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Building our shared future Recommendations for how we can achieve the Wikimedia 2030 vision

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In 2017, we set ourselves an ambitious goal: to become the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge by 2030. So how can we get there? Our Movement has analyzed, discussed, and distilled ideas for our future into recommendations for how to bring this vision to life. These outline how we can grow sustainably and inclusively. They introduce ways we can make the most of new opportunities and meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. And how we can strive for knowledge equity and knowledge as a service. So that everyone – those already within our Movement and anyone who wishes to join – can play an effective role in capturing, sharing, and enabling access to free knowledge.

1. Promote Sustainability and Resilience
2. Create Cultural Change for Inclusive Communities
3. Improve User Experience
4. Provide for Safety and Security
5. Ensure Equity in Decision-Making
6. Foster and Develop Distributed Leadership
7. Invest in Skills Development
8. Manage Internal Knowledge
9. Coordinate Across Stakeholders
10. Prioritize Topics for Impact
11. Innovate in Free Knowledge
12. Evaluate, Iterate, and Adapt
13. Plan Infrastructure Scalability

Get started

Wikimedia movement strategy recommendations presentation at WMF All-Hands 2020

On the following pages, you will find the first version of the movement strategy document, comprising 13 recommendations for change, principles that underlie them, and an outline of how these recommendations connect and are designed, as a whole, to help align with our strategic direction.

You can read this content in English, Arabic, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese, and Spanish. The English version also contains a longer “Principles” section and expanded “Why” and “How” sections for each recommendation, which offer additional rationale and context. Beyond this, it features links to more detailed sections on “Community Input” for each recommendation. These insights have come from across the Movement and were put forward in online discussions as well as offline at strategy salons around the world and at Wikimania.

The content of the recommendations is highly interdependent. To understand how the recommendations all connect, we suggest reading the narrative of change first. We encourage you to read each recommendation and review it from the perspective of your community or context. If you feel inclined, please post your thoughts on each recommendation’s talk page or in active forums within your language community. If you don't wish to post your thoughts in a public forum, you can email your feedback on the recommendations to the Core Team via this address: strategy2030@wikimedia.org. To gain a deeper understanding of ideas that underpin the recommendations and have informed their development, please read through the principles that have informed the development of the recommendations. Finally, the process and future steps section outline the steps that have gotten us to this point and what happens next.

Read these recommendations as a PDF: If you'd like to read through the recommendations in an offline or all-in-one format, you can find a PDF of the core document here, the extended version here, and the cover note here. A one-page summary is here.

You can also listen to audio files of the recommendations here and you can watch core team members Tanveer and Mehrdad present the 13 recommendations and shed some light on how they have been developed in the video to the right or here on Commons (the presentation used in the video is here).

Welcome

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In 2017, we created a strategic direction for the future of our movement and set ourselves an ambitious shared goal: to become the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge. This document presents a coherent change narrative and vision based on our strategic direction, and introduces the strategic recommendations, along with an overview of the process that developed them. It includes the overarching change narrative and underlying principles that pave the way for the future of the Wikimedia Movement.

Our Movement has grown over the past nineteen years in organic and distributed ways — independent, yet wholly intertwined. However, our growth and distribution have also created challenges in alignment and coordination. There are inequities in power, resources, and opportunity that prevent us from reaching our potential and fulfilling our mission. Some challenges have at times led to a lack of trust and understanding, power struggles, and disconnect between people and organizations.

Our cause and existence also face an urgency created by rapid changes in our world. Increasingly, there are threats against an open Internet and free knowledge, and their advocates and contributors. We risk becoming obsolete as information - both sound and controversial - floods virtual spaces. As a Movement synonymous with learning and verifiable information, we have a collective responsibility to ourselves, each other and to the world we serve to be intentional about the impact of our work and the knowledge we share.

Our changing world also offers a wealth of opportunities that can help us advance in our strategic direction. Today, we can connect to individuals, communities, and sources of knowledge more readily than was ever imaginable. We can also ensure that our platforms provide safe spaces and are inviting for those willing to contribute and consume knowledge, and deliver engaging, adaptable, and flexible experiences to them. We require support systems — community empowerment, agency, capacity, resources, infrastructure, and advocacy — to ensure togetherness and continued relevance, growth, and expansion.

As this is a strategic document, many of the ideas put forth will necessitate further exploration, assessment, consultation with stakeholders, and adaptation to meet the needs of the diverse communities of our ecosystem. This requires us to be experimental, collaborative, and remain open, adaptive, and flexible as we journey to 2030 and beyond.

Previous drafts

Introduction

Linked below please see draft recommendations for structural change for our movement. The recommendations were developed by the nine Wikimedia 2030 working groups and are the starting point for concrete conversations about the kind of future we want to create together to reach our Strategic Direction and its pillars of Knowledge as a Service and Knowledge Equity. Members of the working groups concluded their task of drafting recommendations for structural changes on November 1, 2019, and we thank them for their incredible effort. Focus over the following few months has been on synthesizing these draft recommendations into one coherent and accessible set. What is this about? Working group members have been working tirelessly for over a year to research the movement, analyze community input shared via community conversations, gain insight into external trends, and come to a shared vision across a diverse range of perspectives. Draft Recommendations A second iteration of the recommendations was developed by the working groups in September 2019 after many on- and offline conversations with diverse stakeholders from across our movement; at Wikimania 2019, on the Talk Pages of the 1st iteration of the draft recommendations, and at many in-person events such as regional summits and strategy salons. The very first iteration of the draft recommendations were shared in August 2019, which you can find below, presented in full and abbreviated versions and with translations available. The recommendations are not final. In order to get them to that stage, your input is needed! Community voices are essential for bringing a broad perspective into the changes that will shape our future. This includes affiliates, groups and chapters, the Wikimedia Foundation, and communities across projects, languages, and geographies. We would like to hear what these changes would mean for you in your local or thematic context, what do you like about them, and where you potentially see red flags. And of course, always critically question whether these recommendations support the strategic direction. How to Share Your Feedback Feedback plays a vital role in validating and challenging the draft recommendations. It’s helpful to have guiding questions to help Wikimedian communities and organized groups evaluate the meaning, importance, and quality of the recommendations. Here are some suggestions: Read through the recommendations and provide your input on the talk pages of respective recommendations. What do you like about this recommendation? What do you dislike? Why? What does this recommendation mean for you in contexts that are meaningful to you - your language, your projects, your region, your affiliate group, your identity? How would you be affected? What is important to keep in mind when implementing this recommendation? What values and ideas are important to preserve? Are there any red lines we should not cross? Does this recommendation support our Strategic Direction to become the support system for the whole free knowledge movement? Reach out to a Strategy Liaison in your language or for your affiliate to share feedback, or lead a conversation of your own. What’s Next? Open community input was accepted until September 15. After that date, working groups refined and harmonized their work using movement input as well as external advice and research.

Iteration 2 (September 2019)

Advocacy Transparency: A global network of Wikimedia advocates is built on community driven rules of engagement. Processes for decision making are known and comprehensible. There are established entry points for those who want to be involved or want to initiate advocacy activities Diversity: Community actively seeks and provides a good environment and tailored pathways that attracts more people from a variety and diversity of languages and cultural backgrounds to engage in advocacy for Wikimedia on a local or global level Global conversation: There is an established communication process for community advocates to have central conversations about advocacy Knowledge management: There is constant knowledge management about methods, cases, success stories, and failures for all advocates to access and learn from, processed and maintained by, with and for them Advocacy Hub: Movement advocacy efforts are streamlined and reinforced by a hub run with and for current and future advocates Common positioning: The advocacy priorities of the Wikimedia movement are clearly articulated through a shared, highly visible and living document Partnerships: Advocates for the Wikimedia movement are able to collaborate with and build upon an existing global network of partners working on aligned advocacy issues Empowerment of advocates: Advocacy is recognized and encouraged as a valid pathway in the Wikimedia Movement Self-Determination: Subsidiary decentralisation should be a model of collaboration for advocacy across the movement Protection of Advocates: Advocates have access to clearly defined and accessible safety measures enabling them to work without having their personal and communal security compromised Capacity Building Building Capacity for Capacity Building Matching human assets and online knowledge resources with capacity building needs Capacity Building Should Occur in Context Provide Capacity Building for Organizational Development Or: Supporting communities in achieving their organizational development goals Resources for Capacity Building Evaluating Capacity Building Online Training Mentoring and leadership development Recognizing Individuals Independently governed Capacity Building ‘Unit’ Community Health A joint set of rules we all agree to live by (a.k.a. Code of Conduct) Redefining power structures to better serve the communities Building the leadership of the future Structure for handling conflicts- before, during and after Investing in building an inclusive global community Newcomers are a key indicator to the success of the movement “Democratizing” participation (making Wikipedia/Wikimedia everyone’s responsibility) and reducing barriers for participation Privacy and security for everyone Opening the circle: All terrain readiness Network to continually support community health Aligning resource allocation with community health goals Investing in equity-centered technologies Diversity Introducing people-centered principles within the Wikimedia movement Reaching a self-aware and dynamic structure aimed at community diversity and health Redesigning the platforms for more diversity of people and content experiences Planned community diversification Reflective policies for participation and governance Establishing partnerships in order to represent and protect worlds’ cultural diversity Decentralized administrative structure for resource allocation Bridging different local contexts and Wikimedia projects' notability and verifiability policies Partnerships Provide the knowledge needed for understanding and solving global issues Wikimedia as steward of the Free Knowledge Ecosystem Shared ecosystem of services and tools for content partnerships Data partnerships approach to fulfill the vision of knowledge as a service for our partners Focus on knowledge equity when determining priorities for Partnerships Partnerships as part of a Distributed Vision Partnerships as a shared and equitable resource and activity Prioritise documentation Invest in sharing knowledge about partnerships across the movement Support the skills development of people working on partnerships Invest in the leadership potential of community members Establish recognition principles for new partners for attribution and content donation Additional research for areas where we have identified issues but haven’t made recommendations Product & Technology Evaluate and Decentralize Technology Components Support Community Decision-making Open Product Proposal Process Deployment Council Disseminate Product Knowledge 6A. Improve Technical Contributor Engagement 6B. Modernize Technical Contributor Tooling Realize the Potential of the Third-Party Ecosystem Movement Technology Ethics Review Process Monitoring Product Trust and Availability Developing an Evolving Technology Vision and Strategy Resource Allocation Set Common Framework of Principles for Resource Allocation Design participatory decision making for Resource Allocation Recognize privileges / Design for equity Distribute existing structures Build Thematic hubs – to provide services to the free knowledge movement long term Ensure flexible approach to resource allocation in a complex, fast moving and changeable space Allocate resources for capacity and sustainability Allocate resources to new types of partners/organisations (essential infrastructure of the free knowledge ecosystem) Include knowledge consumers Revenue Streams Click here to learn more about the recommendations by RS Working Group Turn the Wikimedia API into a revenue source Provide Paid Wiki-related Services Monetize merchandise Expand global fundraising Develop non-fundraising revenue streams for affiliates Set a goal of financial sustainability for all movement actors Diversification of revenue channels Roles & Responsibilities Scenario 1. All of this exists to support our primary purpose: free knowledge and its distribution (Original) 2. & 3. Decentralisation and self-management 4. & 5. Establish a Movement Charter 6. Wikimedia movement organisations will be governed by inclusive, diverse, and accountable boards 7. Capacity building

Iteration 1 (August 2019)

Abbreviated summaries of draft recommendations Summaries have been prepared for easier engagement as well as translation into Arabic, French, German, Hindi, Mandarin, Brazilian Portugese, and Spanish. Translations will be uploaded as they become available: Advocacy Capacity Building Community Health Diversity Partnerships Product & Technology Resource Allocation Revenue Streams Roles & Responsibilities Advocacy A global network of Wikimedia advocates is built on community driven rules of engagement. There are established entry points for those who want to be involved or want to initiate advocacy activities. Processes for decision making are known and comprehensible. Community actively seeks and provides a good environment and tailored pathways that attracts more people (professionals and volunteers) from a variety and diversity of languages and cultural backgrounds to engage in advocacy for Wikimedia on a local or global level. There is an established communication process for community advocates to have central conversations about advocacy. There is constant knowledge management about methods, cases, success stories, and failures for all advocates to access and learn from, processed and maintained by, with and for them. Movement advocacy efforts are streamlined and reinforced by a hub run with and for current and future advocates. The advocacy priorities of the Wikimedia movement are clearly articulated through a shared, highly visible and living document. Capacity Building Building Capacity for Capacity Building Matching human assets and online knowledge resources with capacity building needs Capacity Building Should Occur in Context Provide Capacity Building for Organizational Development Or: Supporting communities in achieving their organizational development goals Resources for Capacity Building Evaluating Capacity Building Online Training Mentoring and leadership development Recognizing Individuals Independently governed Capacity Building ‘Unit’ Community Health Rules and regulations, decision making processes and leadership Community diversity and growth Safety Agile and responsive support of community health Diversity Code of Conduct Content Diversity Metrics and Guidelines Digitization and Resource Prioritization for Marginalized Groups Adopting Body Quotas for All Governing Bodies Identifying the Wikimedia Editing and Community Diversity Barriers in Each Country and Introduce Them in Wikidata Parameterized User Pages for Encouraging and Measuring Community Diversity Ombudsperson / Community-WMF Liaison Resource Allocation for Securing Diversity in International Collaborations Terms of Use/Licensing Policy Wikioral, a Project with Voice Recordings Creating a Wikipedia Diversity Newsletter Language diversity Develop Different Policies for Notability and Reliable Sources Partnerships *Note: some of the recommendations are not based on full consensus of all the members of the working group yet. We are looking forward to discussing the nuances of these at Wikimania. “How might we build Wikimedia into an effective convener of impactful partnerships, coalitions, and collective action based on a shared vision of free Open Knowledge Movement, such as the “Big Open” framework? What should be the purpose of such partnerships?” Summary of recommendations A Framework that Supports Partnerships Partnerships as a shared and equitable resource and enterprise Partnerships as part of a Distributed Vision Partnerships need practices that foster institutional memory Define priorities for partnerships so that all key aspects of building the free knowledge ecosystem are covered A single point of entry for partners to engage with Wikimedia “How do we develop technical infrastructure, capacities and the support we need in order to be an effective partner to share ‘the sum of all knowledge” and fulfill the vision of knowledge as a service for our partners?” A central infrastructure for content partnerships requiring technical solutions Technical Partnership For Developments under a shared vision and resource collaboration Partnership framework for harnessing modern technological developments Data partnerships approach to fulfill the vision of knowledge as a service for our partners Create an internal knowledge-base to curate details of partnerships across the movement Develop Capacity Building Modules for running partnership “How can we empower people and organizations working on partnerships within our Movement to get the support they need to fulfill our potential and carry out diverse, sustainable, effective and impactful partnerships?” “How do we create an inclusive, movement-wide culture of sharing knowledge, skills, and practices on collaborations and partnerships - so that everyone in the movement can participate in and benefit from them?” Recognition. Encourage proper attribution for content donations so institutions working with us are proud of their contribution and are acknowledged for their contribution Encourage partnerships focusing on Knowledge gaps and knowledge equity Documentation as a priority, not an afterthought, ending a barrier to participation and capturing our methodology and instructions in formats accessible for our global audiences Product & Technology Decentralize Support Community Decisionmaking Open up Product Governance Deployment Council Tech Evangelism New Developer Engagement Models Growing the Third-Party Ecosystem Emerging Technology Ethics Advisory Panel Monitoring Product and Societal Impacts Resource Allocation Common Framework of Principles for Resource Allocation Participatory decision making for Resource Allocation Avoiding the pitfalls of privileges / Designing for diversity Distribute existing structures Build Thematic hubs – to provide services to the free knowledge movement long term Flexible approach to resource allocation in a complex, fast moving and changeable space Allocating resources for capacity and sustainability Allocate resources to new types of partners/organisations (essential infrastructure of the free knowledge ecosystem) Knowledge consumers Revenue Streams Turn the Wikimedia API into a revenue source Create a global support function for local affiliate fundraising Monetize Merchandise Providing Paid Wiki-related Services Develop non-fundraising revenue streams for affiliates Develop non-banner revenue streams for affiliates Set a goal of financial independence for all movement actors Diversification of revenue channel Movement wide principles for Revenue Streams Roles & Responsibilities Click here to learn more about the recommendations by R&R Working Group Power and responsibilities need to be redistributed on the principle of self management (subsidiarity) Decisions should be taken at the “lowest” possible level / as near as possible to the process/community/activity that will be affected by the decision To establish a framework for decision-making, there will be a charter of principles, values, and governance behaviours. The charter will be developed through an equitable process with broad and diverse participation. This charter will be owned by a global governance and accountability body All of this exists to support our primary purpose: free knowledge and its distribution Movement organizations are to be governed by diverse, inclusive and accountable bodies (mix of elected and appointed members) Capacity building, facilitation, coaching, leadership development will be built into these structures to enable all entities to develop at their speed. This will be supported by staff.