international contest:

• Set up jury processes - is future
• Find suitable jury members for the international jury - Doing...
• Collect results of national competitions - is future
• Support the jury in their process - is future
• Provide & distribute international prizes, awards and diplomas - is future

Follow up:

• Build a permanent team to manage WLM at international level in future - is future
• Define the competencies of this team in order to reduce risks (connected with the undefined timeline to set a new team every year) - is future
• Plan a better management of the centralnotice used by WLM to avoid overlapping with those of other projects/programs/teams - I hope this will come in future

Romaine (talk) 03:47, 6 September 2015 (UTC)

Request of an extension

Hi, I would ask for an extension because we are during Christmas time and the delivery of the prizes is difficult in connection also with the closure of the offices.

The jury has selected the winners, I have received all data (except for some of the winners) and the main tasks of the projects have been done.

At the moment only two activities to do:

• Giving the prizes
• Submit the survey to the organizers

I would ask to extend it until 31th January 2016 (28 days) also to have time to submit the survey to the organizers.

Kind regards

--Ilario (talk) 10:45, 23 December 2015 (UTC)

Hi Ilario, your request for extension is approved. --KHarold (WMF) (talk) 18:52, 5 January 2016 (UTC)