Movement Strategy and Governance

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The Movement Strategy and Governance (MSG) team was formed in March 2021, when Movement Strategy joined the Board governance facilitators (tasked with supporting the 2021 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees selections) under Quim Gil’s leadership. In mid-2021, the Universal Code of Conduct facilitators joined the MSG team. The team further grew to include Movement Strategy programmatic roles, as well as community facilitators representing all eight regions, using a regional approach as a vehicle for equity in community participation: East and Southeast Asia and Pacific; Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia; Latin America and the Caribbeans; Middle East and North Africa; Northern America (USA and Canada); Northern and Western Europe; South Asia; and Sub-Saharan Africa. The primary role of the facilitation team within the context of broader community engagement is stakeholder building.

The team’s focus was on providing support to communities and engaging communities on topics related to Movement Strategy and Governance. This support included engagement around the Universal Code of Conduct, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees selections, Hubs, Movement Charter, and supporting initiatives like Movement Strategy Implementation Grants and the Movement Strategy Forum.

In April 2023, as part of the Wikimedia Foundation’s Annual Planning Process, the Wikimedia Foundation’s role in Movement Strategy processes changed. Due to this shifting role, the Movement Strategy and Governance team was dissolved. Movement Strategy implementation is being coordinated more centrally through the office of the CEO, with emphasis on supporting the success of the Movement Charter. In an effort to maintain and improve Movement Engagement, some MSG teammates (those tasked with facilitation) were moved to the Movement Communications team and others (those leading or coordinating Movement Strategy work) continued within Community Resilience and Sustainability. The single exception involves Movement Strategy grants, which were moved to the Advancement department, which is also taking a leading role in Foundation support of hubs.

Movement Strategy and Governance (MSG) team supports the participation of Wikimedia communities and affiliates in the Movement Strategy initiatives. We also support major policy and governance matters, such as the Terms of Use, Universal Code of Conduct and Board of Trustees elections.

Who we are

The MSG team belongs to the Community Resilience and Sustainability team of Wikimedia Foundation's Legal Department. The MSG team includes the Movement Strategy core team as well as a number of facilitators specializing in different wiki projects, languages and regions. Facilitators connect volunteers, communities and affiliates with initiatives to gather feedback, hear their thoughts and appreciate their concerns. Our goal is to achieve a common understanding and agreement of how an initiative can be implemented.

Learn more about the team on the team page.

What we do

The MSG team’s work is guided by the Wikimedia Foundation's Annual Plan. The team is rooted in advancing knowledge equity, strengthening movement governance and health and improving the Foundation’s performance and effectiveness.

Objectives

Supporting the Movement Strategy governance reform with equitable participation
Encouraging robust input of both established and at least 30 emerging communities
Providing strategic access to Movement Strategy implementation grants for community groups and individuals, in cooperation with the Community Resources team.
Ensuring better access to data and information about opportunities to advance the Movement Strategy.

Other activities

Outreach and supporting the Elections Committee and elections volunteers during the 2021 and 2022 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees election.
Supporting major policy updates. This includes facilitating feedback with the Trust and Safety Policy team for the Universal Code of Conduct Enforcement Guidelines. This reflects input of both established and at least 25 emerging communities.

How we support the Foundation

The MSG team provides several types of support to community-oriented programs. These programs are typically determined as part of the Annual Plan.

Multilingual and multi-regional Movement engagement in targeted topic areas:
- Engaging in 10 major Wikimedia project languages; more languages are possible depending on availability of facilitators and pre-approved requests.
- Regional coverage of Wikimedia major regions: ESEAP, South Asia, MENA, East Africa, West Africa, CEE, Western Europe, Latin America, and North America.
- Support for specific countries is possible depending on availability of facilitators and pre-approved requests.
Facilitation of community processes such as conversations and elections, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.