Wikimedia UK is on the lookout for Trustees to join the Board in May.

This year, we’ve achieved charitable status, raised over £1 million in our annual fundraiser, and run a bigger-than-ever programme of outreach work. However, we have also started to go through a major change. While before we were a purely volunteer organisation, our work is now supplemented by a growing number of staff.

The new Board of Trustees elected in May will need to build on these successes. It will also need to overcome the challenges that come with continuing growth and professionalisation. To this end, the current Board will soon be starting to advertise for expressions of interest in becoming a Trustee.

Presently, the Board is mainly composed of people who are active editors of one or more of the Wikimedia projects. However, we would particularly like to encourage new trustees who have valuable skills and experience – regardless of whether they are currently involved in the Wikimedia movement. The only essentials are commitment to our vision of making the world’s knowledge freely available to all, and an understanding of the dynamics of a charity that relies on a community of volunteers for its impact. We value increasing Board diversity and in particular encourage female candidates to apply.

The Board currently holds four weekend meetings a year and four evening phone conferences between those meetings. All Board members are expected to attend these meetings, and work in between meetings is generally a minimum of five hours a week. Trustees are currently elected for a period of one year, though there will be a motion at our AGM to increase this to a two-year term.

Anyone interested is invited to look at our website for further details of our work, and to contact either Roger Bamkin (Chair) or Jon Davies (Chief Executive) for an exploratory discussion. Potential candidates are invited to our Board meeting on 10th Saturday 11th Feb in London to observe, and for a discussion about future growth and the role of Trustees. The AGM will be in May.