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:

  • last_philosopher@lemmy.world
    8·
    4 hours 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.

  • RBWells@lemmy.world
    111·
    5 hours 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.

  • gi1242@lemmy.world
    29·
    9 hours ago

    DONATE!

    Wikipedia made a conscious choice to remain free, ad free and neutral.

    They get my money! Even if they don’t need it.

  • DeadPixel@lemmy.zip
    532·
    10 hours ago

    I’ve increased the amount I donate since the campaign to discredit them has been in effect.

    Maybe they aren’t perfect, but I don’t like the idea of a world without such a wonderful resource being freely available to everyone no matter their background or financial status.

    I used it a lot as a student but couldn’t afford to donate then. I don’t use it directly a lot these days, but I’m sure indirectly it contributes to articles I read, & I can afford to donate now, so I try to pay it back & some.

    Information is power, & those in/with power seem to currently be trying their best to bring everyone else down. Any small thing I can do to help prevent that is a win in my book.

  • AmidFuror@fedia.io
    141·
    8 hours ago

    It’s good to see Fediverse people actually supporting paying for something. Sometimes I think they want everything for free.

    • sbv@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      3·
      3 hours ago

      There are multiple factions. Some of us are happy to pay the people who produce the stuff we enjoy.

    • BrainBow65@lemmy.world
      7·
      6 hours ago

      I don’t think people here mind paying for stuff I think it’s more that enshittification and subscription based business models should not be supported.

      • ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com
        6·
        5 hours ago

        Exactly. We don’t just flatly refuse to spend money on anything. We expect a certain level of service and value for money. Wikipedia, though not perfect, is probably one of the most useful tools on the internet.

  • jxk@sh.itjust.works
    1202·
    12 hours ago

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

  • Humanius@lemmy.worldEnglish
    471·
    10 hours 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.

  • null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    613·
    11 hours 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.

  • primrosepathspeedrun@anarchist.nexusEnglish
    643·
    11 hours ago

    Wikipedia is being actively attacked by fascists who dont want it to exist or be well maintained. More important than ever. Criticism can be safely ignored.

  • Blubber28@lemmy.world
    712·
    12 hours ago

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

  • unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de
    82·
    7 hours 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