Wanted - Board members for Wikimedia Belgium

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Wikimedia Belgium NPO is the national Wikimedia association in Belgium. To strengthen our operations, Wikimedia Belgium is seeking additional board members. According to the Belgian Companies and Associations Code, there must be at least 3 board members.

Wikimedia Belgium does not yet have any staff. All activities, including the board, are performed by volunteers without remuneration. Expenses are reimbursed to the extent that they are in line with the tasks and after prior approval.

Candidates

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We are looking for motivated candidates who want to spend a (significant) part of their free time contributing to the functioning of the national association to support Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata and related Wikimedia projects, as well as third parties who want to support such projects.

The president and the other directors represent the association vis-à-vis partners, third parties, at the Wikimedia Foundation and abroad in the context of international cooperation with other Wikimedia chapters. Wikimedia Belgium also seeks to be a service provider for the community of Wikimedia volunteers in Belgium.

Experience with the Wikimedia platforms, or with the culture sector (libraries, museums, archives, heritage, botany, education) is desirable.

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Be of age, have full civil rights, have no conflict of interest.

Members of the executive board (directors) are elected by the general assembly for 2 years (the president is elected each year).

The board represents Wikimedia Belgium. They decide collegially, have all legal rights and obligations, each individually and as a group, towards the association and are accountable to the general assembly, the Wikimedia Foundation, the authorities, the Friends of Wikimedia Belgium Fund, and the King Baudouin Foundation for specific projects.

The asbl is liable as a legal entity; but in some circumstances, individual board members can also be held liable.

Board functions

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The board members represent the association abroad, towards partners, third parties and towards the Wikimedia Foundation.

The effective members, gathered in the general assembly, elect the board members. The elected board members deliberate and decide among themselves about the distribution of their mandates:

  • president: coordinates the board, is the (inter)national contact person
  • secretary: reports on official meetings, maintains archives of the organisation (on Wiki, Google Suite and on paper)
  • treasurer: accounting, access to the bank account, payments, incoming and outgoing invoices, approval and payment of expense notes and allowances, yearly budget, monitoring of revenues and budgets, management of the association's own assets, drawing up the annual accounts, financial report to the general meeting, filing of the income tax, declaration of the annual tax on non-profit organisations
  • communication officer: contact with the press, radio, TV, newsletter, social platforms, YouTube channel, websites
  • public relations: contacts with GLAM, heritage, the world of education
  • project manager: setting up, implementing and monitoring projects, including the "Friends of" projects
  • partner relations: establishing and managing partnerships with cultural associations (GLAM, education, free knowledge)
  • fundraising: managing the relationship with the Friends of Wikimedia Belgium committee and the King Boudwijn Foundation

Specific tasks

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  • Setting up and carrying out activities and cooperation with museums, universities, colleges, heritage institutions, libraries, archives
  • Supporting our volunteers
  • Preparation, approval, follow-up, and reporting of the budget
  • Cooperating with the other national Wikimedia associations, user groups and associations with similar objectives
  • Updating the different (administrative) Wikis
  • Maintaining the association's public website
  • Managing the social platforms
  • Answering emails, telephone calls, and messages and questions from third parties
  • Contribute to setting up, implementing and monitoring the annual budget

Time commitment

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Depending on the specific tasks, the following tasks and activities are expected to be performed. Depending on the division of tasks and the responsibilities included, this will take a few hours or several days per week/month.

General skills

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Please note: not every board member must have all listed qualifications. The board works as a college, using the optimum mix of the capacities of each board member for the “best fit” assignment.

  • Wikimedia:
    • Familiar with the Wikimedia movement
    • Being interested in the Wikimedia projects
    • Being well informed about the Wikimedia projects and platforms
  • Communication:
    • Be fluent in digital techniques
    • Have good language skills: Dutch, French, English.
    • Fluent in written and oral communication
    • Experience in contacts with the press, radio, TV
    • Experience with social platforms
    • Fluent in reporting
  • Projects:
    • Experience with museums, heritage, archives, education, libraries, heritage associations
    • Experience setting up, budgeting and executing projects
    • Experience with drafting and validating contracts
  • Administration:
    • Knowledge of the Belgian non-profit legislation
    • Experience in drafting budgets
    • Not afraid of (complex) legal administration
    • Experience with public administration
    • Knowledge of accounting
  • Collaboration:
    • Social skills
    • Being able to cooperate smoothly with other institutions and associations
    • Easy collaboration with the other board members
    • Effective collaboration with the Friends of Wikimedia Belgium Fund

Support

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  • The position is unpaid
  • Motivated expenses will be reimbursed
  • Board members can use a Chromebook for the duration of their position

Privacy

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Your identity (based on the national registration number or the BISNR for foreigners) is registered with the Belgian authorities via the Enterprise Court (Moniteur Belge, Crossroads Bank for Enterprises, UBO register, functions linked to the eID). You will also be informed of this by the authorities. It allows you to manage administrative changes or records via the e-ID. To the extent you are involved in the administration of the grants, your identity will also be passed on to the Wikimedia Foundation. Your identity will also be passed on to the bank if you are responsible for the bank account.

Nomination

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You can apply by sending a motivated e-mail to board wikimedia.be. Questions can also be sent to this address. You commit yourself for a term of 2 years, which can be extended after re-election.

Find out more

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