At-Large Directors for the Wikimedia Endowment Board

<p><strong>About the Wikimedia Endowment</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://wikimediaendowment.org/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wikimedia Endowment</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was </span><a href="https://diff.wikimedia.org/2016/01/14/wikipedia-15-foundation-endowment/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">launched in 2016</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in order to support Wikimedia projects in perpetuity. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">It represents a collective belief in what the Wikimedia projects have accomplished and what they have yet to achieve. As a fund that is invested for growth, it creates a solid financial foundation for the future and ensures long-term security.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Wikimedia Endowment is led by Lisa Seitz-Gruwell, President, and a Board of Directors. As the Endowment reaches this next phase in its maturation, the President and Board seek to add new board members who can contribute to the ongoing growth of the fund and the distribution of future grants.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong>About Wikimedia</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Wikimedia Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides the essential infrastructure for free knowledge globally. It operates the world's most collaborative projects (including Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons &amp; various other projects that are part of the multilingual, free-content Wikimedia family).&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today more than 500,000 volunteer editors contribute to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects every month. They have written, edited, and patrolled 55 million Wikipedia articles in over 300 languages. The Wikimedia Foundation works in tandem with a vast affiliate network of 140+ chapters, thematic organizations, and user groups. In a given month more than 1.5 billion unique devices access free educational resources from across the globe.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wikipedia, the worldʼs largest free online encyclopedia, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021. It has been called “the </span><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/wikipedia-online-encyclopedia-best-place-internet/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last Best Place on the Internet</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">”. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wikipedia saw</span><a href="https://wikimediafoundation.org/covid19/data/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> record-breaking increases</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in daily traffic with a growing community of medical professionals contributing knowledge about COVID-19 to the platform. Over 50 million monthly edits in 188 languages</span><a href="https://slate.com/technology/2020/05/wikipedia-coronavirus-information-future-historians.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in the open</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are keeping humanity informed with vital, verifiable information.</span></p> <p><strong>The Wikimedia Endowment Board</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Wikimedia Endowment </span><a href="https://wikimediaendowment.org/#advisory-board"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Board</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> consists of between 7-15 members, including:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 Community Founder Director (Jimmy Wales)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2-3 Community Directors</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">4-11 At-Large Directors</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Board strives to represent a diversity of geographies, backgrounds, races/ethnicities, gender identities, points of view, and interests. </span><strong>At-Large Directors</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> must have prior fundraising or financial expertise and a passion for free knowledge. </span><strong>Community Directors</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> bring deep knowledge of the Wikimedia movement and must have previously served as a director of the Wikimedia Foundation Board.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At this time, the Board is actively seeking candidates for </span><strong>At-Large Director </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">seats.</span></p> <p><strong>The Wikimedia Endowment board’s role</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Wikimedia Endowment Board of Directors serves as an essential source of guidance and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">support for the Wikimedia Endowment. Its primary responsibilities are to provide effective governance, help grow the Endowment fund through a combination of major gift fundraising efforts and prudent financial investments, and make grantmaking decisions that best fulfill the Endowment’s mission of protecting the long-term future of Wikimedia projects.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Specific responsibilities include:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ensure fiduciary and strategic oversight of the Wikimedia Endowment</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Provide and identify funding for the Wikimedia Endowment</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Work closely with the Wikimedia Endowment President, Director of Endowment, and key Wikimedia Foundation staff to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors for the Wikimedia Endowment</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Set and uphold the Wikimedia Endowment’s investment and spending policies</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Identify and approve annual endowment distributions to provide financial support to Wikimedia projects that are mission-aligned</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Identify and suggest possible nominees to the Board</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Wikimedia Endowment Board is separate from the Wikimedia Foundation Board and does not have a role in shaping or approving the strategies and work plans of the Wikimedia Foundation.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong>A Director’s commitment to serve</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Directors serve for three-year terms that can be renewed twice, for a maximum tenure of nine years. The Board convenes twice per year, with the option for Directors to attend in-person (when possible) or virtually. Meetings are typically a half-day, with other optional activities planned around the required meetings. Whether in-person or online, meetings require coordination with Directors across the world and across time zones.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All Board members are expected to participate in some capacity with the Endowment’s fundraising efforts and to serve on one of three standing committees: Finance; Governance; or Grantmaking and Community. Committees meet at least twice per year; the Finance Committee may meet as often as monthly. Committee meetings are virtual.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Directors must be willing to devote sufficient time to completing the work of the Board.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">This includes participating in Board and Committee meetings, donor events, and other activities to support the Wikimedia Endowment. The overall time commitment is roughly 20-40 hours per year (not including travel).&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Board positions are unpaid. </span></p> <div id="l-content"></div>