Presentation Slides: File:Putting Institutional Partners at Ease Becoming a Reliable Guide in an Unfamiliar Landscape WCNA 2019.pdf
As Wikimedia DC’s Institutional Partnerships Manager, I actively engage with up to 40 new and established partners each year. This has given me experience in building relationships with both returning partners and those who have little to no knowledge of how to host Wikipedia events or engage with Wikimedia projects.
During my presentation, I will share tips for being a reliable and accessible guide when leading new and possibly skeptical partners through the planning process. My presentation will not address how to recruit new partners, but rather how to move forward once interest has been expressed.
I am aware that conference attendees may already have extensive experience planning editing events and initiatives. While my approach may not be groundbreaking, I hope that some of these tips may help attendees to enhance their own processes or possibly validate their established practices.
Below are select steps for effective partnerships. Additional steps will be added as I craft my slide deck. I will also include cases studies and tips for troubleshooting.
Establish your baseline:
Potential partners come from a variety of fields. Even the most casual conversations can lead to partnerships that ultimately result in edit-a-thons, editing workshops and/or broader collaborative initiatives that help partners to share their resources with the world.
When working with new partners, you must first determine what the partner knows about engagement. Ask pointed questions with the goal of learning about previous experiences. Has your lead contact attended an editing event in the past? Do they know what it means to edit? It’s always best to start from the beginning than to assume previous experience.
While Wikipedia is known around the world, it’s been my finding that few know how articles are created/edited. Remain accessible and do not judge your partners when answering questions. Empathize. It was once new to us, too.
Listen:
What are your partner’s goals and do they align with yours? What would they like to accomplish?
Lead contacts are often charged with staying within thematic parameters. Work to determine limitations and opportunities. Are they looking to share resources or edit articles that align with an upcoming exhibition?
Set Expectations:
Establish, in writing, the division of duties. Share best practices, but also remain flexible.