Talk:Art+Feminism User Group/Planning/Staffing2019

Comments on 2019 staffing plan

I am writing to express support for this staffing plan. I considered the following factors:

1. The ability of Art+Feminism as a project to effectively use the staff described here
2. The extent to which A+F has responsibly used paid staff in the past
3. The overall impact of A+F programming in the Wikimedia world, as compared to the relative impact of funding spent on other Wikimedia projects
4. The frequency with which A+F projects engage in activities which staff must do, as compared to tasks for which there is a history of volunteer execution
5. The disruption in the Wikimedia environment which would result from the cessation of the A+F status quo
6. My intuition about the outsized influence of A+F, beyond its measurable results, for its reputation due to media prominence, age, and history of reporting

The projected salary range of US$60-75,000 is below market value for what I expect would be the suitable candidate. I have no hesitation to say that if A+F's board can make a hiring decision on someone in this compensation range, then pay in this amount should be beyond controversy for being very modest. I recognize that the candidate might be hired without respect to a location, and that pay ranges vary by location, but overall with much A+F activity happening in urban environments I anticipate a salary range compatible with urban expenses. I see that A+F says that this is budgeting on the high end. I have seen A+F projects in New York City, and the previous director was in Chicago, and in both of those places en:Glassdoor reports that a librarian makes about $60k/year at a university. Many wiki jobs get compared to library jobs. For this role, additional duties include being director of an international nonprofit organization which definitely gets a lot of media coverage, so a higher salary is warranted. Whatever the case - the salary seems fine to me.

The program hourly rates make sense in the context of a paid staff director. I also see the director role as magnifying the impact of the other positions while also lowering their costs, because centralized leadership in A+F has a history of resulting in coordination among multi-site programs. If there were not an executive director, then I imagine trying to run the campaign only with a series of contractors would be more expensive overall and less effective. The combination of a central lead with supporting workers seems best.

Web development - fine, yes, this what it costs and the previously the website was a portal to recruiting and documenting a huge number of in-kind venue and staffing donations to the A+F program. The WMF grants team in the past has sponsored events at organizations, where A+F has been able to recruit organizations to document their own events. The synergy between the A+F website and Wikimedia projects is high with each one encouraging content presentation on the other.

I have no significant criticism of anything here and wish for this conversation to advance. Blue Rasberry (talk) 18:48, 17 July 2019 (UTC)

My main suggestion is to add very clear minimum requirements--as in someone MUST have something specific to be considered. It helps to have minimum and preferred reqs outlined for candidates to consider and point to and it will also help in the evaluation process. --Amandameeks (talk) 18:22, 22 July 2019 (UTC)

I am in strong support of this plan! As a Regional Organizer, I feel A+F will benefit from the additions and clarifications of defined roles. I believe it will streamline communication and organization, and give folks enough bandwidth to get everything accomplished. Having a designated web person would be incredibly beneficial, since everyone communicates and works through these various sites, apps, and extensions. --MarieInternette (talk) 20:52, 22 July 2019 (UTC)

Thank you all for this support and helpful feedback. @Amandameeks: thank you for that essential observation; we made those specific changes to the ED requirements. You can see the diff here: [1]. We will do the same with the others as we move forward with the other positions afterwards. --Theredproject (talk) 13:15, 24 July 2019 (UTC)

I support this vision. As local organizer in Italy on behalf of WikiDonne UG, I know that people dedicated is the best response to a better campaign. I cannot evaluate the salaries for these roles, but I know is a lot of work to do, and I'm sure you will hire the right people. What I want to say is that with the help of enthusiastic and competent people it will be much easier for everyone. --Camelia (talk) 16:39, 24 July 2019 (UTC)