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Partnerships & Resource Development/Survey October 2015/Results

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Partnerships & Resource Development: Survey October 2015 Results

Please check also the questions of the survey.


In October 2015, the Partnerships & Resource Development group initiated a survey among Wikimedia organizations to learn how they are dealing with partnerships and external fundraising. 42 organizations (all Wikimedia chapters + Amical) were invited for the survey, 23 of them responded. The survey was open from October 16 until November 6, 2015 and focused on experiences, needs and further involvement around partnerships and external fundraising.

If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to email Cornelius Kibelka (WMDE), who supports this initiative as a follow-up of the Wikimedia Conference 2015.

Respondents
Amical Wikimedia
Wikimedia Argentina
Wikimedia Australia
Wikimedia Belgium
Wikimedia CH
Wikimedia Deutschland
Wikimedia District of Columbia
Wikimédia France
Wikimedia India
Wikimedia Indonesia
Wikimedia Israel
Wikimedia Italia
Wikimedia Mexico
Wikimedia Nederland
Wikimedia Norge
Wikimedia Österreich
Wikimedia Polska
Wikimedia Serbia
Wikimedia Sverige
Wikimedia UK
Wikimedia Ukraine
Wikimedia Venezuela
Wikimedia ZA

Fundraising

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Most of the respondents gain their funds via membership fees and WMF grants. Several organization have made experiences with grants from private institutions, as many try to diversify their funds. Wikimedia Sverige (WMSE) and Wikimedia Italia (WMIT) mentioned the opportunities of organizational/institutional memberships. The Ukrainian, the Argentinian and the Venezuelan chapter expressed their difficulties with external fundraising in their local context.

Among the mentioned challenges the organizations mentioned especially the difficulty to find appropriate funding opportunities and their own (missing) capacity to complete proposals and applications. Sustainibility is another mentioned issue.

Partnerships

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In terms of partnerships, all respondents have (or had) established partnerships to generate content for Wikimedia projects. Also partnerships that revolve around a specific project were mentioned several times. Wikimedia Serbia and Wikimedia Ukraine explained shortly their problems with partners who see Wikipedia (the project as well as the brand) as a marketing channel. Amical highlighted its mid-term strategy for partnerships that focuses on scaling and sustainability.

Similar to the fundraising question, respondents mentioned their own (organizational) capacities as a challenge for partnerships. Also, maintaining partnerships beyond one project seems to be an issue.

Involvement in the Wikimedia movement

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With regard to Wikimedia movement resources, many respondents either don't know them or don't use them. Some organizations mention certain contacts or other chapters. In answer to the question which ways of support organizations would appreciate the most to become more active and effective with fundraising and partnerships, most mentioned one-on-one support/mentoring as well as trainings. Trainings and sharing tools and grant applications were also mentioned as possibilities for further involvement.