Revision as of 13:00, 21 April 2024

Minimalist charter

A simplified charter, focusing on coordination and making specific collective decisions. Outline + original text drawn from the 1-pg draft

This is a wiki, edit at will! See also: this list of global decisions we can make right now

Introduction

The Wikimedia movement is a global collaborative, empowering communities around the world to organize and share the sum of all knowledge. Our movement includes individuals, organizations, and knowledge projects working in a wide range of languages, geographies, and scales. The movement charter provides a framework for collective decision-making to coordinate and harmonize that work, in a flexible and collaborative format befitting our normal modes of collaboration. In a moment where knowledge is increasingly mediated by corporations and opaque algorithms, we are building a way for the spirit of transparent wiki collaboration to last for generations, stewarded by a robust and resilient global structure that embodees this same spirit.

Values

for details, see /Values.

Our work is an intrinsically collaborative endeavor, guided by shared values including a commitment to free knowledge, multilingual collaboration, and autonomous self-organization.

↑ Drawn in part from the 10 principles of the latest movement strategy.

Community

Wikimedia communities contribute online and offline to build and advance the Wikimedia mission, organized by volunteers around the world in over 300 languages. These are self-governing and open to participation by anyone, within the framework of global policies. A meta-community sets and updates global policies, through processes including global RfCs and Wikimedia Foundation resolutions.

↑ Policy examples include the Terms of Use, the Privacy, Licensing, and Non-free Content policies, and the Code of Conduct.

Coordination

As we want better ways to make certain global community decisions :: We will form a Global Council that can make certain decisions previously made by RFCs and by the WMF for lack of a better alternative. <link to examples of decisions; link to page describing the Council>.
As we want a way to have discussions and reach decisions that involve all communities :: We will explore models for a larger representative assembly, with participants from every major project and part of the movement. <link to examples of such decisions; to past proposed models>
As we want coordinated priorities that are responsive to a changing environment and unite the strategic work of wikiprojects, the WMF, and affiliates :: We will explore ways to produce a strategic overview each year that references the work of each part of the movement. <link to examples>
As we want community guidance of fundraising and funds dissemination :: We will explore new ways to federate grantmaking, publish guidance on funds dissemination, and support larger affiliates in building their own fundraising capacity and connecting directly with donors. These approaches will build on the past work of the FDC and the current work of regional grantmaking committees. <link to examples>
As we want more streamlined and effective community input into technical changes and deployments :: We will explore a technical advisory body that can better facilitate and streamline community input into technical rollouts. This will complement and reduce scattered discussions across village pumps and tickets. <link to examples>
As we have unresolved conflicts in the movement, and global resolution mechanisms (RfCs, stewards, WMF actions) are slow and rare :: We will explore lightweight dispute resolution mechanisms to mediate and find effective solutions. <link to examples>

Wikimedia Movement Organizations

Wikimedians form a diverse range of organizations to support and coordinate their activities. These include WikiProjects coordinating work on wikis, movement affiliates, and global organizations such as the Wikimedia Foundation and a future Global Council. <link to longer list of examples>

On-wiki organizations

On the Projects, contributors organize to manage everything from contributions and contests, to tools and workflows, to partnerships and conflict resolution. These wiki organizations can take a range of forms, and work transparently in Project namespaces and task trackers. <link to examples>

Affiliates

Affiliates form partnerships and maintain activities over time, and may receive funds and employ staff who support and amplify the work of volunteers. The composition and governance of an organization is open for the body itself to decide, depending on its context and needs. Offline organizations are responsible for making their work and activities visible.[Ex.]

Global Council

for details, see /Council

The Global Council (GC) is the representative strategic body of the movement, with members selected by and from communities across the movement. It empowers community participation in decisions about movement structure, priorities, resource allocation, and conflict resolution.

The Council will establish guidelines for the equitable distribution of funds within the movement, including annual input into the proportion of global funds earmarked for affiliates, and support for affiliates in developing their own fundraising and partnerships.

It will provide an annual overview of strategic plans across the movement, and summarize feedback on the plans of large movement entities.

It will also oversee the work of the Affiliations Committee, establish a Technical Committee to advise on major technical rollouts, and otherwise help maintain a collaborative and harmonious relationship among parts of the movement.

Wikimedia Foundation

for details, see /WMF

The Wikimedia Foundation (“the WMF”) serves as the main steward of the Movement’s free knowledge platforms and software, its fundraising infrastructure, and its trademarks. It aligns its work with the global strategy.

Notes

↑ "Strategy" includes any major changes to the Wikimedia brand.

↑ The Global Council determines all aspects related to these responsibilities, in coordination with the Wikimedia Foundation. Such responsibilities can include i) setting funds dissemination policies, strategy, and standards for the movement, ii) setting regional, thematic, and other funding allocations, iii) determining movement-wide goals and metrics, and iv) reviewing global programmatic outcomes

Process

Amendment

This charter is a work in progress, and expected to change as we form a global council and develop a regular cycle of global decision-making.

A working version of the charter and associated guidelines and policies will be available for edits and comments on Meta, with snapshots posted for public RfC every [4 months].

When the charter text is stable, we will hold a more formal ratification to confirm it has global consensus, at which point a more conservative amendment process will be implemented.

Ratification

The Charter will be considered ratified once it has a supermajority (75%) of support from affiliates and community members.

Translation

Translations of this Charter will be provided in many languages.

A translation tool will be provided to translate feedback and suggestions to the Charter into those languages.

Supplementary documents

Relevant operational and related documents, which may change rapidly as events warrant:

Glossary
Guiding principles for movement organization policies (membership, transparency)
Future affiliate landscape
Decision-making style guide
Mediation process
Hubs details (scope, pilots, financial aspects)
Global Council + supplement
Ratification options for a future stable Charter
Implementation options for a Charter

Outline (reviewed state)

Introduction ✔
Values (why + how) //
Community (who) //
Coordination (what) ✔
Process (when + how) ✔