Wikimedia Movement Strategic Plan Summary/What We Believe

What we believe

Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.

Wikimedia is a movement, a vision, and a set of values

Wikimedia is made up of hundreds of thousands of people who collectively form a movement. This movement is rooted in a set of core values that shape our vision and guide our work.

Wikipedian participant Witty Lama

Knowledge should be free

Access to information empowers people to make rational decisions about their lives. We believe the ability to access information freely and without restrictions is a basic human right. Our vision requires that the educational materials we collect and create together be free for others to use and reuse. Our work also depends on free and open formats and technologies.

Video clip of the series of Wikimedia videos about our editors and projects.

Share with every human being

The Wikimedia movement strives to include every single human being in our work by making our knowledge resources available and providing the venue for all people to share their knowledge. We prioritize efforts that empower disadvantaged and underrepresented communities, and that help overcome barriers to participation.

Wikipedian participant DewB

Information shall be accurate and unbiased

People trust us because they know we resist attempts to skew our content. We know that no one is free from bias. But we believe that mass collaboration among a diverse set of contributors, combined with consensus building around controversial topics, are powerful tools for achieving our goals. We strive to provide information that is accurate, neutral, verifiable, comprehensive and unbiased.

We must protect our independence

The Wikimedia Foundation depends on donations to provide the infrastructure for the Wikimedia movement. In order to stay free of influence, we reserve the right to refuse donations that could restrict our operations or steer us away from our priorities and mission. We seek financial contributions from a large number of donors, in order to avoid over-dependency on any single revenue source.

We value openness and diversity

The Wikimedia movement is global. So far, Wikimedia has projects in more than 270 languages, and chapters in 30 countries. The Wikimedia Foundation maintains an international staff and board of trustees. A healthy mix of demographic and cultural characteristics everywhere throughout the movement is key to Wikimedia's success.

We are a volunteer-driven movement

The Wikimedia projects and chapters are created and managed by volunteers. The Wikimedia Foundation works in service to our shared goals, making investments that will increase the community's effectiveness in building and developing the projects and achieving our shared vision.

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This is a version of the final, Board-approved summary that should not be edited - if you have any comments, please share them here.