Andreas Kolbe wrote:
As for the fundraiser's duration, I believe the 2014 fundraiser ran for 30 days (December 2 to December 31, 2014). This is longer than last year, and at any rate much longer than 2012, right?
Because according to https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising_2013 –
"In 2012, we were able to shorten the fundraiser down to nine full days, the shortest fundraiser we've had."
I'm not sure about that Meta-Wiki page's claim specifically, but traditionally the annual Wikimedia Foundation fundraiser has lasted from about the end of November to the end of December (roughly Thanksgiving to Christmas), typically with a thank you campaign in the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.
I strongly agree with Liam that the donation advertising practices should be clarified. But, as stated on this list already, I believe, the underlying concern is that the Wikimedia Foundation fundraising staff is becoming increasingly aggressive and tactless, while the current Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees seems to be quietly nodding, praising, and encouraging the good work. Because after all, the fundraising team _is_ bringing in a lot of money. The detachment from Wikimedia's values is clearly unacceptable, but there seem to be limited options for recourse aside from convincing the Board of Trustees that money isn't everything.
What's needed, in my opinion, are hard limits (an updated Board resolution) set on the Wikimedia Foundation fundraising team that provide very strict parameters for how obnoxious donation advertising can be. While such a resolution would be unusual, the fundraising team has repeatedly demonstrated that it's incapable of self-regulation or even basic decency toward our readers. As for specific examples, the following are never acceptable: banners that don't respect opting out (clicking the "X"), pop-ups (even in the same browser window), and lying.
MZMcBride