Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

#1

Post by dbustac » Sat, Dec 05, 2020, 6:00 PM UTC

Lately, every time I visit Wikipedia they show me an ad asking me to donate money. Since I get a lot of value from it, I've considered it. But I can't help but wonder if, as an organization, they really need the money.

What do y'all think?

Re: Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

#2

Post by DangsPoodle » Sat, Dec 05, 2020, 6:04 PM UTC

Nope. No. You 'should' donate to the Internet Archive instead. Wikipedia has more than enough money. Their donation-drives are just cash-drives, compared to other lint-filled pockets. Wikipedia doesn't need a cent more.

Re: Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

#3

Post by codegeek » Sat, Dec 05, 2020, 6:23 PM UTC

It is argued that they don't really need money. But you can check their financial statements for yourself and make your own judgement:

https://wikimediafoundation.org/about/financial-reports/

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/f/f7/Wikim...

Re: Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

#4

Post by sigmaprimus » Sat, Dec 05, 2020, 6:32 PM UTC

Ever give change to a panhandler? How about one of those window boxes at the drive thru? If You value Wiki and want to donate, You should do it. Nobody is going to hold it against You.

Re: Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

#5

Post by tsjq » Sat, Dec 05, 2020, 6:37 PM UTC

DangsPoodle wrote: post #2

Nope. No. You 'should' donate to the Internet Archive instead. Wikipedia has more than enough money. Their donation-drives are just cash-drives, compared to other lint-filled pockets. Wikipedia doesn't need a cent more.

Is that the archive.is you referring to?

Re: Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

#6

Post by davidsojevic » Sat, Dec 05, 2020, 10:03 PM UTC

tsjq wrote: post #5

DangsPoodle wrote: post #2

Nope. No. You 'should' donate to the Internet Archive instead. Wikipedia has more than enough money. Their donation-drives are just cash-drives, compared to other lint-filled pockets. Wikipedia doesn't need a cent more.

Is that the archive.is you referring to?

It would be https://archive.org/

Re: Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

#7

Post by mstg » Sat, Dec 05, 2020, 11:41 PM UTC

I donate to Wikipedia because I use it and value as an important resource. There are some heavy costs to keep the wiki running.

Re: Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

#8

Post by throwawaybutwhy » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 3:23 AM UTC

The fundamental disconnect here is that diligent Wikipedia editors who contribute to thousands of STEM-related articles won't get even a single dime. You are subsidizing a clique of political operatives and bureaucrats instead.

Solution - install uBlock Origin and forget about changing the world. It will give you something much more valuable - peace of mind amid a culture of rage.

Re: Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

#9

Post by ancymon » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 4:48 PM UTC

If they really needed money, they would put some ads. They claim Wikipedia must be independent and that's why there are banner free. But for me it does not make sense, I am sure you can have business relation without compromising values.

Re: Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

#10

Post by leipert » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 6:16 PM UTC

I found the article and discussion to „Wikipedia has cancer (2017)“ enlightening: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21699011

Personally I am spending my money with local charitable Organisations that need it more. Like someone else is suggesting in this thread: archive.org is an important effort on the net, otherwise I like effective altruism: https://www.effectivealtruism.org/