Affiliations Committee
The Affiliations Committee advises and makes recommendations regarding the recognition and existence of Wikimedia movement affiliates.
Contact:
AffCom
lists.wikimedia.org
@WikimediaAffCom 
@WikimediaAffCom
- 2021-06-01 The AffCom is seeking new members! Applications are accepted from June 1 to June 30. Also, everyone can share endorsement and comments for the June 2021 candidates.
- 2021-02-07 The Dagbani Wikimedians User Group User Group has been recognized as a user group for a one-year renewable period.
- 2020-12-08 The Wikimedistas de Uruguay User Group has been recognized as a user group for a one-year renewable period.
- 2020-12-08 The Wikimedians of the Uzbek language User Group has been recognized as a user group for a one-year renewable period.
- 2020-11-04 Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana's affiliate status lapsed.
- 2020-10-30 The Wikimedians of Bulgaria User Group lost affiliate status because of non-compliance with annual reporting.
- 2020-10-22 The Wiki World Heritage User Group has been recognized as a user group for a one-year renewable period.
The Affiliations Committee (formerly known as Chapters Committee, colloquially AffCom) is a Wikimedia community-run committee entrusted with advising the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees on the approval of new movement affiliates: national and subnational chapters, thematic organisations, and user groups.
The Committee was created on January 15, 2006, by a resolution of the Board of Trustees, along with several other Wikimedia committees. Its original mandate included coordination of the development of Wikimedia chapters—which at the time were at an early stage of organisation—, as well as facilitating communication among the chapters and between chapters and the Wikimedia Foundation.
In 2012, following a community discussion and a resulting Board of Trustees' resolution, the scope of the Committee was expanded to include thematic organisations and user groups. In accordance with the resolution, the Committee drafted its charter which was officially approved by the Board in August, finalising the transition into the Affiliations Committee.
The Affiliations Committee makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees on the recognition, approval and existence of Wikimedia movement affiliates, and for facilitating the creation of those organisations. In other words, the Committee helps Wikimedians from all around the world self-organise into chapters, thematic organisations and user groups, and to gain official recognition from the Wikimedia Foundation.
We can guide you through the founding process of your organisation by helping you to prepare bylaws, answering questions about what the Foundation expects from an affiliate, providing help and advice on solving common technical, trademark, administrative and community-building issues, and—if appropriate—by approving limited financial support for starting up your activities (such as covering the costs of registration and running initial projects).
If you're interested in getting in touch with local efforts in your area, feel free to contact us using any of the methods listed below, and we'll be happy to put you in contact with the right people.
The Affiliates Committee comprises volunteers selected for their enthusiasm and their skills in community organising, cross-cultural communication, reviewing bylaws, and providing governance advice for emerging organisations. There are currently ten voting members with terms of two years each; the terms are arranged so that half of the seats are up for election every year.
Voting members of the Committee are helped by an unspecified number of non-voting advisers, either appointed by the Board of Trustees (known as Board liaisons) or by the Committee itself. Advisers provide the Committee with on-the-ground experience, language skills, and governance advice, and are able to take part in discussions on an internal wiki and a non-public mailing list.
Certain Wikimedia Foundation staff members are also actively present on the Affiliations Committee's non-public mailing list and internal wiki acting as liaisons and providing insight and advice when needed. They are not formal members of the committee, and are present at the request of the Wikimedia Foundation and with permission from voting members of the committee.
All members of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees have access to the Affiliations Committee's internal wiki.
If you'd like to be a voting member of the Committee, please leave a note on the talk page, and you'll be notified when seats become available. The next selection is scheduled for the mid of 2021, with new members joining the Committee in July, 2021. New members and advisers may be added by the end of 2021, as well.
| Member | Languages | Location (time zone) | Term end | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mehman Ibragimov | ka-N, tr-N, ru-N, az-N, en-3 | Georgia, Eastern Europe (UTC+4) | December 31, 2021 | Vice-Chair |
| Emna Mizouni | ar-N, en-3, fr-3, es-1 | Tunisia, Africa (UTC+1) | December 31, 2021 | |
| Sami Mlouhi | ar-N, en-3, fr-3, it-1 | Tunisia, Africa (UTC+1) | December 31, 2021 | |
| Camelia Boban | ro-N, it-4, en-2, fr-1 | Rome, Italy (UTC+1) | December 31, 2022 | |
| Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight | en-N, es-3, fr-2, sr-2 | California, United States (UTC-8/UTC-7) | December 31, 2021 | Chair |
| Olushola Olaniyan | en-4, yo-N | Lagos, Nigeria (UTC+1) | December 31, 2021 | |
| Başak Tosun | tr-N, en-5 | Turkey, Eastern Europe (UTC+3) | December 31, 2022 | Treasurer |
| Jeffrey Keefer | en-N, fr-2 | United States, North America (UTC-4/UTC-5) | December 31, 2022 | Secretary |
| Suyash Dwivedi | hi-N, en-3, sa-2 | India, South Asia (UTC+05:30) | December 31, 2022 | |
| Bunty Avieson | en-N | Australia, Oceania (UTC+8/+9.5/+10) | December 31, 2022 |
Non-voting members
Able to access the committee's non-public mailing list and internal wiki.
| Adviser | Languages | Location (time zone) | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maor Malul | es, en-5, lad-4, pt-4, de-3, he-3, ca-3, af-2, guc-2, tr-2 | Israel, Western Asia (UTC+2) | December 31, 2022 | |
| Anthony B. Diaz | Philippines, Southeast Asia (UTC+8) | December 31, 2022 | ||
| Jorid Martinsen | no-N, nn-3, en-3 | Norway, Northern Europe (UTC+1/UTC+2) | September 30, 2021 | |
| Ilario Valdelli | it-N, en-3, fr-3 | Switzerland, Central Europe (UTC+1/UTC+2) | September 30, 2021 |
| Liaison | Languages | Location (time zone) | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shani Evenstein Sigalov | Israel, Western Asia (UTC+2) | — | ||
| Dr. James Heilman | en-N, fr-2 | — |
| Liaison | Languages | Location (time zone) | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaime Anstee | — | United States, North America (UTC-8/UTC-7) | — | |
| Dumisani Ndubane | ts-N, en-4 | South Africa (UTC+2) | — | |
| Manavpreet Kaur | pa-N, en-4, hi-3, fr-2 | Punjab, India, Asia (UTC+5:30) | — | |
| Nahid Sultan | bn-N, en-3, bpy-1.05, hif-1, as-1 | Bangladesh, South Asia (UTC +6) | — | Trust & Safety |
| Charles Roslof | — | United States, North America (UTC-8/UTC-7) | — | Legal |
| Stephen LaPorte | — | United States, North America (UTC-8/UTC-7) | — | Legal |
| Delphine Ménard | fr-N, en-4, de-3, es-2, it-2 | Germany, Europe (UTC+1/UTC+2) | — | Observer |
- The best way to contact the Committee is to write an e-mail to affcom
lists.wikimedia.org; please note that the Committee might be sometimes slow in responding to e-mails, so if you don't receive a reply to your message in a reasonable time, just send us a reminder.
- You can follow or tweet the Committee on Twitter: @WikimediaAffCom
- You can follow or write to the Committee on Facebook: @WikimediaAffCom
- You can also contact the members of the Committee individually by clicking on their usernames in the timeline above; feel free to use our talk pages and e-mails for any questions related to chapters, thematical organisations or user groups.
- Sporadically, members of the Committee idle on the #wikimedia-affcomconnect IRC channel on Freenode; however, contacting us on the mailing list would almost always be a better choice.
- You may also arrange a phone call (via Skype or Google Hangout) with members of the Committee.
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