Minutes:2015-01-12
 | These are official minutes from a meeting of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. Please note that in the event of any differences in meaning or interpretation between the original English version of this content and a translation, the original English version takes precedence. |
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January 12, 2015
- Location: San Francisco and web conference
- Board of Trustees Present: Jan-Bart de Vreede (Chair), Patricio Lorente (Vice-Chair, present for a portion of the meeting), Phoebe Ayers, Frieda Brioschi (present for a portion of the meeting), Sam Klein, María Sefidari, Jimmy Wales, Stu West, and Alice Wiegand (present for a portion of the meeting).
- Non-Board members present: Lila Tretikov (Executive Director), Geoff Brigham (Secretary and General Counsel), Stephen LaPorte (Legal Counsel), Lisa Seitz-Gruwell (Chief Revenue Officer), Trish Silber (retreat facilitator), Ajit Manocha (executive coach)
Jan-Bart called to order a special meeting of the Board of Trustees at 12:00 PM PST. Lila, Lisa, Ajit, and Stephen were present in San Francisco, and Jan-Bart, Patricio, Phoebe, Sam, Jimmy, Stu, Geoff, and Trish joined remotely via web conference. The Board welcomed Ajit and Trish, who joined the meeting as a guests. Stephen called roll and confirmed that a quorum was present and able to simultaneously hear the meeting. During the course of the meeting, additional trustees joined via web conference.
Fundraising update
Lisa provided an update on the previous five months of fundraising, including the progress towards the annual goal, the campaigns per country, and feedback from donors through direct communication, focus groups, and surveys. The campaigns were recognized as increasingly effective across many platforms. The importance of hearing feedback and measuring social and community impact as part of the fundraiser was noted. Lisa was thanked for her team's work.
Board members asked for a more detailed discussion, including fundraising principles and metrics beyond funds raised, to be addressed at a future meeting before the end of the year.
Strategy update
Lila presented planned changes in the Wikimedia Foundation's quarterly planning and reporting to the Board, including quarterly objectives and performance data. This will affect the development and structure of annual plans. Lila outlined the immediate call to action that will be presented to the Wikimedia Foundation staff at the all-hands meeting in the next weeks. The Board discussed how the quarterly objectives will connect to a longer-term strategy, and to planning across the movement, and how community input will shape strategic vision and direction.
Update from the Board retreat
Jan-Bart provided an update on topics from the November retreat around Board development. Trish, the facilitator from the retreat, has continued to work with trustees to resolve issues raised there. This includes reviewing the Board's strategic focus and prioritization, mode of working with Lila, delegation and meeting schedule, composition and expertise, and other topics. Trish and Jan-Bart will share proposals for development at the February meeting in San Francisco.
Trustee search update
María provided an update on the Board Governance Committee's trustee search. A shortlist of candidates was shared, and a recommendation should be made by the February meeting.
The meeting concluded around 1:30 PM PST.