2010 chapters meeting/SOA notes

As presented to the State of the Chapters section of the Wikimedia Chapters Conference at Berlin on 16 April 2010.

Introduction

Wikimedia Australia is a national chapter, founded in the Australian state of Victoria in 2008. While we have achieved several milestones, we are presently in a consolidation phase and sorting out various necessary bureaucratic hurdles in order that we can develop and grow.

Quick timeline

  • March 2008 - Approved by the Wikimedia Foundation
  • August 2008 - Approved by Consumer Affairs Victoria
  • 11 January 2009 - First AGM
  • 29 November 2009 - Second AGM

Current status

  • 54 financial members plus 19 pending members
  • Budget approx €3,200
  • Memberships are of two categories:
    • €26 (A$40) full membership
    • €13 (A$20) concessional membership
  • 6 person board including four executive and two non-executive positions.

Strengths and weaknesses

Our biggest strength is our relationship with the museums and the cultural sector. Events such as the Backstage Pass at Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, and the GLAM-WIKI conference in Canberra in August 2009 have cemented these relationships. Member-driven initiatives at the Queensland and Melbourne museums have also produced some results.

Our weaknesses are that we cannot offer tax deductibility for donations (the process for obtaining this in Australia is onerous and bureaucratic), we do not presently have sustainable income, and membership empowerment is a challenge for us, especially in our geographic reality where most of our membership are split across 5 very separate cities.

Goals

Our primary goals at present are to address the issue of membership activity and empowerment, to forge links with the educational sector in Australia while strengthing and continuing our present good relationships.

Discuss this page