Welcome to the WMF Board Candidate Toolkit!
We are glad you are here. This toolkit is intended for community members who plan to become WMF Board of Trustee candidates and want to better understand what to expect and how to prepare for the role. This resource is especially for those in our community who may be curious but hesitant to take the leap towards this leadership position. We hope that this resource serves as a starting point to your learning but even more a source of encouragement and confidence boost that you can do this!
What is included in this toolkit?
On this page you will find a curated list of free-access resources. They are primarily in English and include various mediums (articles, podcasts, videos).
The themes that are covered include the following:
- Self Reflection
- Purpose and Function
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Expectations
- Skills Needed
- Ways to Prepare Yourself
Each section of this toolkit focuses on one of the themes described above and seeks to answer relevant questions relating to those themes.
How do I use this toolkit?
To use this toolkit, we first suggest starting with the self reflection section, especially if you are planning to become a Board candidate now or in the future. Read through the questions and take some time to answer them.
Each section of this toolkit is stand-alone, meaning that it can be viewed on its own, so feel free to choose where you would like to begin and what resources you want to explore further. Each resource provided below includes a summary of what that resource is. Read the summaries first in order to decide whether that resource is interesting or relevant to you.
Where possible, the resources are ordered such that the first resource in each section provides a general overview while the following resources provide additional details.
Any questions?
For any questions or feedback about this toolkit, feel free to email the Community Development team directly at comdevteam@wikimedia.org or fill out our google form.
Self Reflection
As you prepare for the possibility of joining the WMF Board of Trustees, here are some helpful reflection questions for you to answer. Reflection, and self-awareness, are keys to preparing and succeeding in this role. We suggest that you take some time to write down your answers for yourself. Answering these questions can not only help you understand whether you are ready for this big step, but also help you prepare a clear and convincing message for election campaigning.
Purpose
- Why do I want to be a WMF Trustee?
- How do my goals and values align with this opportunity?
Time Commitment
- Do I have the time and energy to commit to this?
- How will I prioritize this work alongside other responsibilities?
What I know
- What do I know about this role?
- What do I not know?
- What do I want to know more about?
- What assumptions do I have about this role?
- What are my expectations of what the Board of Trustees or an individual Trustee does?
- What would surprise me about this role? About working with other board members? About working with WMF staff?
What I Bring
- What experiences and skills do I bring to this role?
- What social and cultural perspectives do I bring? (age, gender identity, race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration history, religious tradition, etc.)
- How can I bring my experiences and skilled gain from other engagements to this role?
- How will my particular membership into the Board of Trustees support the Board’s work?
- How will my membership in the Board of Trustees support WMF’s communities and initiatives?
- In what ways could my membership on the board enhance the public perception of WMF?
- To what communities, sectors, or ideas could I provide the board access?
- What initiatives or communities would my members in the Board of Trustees help to strengthen?
What I Gain
- What access will being on this board provide me?
- How could this role benefit or harm my existing relationships inside and outside the Wikimedia community?
- What knowledge or skills could I gain from being a member of the Board?
Challenges
- What tensions can I foresee in my membership on the board with myself, my family, my community, other board members, WMF staff?
- How will I handle the conflicts that arise between me and others in this role?
- What do I think are the biggest challenges that will come from this role?
- If I don’t get this role, how can I continue achieving my mission(s) or continuing with the work that inspired me to volunteer with Wikimedia in the first place?
Purpose and Function
What is the purpose and function of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) Board of Trustees? Why does a board exist?
- General information
Type of media: Article
Title: Why do you need a board?
Source: Bridgespan
Summary: All nonprofit organizations need a board. Although the specific responsibilities may vary due to mission focus and different phases of an organization’s existence, the basic role and purpose of all nonprofit boards remain the same. There are legal, ethical, and practical reasons to build a board when a nonprofit is created.
- What is the purpose of the WMF board?
Type of media: Web page
Title: link to appropriate section in the handbook
Source: Wikimedia Meta
Prior knowledge needed:
Summary:
- How are trustees selected, onboarded, and equipped to serve?
Type of media: Web page
Title: link to appropriate section in the handbook
Source: Wikimedia Meta
Prior knowledge needed:
Summary:
Roles and Responsibilities
What are the basic Roles and Responsibilities of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) Board of Trustees? What does the role of a Trustee involve?
- General information
Type of media: Article
Title: Board Responsibilities and Structures
Source: BoardSource, Inc.
Summary: BoardSource's list of basic functional and legal roles of nonprofit boards and board members.
Type of media: Article
Title: Checklist of Board Roles and Responsibilities
Source: BoardSource, Inc.
Summary: BoardSource checklist of basic roles and responsibilities of the nonprofit board.
Type of media: Article
Title: Board Roles and Responsibilities
Source: National Council of Nonprofits
Summary: National Council of Nonprofits page of links and basic information on board roles and responsibilities
Type of media: Video
Title: How to Manage for Collective Creativity
Source: TEDx Cambridge
Summary: Harvard professor Linda Hill, co-author of "Collective Genius," has studied some of the world's most creative companies to come up with a set of tools and tactics to keep great ideas flowing -- from everyone in the company, not just the designated "creatives."
Type of media: Podcast
Title: Managing International and Global Organizations (Episode 27 09.11.2020)
Source: Nonprofit Management and Leadership - Duke University
Summary: Overview of the types and structures of NGOs and how they differ from nonprofit organizations in the US.
- This role involves fiduciary responsibilities
Type of media: Article
Title: Conflicts of Interest
Source: National Council of Nonprofits
Summary: A policy governing conflicts of interests is perhaps the most important policy a nonprofit board can adopt. To have the most impact, the policy should be in writing, and the board and staff should review the policy regularly.
Type of media: Article
Title: Common Board Shortcomings
Source: BoardSource, Inc.
Summary: Ten weaknesses and mistakes common to boards or individual board members -- and how to remedy them.
- This role involves overseeing the organization’s financial health
Type of media: Article
Title: Finance Committee Fundamentals
Source: BoardSource, Inc.
Summary: Basic roles and practices for the Finance Committee
- This role involves thinking about alignment of mission and strategic direction
Type of media: Article
Title: What Every Nonprofit Should Know
Source: Forbes
Summary:Edited 2021 interview with Alnoor Ebrahim, associate professor and faculty chair of the “Governing for Nonprofit Excellence” executive program at Harvard Business School, on the challenges and opportunities facing nonprofit boards.
Type of media: Podcast
Title: Mission, Vision, and Values (Episode 3, 05.09.2020)
Source: Nonprofit Management & Leadership (Duke University)
Summary: Class lecture - the purpose and relationship of a nonprofit's mission, vision, and values statements to each other and to the work of the organization.
Type of media: Article
Title: Productive Board Meetings Doc
Source: Adapted from BoardSource, Inc.
Summary: What happens before, during, and after board meetings to make best use of the time.
Type of media: Article
Title: Intended Impact & Theory of Change
Source: Bridgespan Group
Summary: Intended impact and theory of change clarify what impact a nonprofit will hold itself accountable for and how it will achieve it. The resources here include an article that describes the concepts in-depth, a toolkit with templates for building an intended impact and theory of change, and case studies detailing how a number of organizations approached developing their own.
- This role involves monitoring activities and providing oversight
Type of media: Article
Title: Measuring Fundraising Effectiveness
Source: GuideStar
Summary: This guide is designed to support boards in their first two roles, helping to answer key questions about the organization’s fundraising effectiveness and guide conversations about what this might mean in terms of future strategy and planning.
Type of media: Article
Title: Strategic Planning 101
Source: Blue Avocado
Summary: A poor board-CEO relationship can create unnecessary friction that diverts time and energy from other institutional challenges. This article provides a step-by-step guide to strengthen the board-executive director relationship with a nonprofit’s mission.
What does the role of a Trustee NOT involve? What do we avoid doing?
General information
Type of media: Video
Title: How to Disagree Productively
Source: TED Talk | Leadership & Disagreement Productively
Summary: Drawing on her background as a world debate champion, Julia Dhar offers three techniques to reshape the way we talk to each other so we can start disagreeing productively and finding common ground.
- This role involves avoiding conflicts of interest
Type of media: Article
Title: Conflicts of Interest - an introduction
Source: Legal Center for Nonprofits, Inc.
Summary: Conflicts of interest are rooted in the fiduciary duty of loyalty owed by directors and officers to their nonprofit corporations. The duty of loyalty requires directors and officers to act at all times in the best interests of the nonprofit.
- This role involves recognizing and addressing our implicit biases
Type of media: Online Test Instrument
Title: Implicit Bias Test
Source: Project Implicit
Summary: A variety of test instruments for discovering one's implicit biases regarding age, race, gender, religion, and more.
Type of media: Video
Title: How to Outsmart Your Unconscious Bias
Source: TEDx Pasadena
Summary: Author, speaker and CEO, Valerie Alexander, explains how the human brain instinctively reacts when encountering the unexpected, like saber-toothed tigers or female tech execs, and proposes that if we have the courage to examine our own behavior when faced with the unfamiliar, we can take control of our expectations, and by doing so, change the world.
Board Officers and Committees: what are these?
General information
Type of media: Blog post
Title: Officers and Directors - Not the Same Thing
Source: Nonprofit Law Blog
Summary: It’s important for every director to understand their fiduciary duties and responsibilities, including those related to complying with the laws and the corporation’s governing documents (sometimes referred to as the duty of obedience). And among the critical compliance matters for the board is the proper election of directors and officers. Conflating these processes can create problems that the board should not let happen.
Type of media: Article & Video
Title: Board Officers and Committees: What Structure Works Best?
Source: Mission Box
Summary: A well-functioning board of directors or trustees is essential to the health and sustainability of any nonprofit. Here's what you need to know about board officers and committees.
- What is the Board Chair and what does this person do?
Type of media: Article
Title: How to Be a Good Board Chair
Source: Harvard Business Review (Archives)
Summary: The chair leads the board, not the company, and that means being a facilitator of effective group discussions, not a team commander. INSEAD has distilled the requirements for the chair’s role down to eight principles.
Type of media: Article
Title: Board Chair and Chief Executive Responsibilities
Source: BoardSource
Summary: A strong partnership between the chief executive and board chair is essential to leading an effective organization. When the relationship goes awry, it’s often due to confusion over the individual responsibilities.
- This role involves understanding what committees are and what committees do
Type of media: Blog
Title: Nonprofit Board Committee Structure
Source: Board Effect
Summary: Even when you have good people all around on a nonprofit board, the structure of the board and committees is important to the health and sustainability of the operation. Well-chosen board officers enhance an existing good nonprofit board committee structure. Since much of a board’s work is done in committees, the structure of standing and ad hoc committees can make a big difference in how much work the board can accomplish.
Type of media: Article
Title: The Basics of Board Committee Structure
Source: American Society of Association Executives
Summary: If the committee structure has not been revisited in a few years, the board should consider looking at the current committee structure and what the committees actually do. If there are overlapping responsibilities or no work being done, then it is time to realign the committee structure. Committees with no work can be abolished, and committees with overlapping work can be merged. Committees should not take on a life of their own, nor should they overshadow the board itself.
Expectations
What is expected of me as a WMF Trustee?
General Information
- What is my role in relation to WMF staff?
Type of media: Web page
Title: link to appropriate section in the handbook
Source: Wikimedia Meta
Summary:
- What is my role in relation to the community?
Type of media: Web page
Title: link to appropriate section in the handbook
Source: Wikimedia Meta
Summary:
Skills Needed
What skills do I possess as a WMF Trustee? Alternatively, what skills will I need to learn? What “soft” skills do I possess?
This section includes resources that relate to soft skills and hard skills that a board member will need to possess.
It is not expected that you possess all of these skills prior to joining the Board, however these are skills that are important to learn when becoming a Board of Trustee member. The purpose of the resources is to direct your attention to the skills necessary for the role.
General information
Type of media:
Title:
Source:
Summary:
- This role involves the skill of strategic thinking
Type of media: Video
Title: How great leaders inspire action - Simon Sinek
Source: TED
Summary: Simon Sinek presents a simple but powerful model for how leaders inspire action, starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers -- and as a counterpoint to Tivo, which (until a recent court victory that tripled its stock price) appeared to be struggling.
Type of media: Video
Title: Introducing the Art of Strategic Thinking – Getting Execution Right
Source: Balanced Scorecard Institute
Summary: This 30-minute session will focus on seven specific competencies individuals and teams should develop to build organizational capacity to get strategy execution right: • See the big picture for your organization • Articulate strategic objectives • Identify relationships, patterns, and trends in seemingly unrelated issues or problems • Get creative by looking at alternatives • Analyze information • Prioritize your actions • Make trade-offs
Type of media: Video
Title: The Difference Between Strategic Planning and Strategic Thinking
Source: Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning
Summary: A 2-minute "mini-explainer" on the differences between strategic thinking and strategic planning.
Type of media: Blog
Title: How to Develop Strategic Thinking Skills
Source: Harvard Business School Online
Summary: Approaches to develop strategic thinking to spot new opportunities, address emerging challenges, and plan for future success.
Type of media: Article
Title: 4 Ways to Improve Your Strategic Thinking Skills
Source: Harvard Business Review
Summary: First, routinely explore the internal trends - such as issues that come up repeatedly. The second ability is asking relevant tough questions. Third, structure communication in a way that helps your audience focus on the core message. Finally, make time for reflection.
- This role involves the skill of trust building and collaboration
Type of media: Video
Title: Understanding Trust in Civil Society
Source: Independent Sector
Summary: While we intuitively know that trust building is vital to the success of any recovery effort or social movement, we don��t always have the data necessary to understand where we stand, or what we need to change to build and strengthen that trust.
- 'This role involves the skill of consensus building'
Type of media: Video & Article
Title: Ten Steps to Building Consensus
Source: SmithCulp Consulting
Summary: A step-by-step process for reaching a consensus decision.
Type of media: Article
Title: Facilitating Group Consensus
Source: Professionalism Matters
Summary: A process for reaching consensus -- especially with difficult personalities.
Type of media: Article
Title: Consensus Decision Making: A Short Guide
Source: Seeds for Change
Summary: Consensus decision making is a creative and dynamic way of reaching agreement in a group. Instead of simply voting for an item and having the majority getting their way, a consensus group is committed to finding solutions that everyone actively supports – or at least can live with.
Type of media: Video & Article
Title: Consent is a Third Option
Source: Circle Forward
Summary: An Alternative to Consensus: The Consent Principle means that a decision has been made when none of the participants in the decision have any significant objections to it; i.e. when no one can identify a risk that the group cannot afford to take. Those risks typically involve conflicts with the stated purpose or strategies, or the creation of conditions that would make it very difficult for a member to perform his or her role. Under those conditions, the group or person would be out of their range of tolerance.
- This role involves the skill of communication
Type of media: Video
Title: Marcus Alexander Velaquez - The Art of Effective Communication
Source: TEDx
Summary: This presentation is intended to challenge its hearers to evaluate their current methods of communicating for the purposes of saving time and emotions, as well as increasing the effectiveness of one’s communication. Effective communication can be defined as the delivering of information that is accurately received, in the least amount of time, without being an emotional burden. We can conserve our time, which is our greatest asset, by effectively communicating.
Type of media: Video
Title: Patricia Ryan - Don’t insist on English!
Source: TEDx
Summary: Patricia Ryan is a longtime English teacher who asks a provocative question: Is the world's focus on English preventing the spread of great ideas in other languages? In other words: What if Einstein had to pass the TOEFL? It's a passionate defense of translating and sharing ideas.
Type of media: Article
Title: The Five Steps to Conflict Resolution
Source: American Management Association
Summary: Disagreement in the boardroom is not only inevitable - it is desirable. The board makes critical and often difficult decisions between competing goods. How we handle disagreement matters. Here is a simple process for handling conflict productively.
What “hard” skills do I possess?
- This role involves understanding financial literacy
Type of media: Glossary
Title: Glossary of Financial Terms
Source: Nonprofit Finance Fund
Summary: An extensive glossary of financial terms used by foundations and other nonprofits.
Type of media: Article
Title: Where to Find Nonprofit Financial Information
Source: BridgeSpan
Summary: Use a foundation's annual report, the IRS Form 990, and the annual audit to find important financial information of the organization.
Type of media: Article - pdf
Title: Board Members Finance and Accounting Booklet
Source: Jacobson Jarvis & Co PLLC
Summary: A useful handbook for board members with little to no previous training in finance and accounting.
Type of media: Video
Title: Understanding Cost Allocation
Source: Propel Nonprofits
Summary: Learn and understand the four methods of cost allocation—direct assignment, staff time, cost drivers based on volume, and estimates—and what questions to ask yourself as you go throughout the process.
Type of media: Video
Title: Understanding Reserves
Source: Propel Nonprofits
Summary: Three reasons to have a reserve fund:for unforeseen expenses or cash shortfalls, replacement or repair of equipment or property, or unexpected opportunities.
Type of media: Article
Title: Endowments
Source: National Council of Nonprofits
Summary: The purpose, use, and fiduciary requirements of a financial endowment.
Type of media: Article
Title: Nonprofit Audit Guide
Source: National Council of Nonprofits
Summary: The purpose of a financial audit -- and the board's in the audit process.
Type of media: Video
Title: Understanding Audited Financial Statements
Source: Wallace Foundation
Summary: A video guide explaining the components of nonprofit audited financial statements and key indicators of financial health and performance.
- This role involves the skill to navigate social media
Type of media: Blog
Title: Social Media Meets (and Makes) the Nonprofit Board
Source: Board Effect
Summary: Among a board member’s key roles is to serve as an ambassador and advocate for the nonprofit organization. As the expert points out, sharing positive commentary via social media can amplify the nonprofit’s online presence, helping to attract more attention and increase credibility of its mission. Furthermore, board members’ online activity can support planned communications campaigns around events and also diffuse any negative attention that might develop around the organization.
- This role involves the skill of advocacy
Type of media: Article
Title: Working with Legislators: Advocacy Briefing Guide for Board Members
Source: BoardSource
Summary: Board members can effect change by advocating for the mission to legislators. This overview covers how to prepare for meetings with legislators - as well as the restrictions on lobbying placed on different types of foundations and nonprofits.
Type of media: Blog
Title: Advocacy Basic Every Nonprofit Should Understand
Source: PICnet
Summary: Many organizations use advocacy in an attempt to address the root causes of the problem they are trying to solve. As the great saying from Desmond Tutu goes, "There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in." Advocacy can be a way for many nonprofits to "go upstream".
- This role involves the skill of strategic planning
Type of media: Video
Title: Overview of the Strategic Planning Process
Source: Virtual Strategist
Summary: Erica Olsen, COO and Co-Founder of http://OnStrategyHQ.com illustrates the full strategic planning process in less than five minutes. Understand the importance of defining your direction, setting up an effective strategic plan that can be communicated to your staff so everyone knows what the priorities are. With everyone pulling in the same direction, momentum is easy to achieve.
Type of media: Article
Title: Ten Keys to Successful Strategic Planning for Nonprofits and Foundations
Source: TCC Group
Summary: A deeper dive into strategic vision, planning, and execution. What strategic planning is (and isn't), the components of an effective plan, and a bibliography of additional resources.
Type of media: Podcast
Title: Strategic Planning (Episode 13, 03.10.2020)
Source: Nonprofit Management and Leadership, Duke University
Summary: Audio recording of a university course session on boards and strategic planning. Although some board members may have experience with strategic planning, most arrive on a nonprofit board knowing anything about how nonprofits work. Strategy is about aligning and coordinating organizational actions with intended outcomes.
- This role can include specific skills & techniques, such as performing SWOT analyses and scenario planning
Type of media: Video
Title: SWOT Analysis
Source: Virtual Strategist
Summary: SWOT simply stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The purpose of a SWOT analysis is to create a synthesized view of your current state.
Type of media: Video
Title: Putting Your SWOT to Work
Source: Virtual Strategist
Summary: After creating an initial SWOT analysis, use it as a platform for designing and executing responsive actions that align actions with strategic priorities.
Type of media: Video & Article
Title: 16 Strategic Planning Models To Consider
Source: ClearPoint Strategy
Summary: Strategic planning tools, or models, are designed to help organizations develop their action plan to achieve their goals. There are many types of planning tools available. Here are 16 of the most popular with the scenarios in which they are most useful.
Type of media: Article
Title: Scenario and Contingency Planning
Source: The Bridgespan Group
Summary: Scenario planning enables leaders to explore and prepare for hypothetical circumstances and environments (e.g., economic downturn vs. recovery, or government funding cuts vs. growth). Contingency planning is a form of scenario planning focused on navigating worst-case scenarios (e.g., loss of primary funding, programmatic failure, adverse policy change).
Type of media: Article
Title: Making Sense of Uncertainty: Nonprofit Scenario Planning During a Crisis
Source: The Bridgespan Group
Summary: Scenario planning helps organization leaders navigate uncertainty while providing structure around making key strategic decisions. This article, and the accompanying tool, can support you and your leadership team through a scenario planning process that could help preserve your organization’s ability to pursue its goals for impact.
Type of media: Video
Title: Preparing for Transformative Scenario Planning (TSP) in India
Source: ASSAR Project
Summary: Compelling example of scenario planning in action. In 2016, stakeholders from Bangalore’s government, civil society, and private and academic sectors met to think about Bangalore's water future. Here, participants learned about Transformative Scenario Planning (TSP), which helps stakeholders from diverse perspectives to discuss a complex issue by collectively developing a range of relevant and plausible future scenarios and their possible outcomes.
You have made it to the end of the toolkit!
We hope that this resource is helpful to you as you prepare to run (or consider running!) for a WMF Board of Trustee seat.
If you have any questions about Board of Trustee elections (for instance, who can run, when to run, where elections are taking place, and how you can become a potential candidate, visit the election hub for more information.
What else to know?
It’s important to note that the materials below are a starting point to your journey of learning about the Board of Trustee role, a journey that will continue even after you join the board. This toolkit is intended as a learning resource.
We hope this resource can encourage and build confidence in those who may be hesitant about their abilities to take on a role such as one on WMF’s Board. All the materials you will find here help you better understand the role. It’s not a necessity that you possess all the skills or knowledge right away. If you are elected, there will definitely be more resources and support for you including an onboarding.