Annual Report 2024 Wikimedia Switzerland — Overview

A word from the president

In my years as a GLAM representative in the board, I've witnessed firsthand how free knowledge transforms lives and societies. Now, as I stepped into the role of Board President for Wikimedia CH, I'm both honoured and energised by the responsibility before us.

2024 was a year of growth and adaptation for our chapter. As detailed in this report, we've strengthened our organisation, expanded our reach, and deepened our community support across Switzerland's diverse linguistic regions.

What strikes me most is how Wikimedia CH has remained agile in its operations, yet steadfast in its convictions in an increasingly complex digital landscape. We’re exploring the impact of new technology, notably AI, on Wikimedia platforms, while remaining committed to the human knowledge that makes those platforms possible. Through our programmes, we're building bridges between institutions and individuals, heritage and innovation, humans and technology.

We know our strength lies in our community – the dedicated volunteers, staff, association members, donors and partners who contribute to our mission. So, to all of you: Merci, Grazie, Danke, Grazcha fich, Thank You for your passion and dedication. As we move forward together, I invite your ideas, your feedback, and your collaboration in advancing our shared mission of free knowledge for all.

Matthias Nepfer

Wikimedia CH Board President

A word from the executive director

There's a quote that says "Change is the only constant," and 2024 proved this true for Wikimedia CH. Despite significant shifts in our team and organisation, we continued to make remarkable strides towards our vision of promoting free knowledge.

Our achievements would be impossible without the dedication of our volunteers, who generously share their expertise across all programmes. Their commitment to creating a world where knowledge belongs to everyone drives everything we do.

2024 saw us strengthen partnerships, open community spaces and develop new strategies. A highlight was our Wikipedia Day in Bern, bringing together 100 Wikipedians, members, partners and stakeholders to explore AI's role in our future. Our programmes flourished: new GLAM partnerships expanded access to cultural heritage, educational initiatives reached more learners, and our first-ever Community strategy set a clear path forward. Meanwhile, our Innovation programme tackled pressing challenges around AI and climate change.

Our team grew from 12 to 15 people, bringing fresh perspectives and strengthening our capacity to serve the community. We welcomed new board leadership under Matthias Nepfer, while focusing intensively on sustainability and impact measurement through initiatives like our Carbon Footprint Analysis and the "Value for Good" programme.

Looking ahead, 2025 brings exciting milestones as we kick off our new strategy planning process and prepare for Wikimedia CH’s 20th and Wikipedia’s 25th anniversaries. While we continue to evolve and adapt, one thing remains constant: our unwavering commitment to ensuring everyone has access to free knowledge.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank everyone who makes these achievements possible – the Wikipedians and Wikimedians, our community, donors, partners, team members and board. Thank you for your dedication to free knowledge in Switzerland and beyond.

Jenny Ebermann

Wikimedia CH Executive Director

Strategy at a glance

Our vision

As Wikimedia CH, we:

• Bring people together with the aim of disseminating free knowledge for a smart and open society.
• Enable Wikipedians to share knowledge and connect them with the Wikimedia universe.
• Are a collaborative and accountable association representing the interests of our multilingual communities in Switzerland.

Our mission

• To support our community of volunteers in their work to collect, curate and disseminate free knowledge and promote their contributions to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects (more information: Community website).
• To help Swiss memory institutions share their knowledge, collections and curatorial resources digitally with a global community through a global platform – all this to make (Swiss) cultural heritage and its diversity more accessible to the world (more information: GLAM website).
• To sensitise all levels of education to sustainable use of digital information (more information: Education website).
• To advocate for free knowledge, including at the political level (more information: Outreach website).

Our strategy

— Impact directions

1. GLAM – We collaborate with galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) throughout Switzerland to provide digital access to memory institutions’ collections and artefacts. We aim to share the country’s culture and history in a sustainable format and across all borders.
2. Education – We deliver and collaborate on education programmes that advance learning at every level, for both children and adults. Our work supports lifelong learning as well as teachers and trainers at schools, universities and other institutions of higher education.
3. Community – We help the Wikimedia CH community grow, supporting existing members and cultivating new Wikipedians. Among other activities, we train and mentor Wikipedia editors and support the diverse and multicultural interests of our community with targeted programming.
4. Public Affairs & Partnerships – We believe in using our unique position in the field of information exchange to be an influencer on national and international issues concerning open access and open knowledge. We offer our viewpoints on copyright, technology and more.
5. Innovation – Our Innovation Lab is a dedicated space for experimentation and improvement that helps us anticipate and address societal changes while optimising projects that advance our core purpose. We aim to create a safe framework to explore bold ideas, exchange knowledge and improve tools in an accessible, non-judgmental way.

GLAM

Galleries, libraries, archives and museums

— Overview

The GLAM programme made significant strides in 2024, despite changes to the team and ways of working. A major achievement was creating a new community space at the Kunsthaus Biel Centre d'art Bienne (KBCB), which quickly became an active hub for workshops and collaborative events. This complemented ongoing partnerships with institutions like the Swiss National Library and the Swiss Archive of the Performing Arts (SAPA), the latter of which resulted in over 11,000 new images being added to Wikimedia Commons.

As the year progressed, the programme increasingly focused on archives and decolonisation projects, setting the stage for these to be key themes in 2025. This included work on archiving objects and 3D projects, as well as multiple decolonisation initiatives in collaboration with partners like Supsi and the National Museum Zurich. The programme also strengthened its international presence through successful campaigns like International Museum Day 2024, which brought together the International Council of Museums (ICOM), multiple Wikimedia chapters, and GLAM partners in a comprehensive series of contests, panel discussions, and educational video releases.

Education

— Overview

Programme Education saw important developments in early 2024 with the hiring of a new Programme Lead and the development of a three-year implementation plan aligned with our education strategy for 2022-2026.

The programme made significant strides in reaching future educators through new partnerships, such as the signing of the MoU with MIA21, as well as strengthened collaboration with various higher education institutions, such as training for lecturers and students at HEP Vaud and HEIG-VD. We also concentrated on making our educational tools more accessible across Switzerland's language regions and user groups, notably through a new development of Wikeys for children (junior version).

Community

— Overview

The Community programme exists to support and empower the dedicated individuals who freely share their time and knowledge to advance Wikimedia projects. We are deeply grateful to all volunteers who contributed to our common mission in 2024, as their work is essential to everything covered in this report.

We made significant strides in 2024, focusing on strategic partnerships, community support and diversity initiatives that build and enhance our community and further our impact. The development of the first-ever Wikimedia CH Community strategy marked a significant milestone in early 2024. Implementation of this strategy will continue through 2026.

A major focus this year was supporting and empowering community-led initiatives through targeted project grants and workshops. The programme strengthened existing relationships while forging valuable new partnerships across Switzerland's language regions, emphasising sustainable community growth and engagement. Alongside these efforts, we strengthened our community infrastructure by updating policies and developing new mechanisms to understand and respond to community needs.

Public Affairs and Partnerships

— Overview

Wikimedia CH is uniquely positioned to advocate for issues important to our Movement. As Switzerland is home to the United Nations and other international organisations and non-profits, as well as the European headquarters for many corporations and start-ups, our potential for impact at a political and social level is significant.

In 2024, Public Affairs & Partnerships focused on expanding our impact through advocacy work and strengthening relationships with partners and institutions. The successful launch of our first Wikipedia Day in Bern marked a significant milestone, bringing together our community around the timely topic of artificial intelligence. This event kicked off a year-long exploration of AI's implications for free knowledge through various formats and channels. We also increased our policy work at both national and European levels while developing new approaches to engage partners and support our mission.

Included in our public affairs efforts are our communication and fundraising activities, which support all of our programmes. This year, we continued to strengthen our outreach tools and increase our communications activities.

Innovation

— Overview

In 2024, the Innovation programme moved into its consolidation phase, focusing on establishing well-working processes and delivering concrete results. Our key priorities included releasing our first incubated and reviewed projects, defining partnerships within the Movement, and realising two master projects. As laid out in our roadmap, this year marked an important transition from organisational setup to active implementation, with emphasis on creating efficient processes that will support innovation across Wikimedia CH.

The programme continued to operate through its core frameworks: the Incubator for new ideas, the Pit-stop for reviewing existing solutions, the Factory for project support, and our tech community initiatives. These worked together to fulfil our mission of being a learning organisation that anticipates societal changes while supporting our core purpose through experimentation and exploration.

Looking ahead as a chapter

Looking ahead, 2025 will build upon our growing recognition as a prominent partner and stakeholder in Switzerland's digital landscape. We will build on the foundation we’ve created over this strategic period to continue delivering high-quality programmes whilst tackling important contemporary challenges through several major initiatives.

The Impact Academy programme, providing 15 months of sponsored coaching, will help further strengthen our impact management capabilities. We are also embarking on a francophone pilot project with Wikimedia France, the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikifranca to address hate speech and harassment on Wiki projects. Following our carbon footprint analysis, we will develop a comprehensive sustainability strategy aligned with the Wikimedia Sustainability Covenant that will impact all programmes.

2025 will see preparations begin for two significant milestones in 2026: Wikimedia CH's 20th anniversary and Wikipedia's 25th anniversary. Plans include a roadshow highlighting the association's key achievements and various celebratory events. Throughout these activities, we will maintain our focus on ensuring and supporting free access to unbiased knowledge as a cornerstone of a democratic society.

Importantly, we will begin developing our next five-year strategic pathway. This process will incorporate learnings from our current strategic period while setting ambitious yet achievable goals for the future while remaining agile and flexible to be able to rapidly respond to new challenges, opportunities and threats. The strategy development will consider evolving challenges in the digital landscape, our growing role in Switzerland's knowledge ecosystem and Wikimedia CH’s role within the wider Wikimedia movement.

With strengthened impact measurement, enhanced sustainability practices and clear strategic direction, we will be well-positioned to further support free knowledge while safeguarding and promoting platforms like Wikipedia that advocate for open information.

Support Free Knowledge!

Join us in supporting access to free and unbiased knowledge. Besides being an active member in Wikimedia CH, or a contributor to Wikipedia and its sister projects, you can give tax-deductible financial support. Wikimedia CH is an independent non-profit. Your donations directly support some of the most popular collaborative reference projects in the world.