Adding an Organization to Wikidata

The data from Wikidata can then be used freely. For example, the data in Wikipedia's infoboxes can be read out or graphs can be created. But queries can also be embedded on external pages. For instance, the data in the list of largest organizations is fetched directly from Wikidata.

Here is a short guide on how to register and maintain a nonprofit organization (whether it's an association, foundation, gGmbH, gAG...) on Wikidata.

1. Create an Account

For this, you should set up your own account. The account can be used for both Wikipedia and Wikidata. Note that the account name is public. There is also a general introduction available in Wikidata itself.

2. Edit Existing Organization

To edit existing organizations, you need a basic understanding of Wikidata. We explained this in this video:

Editing data in Wikidata. Translation with the help of AI.

3. Create a New Organization

First, you must check whether the organization already exists. Simply use the search function for this. If an entry already exists, you still need to verify that it is correct. Often there are entries such as SOS-Kinderdorf, which do not represent the German organization, but are a general explanation of SOS-Kinderdorf. The German organization SOS-Kinderdorf e.V. is then a separate entry.

If the organization does not yet exist, a new data object can be created.

General Information

Every organization should have the most important general information so that it can also be recognized as a nonprofit organization.

Important information should be supplemented with a source as evidence. At least a URL of the source and a date (retrieved on) should be entered here. A title, page, date... can also be specified.

• instance of (P31)
  A general statement about what this actually is. For NPOs, nonprofit organization (Q163740) is used here.
• inception (P571)
  Founding date as year or complete date.
• legal form (P1454)
  Legal form such as registered association (Q9299236), foundation (Q18631225), nonprofit GmbH (Q1500859), nonprofit stock corporation (Q1500848).
• country (P17)
  Country such as Germany (Q183).
• headquarters location (P159)
  Seat of the organization. Can be extended with geographic coordinates.
• official website (P856)

Financial Figures

You can find financial data in annual reports, in official registries or on websites of transparency networks.

Since these are variable numbers, the fiscal year must be specified as point in time (P585) for each number.

• total revenue (P2139)
  All income for one year. Usually in the profit and loss statement.
• donations (P8093)
  Sum of monetary donations, in-kind donations, legacies, endowments, supporting memberships and fines. Recorded by DZI, for example.
• total assets (P2403)
  Sum of assets or liabilities in the balance sheet.
• endowment (P6589)
  Inalienable endowment capital of a foundation.

Personnel Numbers

Additionally, information on the number of active people in an organization can be provided.

• employees (P1128)
  Number of people actually employed (not full-time equivalent) at a specific point in time.
• number of members (P2124)
  Number of voting members of an association.
• number of volunteers (P6125)

Contact Information

In addition to the website, information about social networks can be provided, which is adopted here. Cividata currently displays Instagram (P2003), LinkedIn (P4264), TikTok (P7085), YouTube (P2397) and Facebook (P2013). Additional networks may be added later.

Additional Information

There are a whole range of other interesting details that can be provided. Particularly regarding active people such as management, chairpersons, founders. However, only people who have their own Wikidata entry can be specified. Often the person must first be created, which makes the task quite labor-intensive.

• parent organization (P749)
  Part of an organizational network. For example, Amnesty International Germany has the parent organization of Amnesty International.
• member of (P463)
  Memberships of the organization. For example, NABU is a member of the German Nature Conservation Ring.
• founder (P112)
  The people who founded an organization, such as the founder.
• chairperson (P488)
  Presiding member of an organization such as the president or association board.
• chief executive officer (P169)
  CEO, managing director, secretary general...

4. Import Data

If you don't just want to edit individual organizations, but want to reconcile entire datasets, there is a way to do this. Quickstatements allow you to import data into Wikidata.

Importing data with Quickstatements. Translation with the help of AI.

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I would be happy if more people from the nonprofit sector would nurture and maintain Wikipedia and Wikidata.

If you would like to do more here, just contact me. I'm happy to help you get started with this digital volunteering.