I have donated in the past, but then there were wild accusations, people saying it’s not needed, it’s to fund other things, and so on and so forth.

Yesterday I got the popup begging for a couple of euros, so what’s the status? Should I donate or is it a waste of time and money?

Cheers

Edit: Thanks for all the insightful posts! I’m jobless at the moment so just ten bucks this time:

  • jxk@sh.itjust.works
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    5 months ago

    Remember that there is a lot of anti-Wikipedia propaganda going around these days. Most “outrage” against Wikipedia is created and pushed artificially.

  • Blubber28@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    In the current day and age of misinformation I think donating is more important than ever. It doesn’t need to be much.

  • null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    5 months ago

    Reddit users and now lemmy users seem to have a riotous distaste for non-profits generally.

    Wikipedia is one of the last, good parts of the internet, and it’s under increasing threat.

  • Humanius@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Wikipedia, being a free source of information, is an incredibly important resource and a net good for humanity. But since Wikipedia is free for all they rely on donations to keep the lights on.

    There are groups who would prefer it if that free access to information did not exist, or could be more easily be controlled and/or manipulated. It is in their interest to convince people not to donate to Wikipedia

    I’m convinced that this “don’t donate to Wikipedia” messaging that has cropped up in recent years is a psyop, set up by these groups with the goal to starve Wikipedia of income.

    Don’t fall for it. Support one of the last truly good places on the internet.

  • RBWells@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    I give them a little every year, and do not consider it a waste at all. I give $ each month to the community radio station with local news on it too.

    Those free nonprofit media companies are important. They are the voice of the people.

  • last_philosopher@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    I give through my employer which matches donations. You should look into whether that’s available since it’ll double the amount.

    Decentralized truth is essential to human freedom. It’s not enough to just run wikipedia as a bare bones site, they need to be able to adapt to the times and maybe even fund new projects with the same goals. For people who actually care about the future, it’s hard to think of a better use of the money.

  • 9point6@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Always fund Wikipedia if you have the ability to

    It may not need a donation at any given time, but given how volatile things are in the USA right now, there’s every chance they might find themselves needing to suddenly spend a lot on lawyers

    It’s arguably one of the most important resources we have as humanity. It’s imperative we protect it.

  • OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml
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    5 months ago

    I love Wikipedia and have donated a lot of time and money, but damn is their foundation wasteful

  • unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de
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    5 months ago

    Lets say they are being very stupid in how they handle their money. They spend as much as they get every year. If they get more money, they spend more money. From the graph you can see that donation growth is slowing down, because of course it does, it cant just grow forever. The questions is whether they can lower their expenses when the donations inevitably shrink, or if they will sacrifice Wikipedia (the thing that people actually donate for) in favor of all the other things they are spending money on.

    A completely different perspective on this is that you should ask yourself whether the Wikimedia Foundation really is the organization/charity that needs your money the most. Or more bluntly, i am 100% certain that there are better things to donate to than the Wikimedia Foundation.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Fundraising_statistics
    Black: Net assets / Green: Revenue (Donations) / Red: Expenses

      • jacksilver@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I don’t know why you’re being downvoted, it doesn’t.

        This doesn’t say if wikimedia foundation is using it’s money well, just that it is using its money (which is sorta what a non-profit has to do).

        Also, if we boil all donations down to “who needs it most” then most non-profits and charities wouldn’t exist.

  • cokeslutgarbage@sh.itjust.works
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    5 months ago

    I do not have the means to donate to things that I care about. Most weeks, the difference between overdrafting my bank account or not is literally a few cents. I donate the $3.10 every time the pop up shows up on Wikipedia. I’m sure there are other organizations that need the money more, but I think Wikipedia is SO important, and so far has remained earnest in their behavior. Proud of you for donating what you could, glad I could help a little bit too.

    Be well, friend

    • Valmond@lemmy.worldOP
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      5 months ago

      Hey, I remember a time when if I lost a 5€ bill, that meant I’d eat for 5 euros less that month.

      We’ve got your back, take care of yourself and consider donating when you’ve come around and can do it without second thoughts.

      Cheers and hang in there, it’s worth it!

  • BilboBargains@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Making a monthly contribution. Who knows where the money goes but I’ve never heard of a wiki project I disapproved of and there is a lot to like about what they do.