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:

  • cokeslutgarbage@sh.itjust.works
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    14 minutes 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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      7 minutes 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!

  • Electricd@lemmybefree.net
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    22 minutes ago

    The website itself needs a really small amount of money. Most of the money goes for other stuff which might not seem useful to you.

    They make it seem like they don’t have money but it’s quite the opposite: they increase their spendings based on their revenue. They have enough for many years.

    Don’t donate to them. There are far better ways to spend your money than a foundation that doesn’t really do anything on Wikipedia and that still actively blocks anonymous proxies.

  • RacerX@lemmy.zip
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    8 hours ago

    I give small monthly donations to three things:

    • Wikipedia
    • EFF
    • Internet Archive
  • MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works
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    7 hours ago

    I’m another monthly donor. I use Wikipedia nearly every day and appreciate the effort that goes into maintaining it.

  • compostgoblin@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    9 hours ago

    I find it valuable and worth supporting, so I donate a dollar a month. It’s not much, but I want to contribute (monetarily, in addition to editing)

  • BilboBargains@lemmy.world
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    10 hours 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.

  • last_philosopher@lemmy.world
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    16 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.

    • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
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      10 hours ago

      Your analysis only addresses the income vs. expenditure being relatively balanced. It doesn’t address the criticisms OP was hearing about. The primary criticism is that the foundation only needs a fraction of their current expenditure if all they did was run Wikipedia.

  • jxk@sh.itjust.works
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    23 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.

  • RBWells@lemmy.world
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    17 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
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    20 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
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    22 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.

  • null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    23 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.

  • Humanius@lemmy.world
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    21 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.