January 2010 Operational planning meeting

[[File:Wikimedia Australia committee 2009-2010.JPG|thumb|Photo of the committee taken during the weekend.]]

Dear members, supporters and friends,

Thanks for your patience in receiving this report on the Wikimedia Australia committee operational planning meeting, which took place in Melbourne over the weekend of 30-31 January, 2010. '''This was the committee's first face to face meeting''' and was enormously useful for setting a shared agenda for 2010. A key input to the meeting was the results of our open brainstorming using IdeaScale, which took place in the weeks prior to the meeting.

Our report on the meeting comprises several parts:
* [[/Notes|Detailed notes on the sessions held]]
* [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/WMAU_ctte_January_2010_operational_planning_meeting_-_evaluation_survey_summary.pdf The results of our evaluation survey] (PDF)
* [[/Calendar|A calendar of events and deadlines]].

Decentralising our capability is something that the committee strongly believes in.  Happily, the idea with the strongest support on IdeaScale was that of '''creating an "information kit" to encourage and empower members and volunteers to do Wikimedia outreach'''. This project is our #1 mission-related focus for 2010. Learning from the growth of Wikipedia itself, we want to give people the tools and support they need and then let them loose on the world. Although this won't be a very exciting activity for us to undertake, it has the potential to make a far greater and longer-lasting impact than a single splashy event. So we have set our metric for success not on ourselves, but on you. '''Our goal is to see 10 new member-initiated activities''', be they newly-organised meetups, introductions to GLAM institutions, talks at conferences, editing workshops, or handing out brochures at a local fete. 

Other activities we intend to undertake include pursuing the development of '''lesson plans''' that include Wikimedia works and the trial of a '''"small grants" scheme''' to give members financial aid support to pursue our mission. We also intend to make good on the much-awaited promise of '''merchandise''', and trial '''monthly IRC meetings''' to provide a structured opportunity for real-time feedback and communication.

Our '''administrative work''' is ongoing, and a number of first-time tasks need to be completed. These include pursuing '''changes to the Rules''', appointing an auditor and completing our work to get '''fundraising approval''' in each state. Another major task is the development of a '''suite of policies''', including a board manual (description of roles and responsibilities), conflict of interest policy and a donor privacy policy. These tasks are all about creating a sustainable and fair working environment for current and future committees.

We hope you will join us for a fun and productive 2010.


Brianna Laugher
<br/>Wikimedia Australia president
<br/>2010-02-28

[[Category:In-person meetings]]
[[Category:2009–2010 Committee]]