Resolution:Pause of Brand Development Work
 | This proposal has been approved by the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. It may not be circumvented, eroded, or ignored by Wikimedia Foundation officers or staff nor local policies of any Wikimedia project. 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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| This resolution was approved on September 24, 2020. |
Whereas, investment in Wikipedia brand awareness is a necessary component of the work needed to achieve the growth and sustainability envisioned in the Wikimedia movement strategy;
Whereas, brand awareness is likewise one of the five priorities of the Wikimedia Foundation's ongoing medium-term plan;
Whereas, the Board of Trustees continues in its support of the multi-year, Foundation-led project to consider how the brand system and identity can best be put to use in service of the Wikimedia mission, vision, and strategy;
Whereas, the Board recognizes and appreciates the time, effort, and creativity that Wikimedia community members, Foundation staff, and expert consultants have invested in this project;
Whereas, the Board also recognizes and appreciates the investment that many people have in the current brand system, and how any change to that system is consequential;
Whereas, the Board has previously directed Foundation staff to complete the development of new Foundation and movement-related branding in time for Wikipedia's 20th birthday in 2021;
Whereas, since then, there has been significant discussion among Wikimedia movement affiliates and community members, both volunteer and staff, about proposed changes to the movement branding;
Whereas, the Board has received extensive briefing on the brand discussions, including the results of surveys conducted by Foundation staff and the content of an open letter signed by many affiliates and individual community members; and
Whereas, due to the nature of the brand discussions so far, and the external pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Wikimedia communities and Foundation, it would not be prudent to continue the brand project on the previous timeline;
Now, therefore, it is:
RESOLVED, that at the recommendation of Foundation staff, the Board approves a pause in the further development of changes to the Wikimedia movement branding (naming and design) until at least March 1, 2021 and ideally concluding this by the end of 2021;
RESOLVED, that the Trustees, staff, affiliate leaders, and other community members should use the intervening time to work to develop a process for how brand discussions and decisions should proceed once they resume, including, ideally, a plan to make use of in-person collaboration;
RESOLVED, that an ad-hoc Board committee is formed to develop the process of collaboration and decision-making;
RESOLVED, that the initial members of the ad hoc committee are James Heilman, Raju Narisetti, and Shani Evenstein Sigalov from the Board of Trustees, as well as Foundation staff to be designated by the CEO; and
RESOLVED, that the initial members of the ad hoc committee shall recruit additional members from the Wikimedia communities, including at a minimum one executive director of a Wikimedia chapter, one signatory of the community open letter on renaming, and one representative of an emerging Wikimedia community.
- Approve
- María Sefidari (Chair), Esra'a Al Shafei, Shani Evenstein Sigalov, Tanya Capuano, James Heilman, Dariusz Jemielniak, Lisa Lewin, Raju Narisetti, Jimmy Wales
- Not present
- Nataliia Tymkiv (Vice Chair)