The document summarizes a webinar about how funders can effectively support volunteer-led movements. It discusses the importance of volunteer leaders in movements and their common roles. It also explores how organizations can support movements by providing consistency, infrastructure, and expertise. The webinar uses the Wikimedia Foundation and movement as a case study. It provides examples of how the Foundation supports volunteers through general support funding, participatory grantmaking, in-kind resources, and capacity building. The webinar concludes with taking questions and providing additional resources.

1. HOW FUNDERS CAN EFFECTIVELY
SUPPORT VOLUNTEER-LED MOVEMENTS
EPIP Webinar
September 30, 2015
EPIP Host: Biz Ghormley
Presenter: TCC Group & Wikimedia Foundation

2. 2
Emerging Practitioners in
Philanthropy (EPIP) is a
national network of
foundation professionals,
social entrepreneurs and
other change makers who
strive for excellence in the
practice of philanthropy.

3. 3
We provide a platform
for our community to:
Connect
with others
Learn &
practice
leadership skills
Inspire
emerging ideas in
the social sector

4. What’s Next?
• Next EPIP Webinar!
• Managing Discomfort – Tough Conversations
about Identity to Strengthen Your Work
• Wednesday, October 14th, 3pm ET
• All Events
• epip.org/events

5. Housekeeping
• Use the question box for technical difficulties and content
questions for Q&A
• Questions will be answered at the end, feel free to type
them into the box during the webinar
• Use #EPIPwebinar to join the conversation on social media
• This webinar will be recorded
• Complete the post-webinar survey!

6. Speakers
TCC Group:
Marieke Spence
Rika Gorn
Wikimedia Foundation:
Winifred Olliff

7. How Funders Can Effectively
Support Volunteer-led Movements
EPIP Webinar
September 30, 2015
Presenters:
Winifred Olliff,
Wikimedia
Foundation
Marieke
Spence,
TCC Group
Deepti Sood,
TCC Group
Rika Gorn,
TCC Group

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SESSION AGENDA
Part I: Consider the role of volunteer-leaders in
movements
Part II: Engage in a discussion of volunteers and
organizations in the movement context, with a
spotlight on The Wikimedia Foundation and the
Wikimedia movement
Part III: Provide practical advice on how funders can
support volunteer-led movements, focusing on
organizations

9. 3
INTRODUCTIONS
Winifred Olliff, Program Officer
Deepti Sood, Consultant
Marieke Spence, Consultant
Rika Gorn, Analyst
?

10. 4
POLL #1
Which of the following best describes your role in philanthropy?
(check all that apply)
a) Staff at a foundation (or other grantmaking organization)
b) Staff at an “infrastructure” organization
c) Staff at a nonprofit organization
d) Board member of a foundation/nonprofit
e) Other

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Part I: WHAT IS A MOVEMENT?
• A group of people working together to advance their
shared political, social, or artistic ideas.
• A campaign undertaken by a group of people working
together.
! Ex. 1: The Labor Movement
! Ex. 2: The Civil Rights Movement
Source: www.google.com

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Part I: VOLUNTEERS, LEADERSHIP, AND MOVEMENTS
Why are volunteer leaders so important to movements?
Image: www.blacklivesmatter.com
Why are volunteers so important to
movements?

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POLL #2
What do you see as the most common role that volunteer-leaders
play in movements?
a) Community organizer
b) Project manager
c) “Content engine” (skills-based, creates projects or materials)
d) Strategist

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LEADER #1: COMMUNITY ORGANIZER
• Informs others
• Brings people together
(e.g. events)
• Inspires others to take
action
• Brings new people into
the movement
• Cultivates relationships
with partners and other
volunteers
Saul Alinsky, advocate for the
poor and founder of modern
community organizing
Image: raymondpronk.wordpress.com

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LEADER #2: PROJECT MANAGER
• Sets goals and
establishes timelines
• Mobilizes resources,
holds others
accountable
• Works on the ground to
get projects done
Cristina Jiménez – Managing Director
Image: www.unitedwedream.org

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LEADER #3: CONTENT CREATOR
• Creates projects,
services, or materials
• Frequently contributes
with skills-based
knowledge and work
• Curates knowledge
• Develops infrastructure
• May operate “behind the
scenes”
Grace Lee Boggs, author and activist
Image: www.deborahmeier.com

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LEADER #4: STRATEGIST
• Long-term thinker,
visionary
• May be a prominent
voice of the movement
• Liaises with formal
groups, and/or
governments
• Activates other
volunteer-leaders
toward a common goal
Cesar Chavez
Image: www.biography.com

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WAYS TO SUPPORT VOLUNTEER LEADERS
Funding
Connecting leaders
Online resources
In-kind support
Networking
Fundraising
Mentorship
Training

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Part II: VOLUNTEERS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Volunteers need organizations because…
1. Organizations can provide consistency needed for high-
value, long-term projects.
2. Organizations can provide necessary infrastructure to a
volunteer-led movement, such as that needed to collect
and disseminate funds or participate in a legal action.
3. Organizations can bring specific expertise to the
movement.

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POLL #3
What do you think is the single biggest value of
organizations in movements?
a) Aggregating and disseminating funds
b) Bringing new volunteers into a movement
c) Using organizational clout, or status, to lobby etc.
d) Keeping consistency for high-value projects
e) Specific expertise

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WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION
The Wikimedia movement consists of the
people and groups of people sharing
common goals and activities with regard to
creating and supporting
free knowledge educative content.
The mission of the Wikimedia
Foundation is to empower and engage
people around the world to collect and
develop educational content under a
free license or in the public domain, and to
disseminate it effectively and globally.

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Part III: WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION
The Foundation’s Community Resources team supports
volunteers in the following ways:
1. General support funding
2. Specific capacity-building work
3. Participatory grantmaking process

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SPOTLIGHT ON STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
Wikimedia organizations use staff and volunteers in different ways.
Amical Wikimedia Wikimedia Austria
Personnel • 1 paid employee, meets with
institutions and partners
9am-5pm; volunteers set all
organizational priorities
• 2.5 full-time employees; volunteers
always tapped first for jobs; staff fill
in gaps
Volunteer
Support
• Only pursues initiatives that can
be supported and sustained on
a purely volunteer basis
• An active Wikipedia contributor,
Amical’s employee has
credibility within the movement
and is part of it
• Flexible, low-key approach to keep
volunteers engaged
• Volunteers encouraged to
specialize in areas leveraging their
strength and passion (avoiding
“burn out”)
• Proactive outreach to connect
volunteers and stakeholders
across organizations

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TYPES OF WMF SUPPORT: TESTIMONIALS
Participatory grantmaking
"…With funding we made a process in
which no one person necessarily holds
the decision making power, but rather
it's a consensus-driven process by the
communities that are local, on the
ground, working alongside these
projects."
In-kind
"…It would be great to provide access to [the
Foundation’s] technology staff, for grantees. For
example, allow grant applications to include money to
“buy back” time of tech staff for programming."
General support
"The biggest issue for us is course
correction…and the fact that [with
GOS] we can do everything in one
batch, instead of per-project."
Quotes have been abbreviated for presentation purposes.
Capacity building
"We need more tools, advice and
consultation for organizational
development….the WMF should
support this - apart from financial
support ,this is the most important
way to support sustainable
development of emerging chapters
and communities."

25. 19
REVISITING SESSION AGENDA + TAKEAWAYS
Objectives Takeaways
Part I: Consider the role of
volunteer-leaders in movements
" Common roles include community
organizer, project manager, content
creator, strategist
Part II: Engage in a discussion of
volunteers and organizations in the
movement context, with a spotlight
on The Wikimedia Foundation and
the Wikimedia movement
" Organizations can be useful for
providing consistency, infrastructure,
and specific expertise
Part III: Provide practical advice on
how funders can support volunteer-
led movements, focusing on
organizations
" Funders can provide in-kind resources
and support capacity building, GOS,
and participatory processes - with an
emphasis on prioritizing volunteers
and their needs whenever possible

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QUESTIONS & RESOURCES
Any Questions?
Resources:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Organizational_effectiveness/Learning_center
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IdeaLab/Reimagining_WMF_grants/Outcomes
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/
Funding_Free_Knowledge_the_Wiki_Way_-
_Wikimedia_Foundation_Participatory_Grantmaking.pdf
http://www.idealist.org/info/VolunteerMgmt
www.tccgrp.com

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CONTACTS
Marieke Spence
TCC Group
mspence@tccgrp.com
Rika Gorn
TCC Group
rgorn@tccgrp.com
Deepti Sood
TCC Group
dsood@tccgrp.com
Winifred Olliff
Wikimedia Foundation
wolliff@wikimedia.org