Staff proposal assessment for Wikimedia Israel, 2013-2014 Round 1
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{{FDC_staff_proposal_assessment/round1_2013-2014
|name=Wikimedia Israel
|summary=Many concerns
|totalCR=1,553,837 ILS
|totalUS=438,337 USD
|exchange=0.2821 US dollars to 1.00000 Shekel (calculated on 1 October 2013)
|date=1 October 2013
|adherence=Yes
|legal=Yes
|laws=Yes
|currentMR=549,440 ILS
|proposedMR=1,553,837 ILS
|changeMR=183%
|currentbudget=725,679 ILS
|proposedbudget=1,714,637 ILS
|changebudget=136%
|currentstaff=3.1
|proposedstaff=4.6
|changestaff=48%
|strengths=* Past programmatic success, and past emphasis on programs rather than institutionalization
* Strong commitment of board and volunteers and the onboarding of a new ED
* Improvements in reporting and sharing lessons with the movement
|concerns=* Proposed growth in both budget and staffing is too rapid
* Proposed plan is not feasible, with too many activities for an organization in transition
* Current and proposed staffing plan is ill-considered
|strategy=* This proposal has the potential for strong alignment with several [[foundation:Wikimedia_Movement_Strategic_Plan_Summary|strategic priorities]], but the rationale presented in this proposal is not clear.
* Of its programs, its [[FDC_portal/Proposals/2013-2014_round1/Wikimedia_Israel/Proposal_form#Program_2|Recruiting new volunteers]] program and its [[FDC_portal/Proposals/2013-2014_round1/Wikimedia_Israel/Proposal_form#Program_5|Creating long-term strategic partnerships]] program are best aligned with strategic priorities, respectively Participation and Quality. The program [[FDC_portal/Proposals/2013-2014_round1/Wikimedia_Israel/Proposal_form#Program_6|Establishing Wikimedia Israel’s role as a leader in both Israel and abroad]] is weakly aligned with any strategic priority; WMIL's leadership has been and will be established through its overall programmatic impact and organizational effectiveness.
* WMIL has a strategic plan in development, but not yet publicly shared. This makes it difficult to understand strategic alignment where strong context is not included in the proposal.
|context=* WMIL is well-positioned to have impact on Hebrew language [[Wikimedia projects]], as it is enabled by an active and vibrant community. The number of active editors in Israel continues to increase. WMIL’s work focuses on editorship and contributions, which has significant potential for impact.
* WMIL has done work in the past that may be useful to others in the movement and is continuing to pursue some innovative programs that may be useful to others, such as its programs focused on editor recruitment.
* WMIL has a track record of executing programs successfully at a relatively low cost, pursuing effective programs and emphasizing program work rather than growth and institutionalization.
* While WMIL has a mixed track record with reporting, it is improving.
* WMIL has not put a strong emphasis on measuring its work in the past, but it has expressed a desire to improve its metrics.
* WMIL has a committed community of volunteers and a good focus on participation on the [[Wikimedia projects]], but may need to strengthen its membership base in order to continue to execute effectively on its activities.
|feasibilitysummary=WMIL is proposing growth in its overall budget from 564,440 ILS (US$ 146,716) to 1,714,637 ILS (US$ 487,113): a total budget growth rate of 204%. WMIL anticipates spending 725,679 ILS (US$ 204,714) this year, which when compared to its planned 2014 budget would yield a 136% total projected spending change between 2013 and 2014. In addition, it is requesting a correspondingly high growth rate in movement resources of 183%, significantly above the maximum increase of 20% recommended in the [[Funds_Dissemination_Committee/Framework_for_the_Creation_and_Initial_Operation_of_the_FDC#Special_funding_guidelines_during_transition_to_the_FDC_.282012.E2.80.9314.29|guardrails]].
|feasibility=* WMIL has a committed board and community of volunteers who enable its work.
* WMIL has focused on increasing the base of editors and contributors in the past and the proposed program for recruiting new volunteers builds on this experience.
* WMIL is building on its past successes with partnerships with a number of GLAM and other institutions. In particular, the partnership with [[en:Wikipedia:GLAM/National_Library_of_Israel|the National Library of Israel has resulted in a successful Wikipedian in Residence program]].
* Two local donors have confirmed positive experiences working with WMIL, commenting particularly on the Board’s strong commitment.
|risks=* WMIL attempted to hire a permanent executive director in 2013, but decided not to move forward with renewing her contract after three months. A new executive director was hired in August 2013. Especially with the challenges of managing such transitions, including the time needed to bring a new ED on board, the proposed plan seems far too ambitious in scope and scale.
* The impact on [[Wikimedia projects]] is not proportionate to the resources being requested. Furthermore, WMIL has some metrics to track progress, but the quality and clarity of these metrics does not correspond to the amount requested.
* In its previous FDC proposal, submitted in 2012-2013 Round 1, WMIL proposed increasing staff by one position to a total of 1.5 full- and part-time staff. The FDC approved nearly a full allocation of US$141,172; however, WMIL has underspent in this current year and has planned to use this underspend to increase its current staff by 1.5 additional staff positions, totaling three people. The first notification to the FDC and FDC staff of these changes to staffing were through the 2013-14 proposal submitted on October 1, with a later mention on October 30 in the third quarter progress report. In addition, the proposed 2014 plan will add 1.5 additional staff. Within a year, WMIL proposes to move from 1.5 staff positions to 4.5 staff positions, including one part time (0.5) national service volunteer.
* Wkimedia Israel is increasing its operational costs and proposing a large amount for international travel and events, diluting its strong emphasis on effective programs (including editor recruitment, retention and content donation). This proposal is overly focused on international movement work, which will cost US$ 60,770 (~13% of the total budget, see [[FDC_portal/Proposals/2013-2014_round1/Wikimedia_Israel/Proposal_form#Expenses_by_program_.2F_initiative|expenses by program for details]]).
* WMIL has a mixed track record of budgeting effectively and spending consistently. For example, WMIL effectively executed a successful [[Wikimania/2011|Wikimania in 2011]], but spending on its current funds allocation has not been very consistent from quarter to quarter (see its [[FDC_portal/Proposals/2012-2013_round1/Wikimedia_Israel/Progress_report_form/Q1|Q1 progress report]] and [[FDC_portal/Proposals/2012-2013_round1/Wikimedia_Israel/Progress_report_form/Q2|Q2 progress report]] for details).
|expert=None requested.
|community=*For detailed comments from the community, the FDC and FDC staff, as well as responses from the organizations themselves, please visit the [[Talk:FDC_portal/Proposals/2013-2014_round1/Wikimedia_Israel/Proposal_form|proposal form discussion page]]. The summary offers a brief overview of the questions or comments from community members, and is not an endorsement of the views expressed on the proposal form discussion page.
* One question on the discussion page asked about the chapter’s policy on growing its membership base.
* One community member expressed concerns around the chapter’s request in proportion to its membership.
* Another community member expressed concerns around the ability of the plan as articulated to impact the [[Wikimedia projects]], leading to extensive conversations.
* Yet another expressed concerns about WMIL requesting more resources before building up its editor base more.
|scoreA= 3.50
|commentsA= Programs in this plan address strategic priorities, including Participation and Quality, but the rationale presented is unclear.
|scoreB= 3.50
|commentsB= WMIL is well-positioned to have impact on Hebrew language Wikimedia projects; WMIL’s work focuses on editorship and contributions, which has significant potential for impact.
|scoreC= 2.00
|commentsC= Programs may lead to impact in a local context and a broader context, but the amount requested is too large.
|scoreD= 2.00
|commentsD= Committed board and community of volunteers, but there may be a danger of volunteer burnout with a plan of this scale and scope.
|scoreE= 3.00
|commentsE= The entity has conducted many similar initiatives in the past and has been successful, but they are also trying many new things at one time.
|scoreF= 3.50
|commentsF= WMIL's Board is strongly committed and engaged in programs. The organization is currently undergoing a transition with its newly appointed Executive Director and plans to hire several new staff.
Average for this category
|scoreG= 1.50
|commentsG= Budget is not consistent with the potential impact of the initiatives, and there are serious concerns about the proportion of operational costs and the staffing plan.
|scoreH= 2.50
|commentsH= Mixed track record of budgetary management, including very successful management of the Wikimania 2011 budget and very irregular spending patterns with respect to the current FDC funds allocation.
|scoreI= 3.00
|commentsI= Indicators are not focused on the Wikimedia projects and are of an inconsistent quality; while indicators have greatly improved from last year their quality is not commensurate with the scope of the proposal and the size of the request.
|scoreJ= 3.00
|commentsJ= Provides list of indicators to be tracked.
|scoreK= 2.00
|commentsK= WMIL has not demonstrated capacity for tracking metrics in the past; given the size and scope of this plan it is unlikely WMIL has capacity to track these metrics.
|scoreL= 3.00
|commentsL= While past work has been innovative, the current plan is not feasible and so approaches are unlikely to be adapted by others.
|scoreM= 3.50
|commentsM= Active within the movement; strong programmatic leader; improving with respect to reporting.
|sign=[[User:Wolliff|Winifred Olliff (Grants Administrator)]] [[User_talk:Wolliff|talk]]
}}