Thank you, Pine. Reading the donor quotes is my favorite part of the fundraiser. It's a wonderful reminder of what a beautiful project the community has created and how much people love it. Here's a fresh batch from this year. Enjoy :)

*When I am disillusioned with the state of human affairs on this planet, thinking of the success of Wikipedia with the contributions of millions of dedicated, unpaid, sharing, knowledgeable volunteers serves as a reminder to me of the goodness of many people on this earth. Thanks again for creating one the true Marvels of the Modern World.

*“No goods or services were provided, in whole or in part, for this contribution.” I know why you said this but it is not true. The service you provide me and the world are incredibly great! Thank you.

*I am old and registered blind but your beyond brilliant Wikipedia is my window on the world. I applaud, commend, congratulate you and your staff. I certainly will renew my donation and hope you reach the funding target. Well done!

*During the recent polarized national election, it was a good starting point for any number of overly hyped campaign incidents as covered by mainstream media. Harder all the time to just get the facts so thank you!

*This project is the incarnation of all that is positive of our 21st century. Free information for all, from all. It is difficult to make a list of things to be proud of in today's fierce world. Wikipedia is in the top 10. Thank you

*As a writer of historical fiction, I find Wikipedia makes it astonishingly easier to do research. I can do it from wherever I am, and I'm not limited to the particular books a given library has. It's liberating. It's not my only reference source, but it provides great background for further research elsewhere. I am deeply grateful.

*As a little girl, my family always told me that I asked too many questions, and then often answered wrong, to make me be quiet. I often think what my childhood would have been like with wikipedia. I love to learn, and ask questions all day long, it is who I am. Wikipedia, makes me feel like I'm not alone, others are asking these questions. I used to feel alone in my family. I am grateful for the service you provide. I use Wikipedia as a jumping ground to do further research.

*There was this one time when I graduated, basically because of wikipedia

*You make our road trips more interesting and conversations more fact packed.

*During this high tension political time, there are too many Memes throw out short phrases describing a person for candidate. Usually negative. I like to look at the person up to see what they have really done in their lives and careers so I can fairly judge whether I might support them or not. Case in point, even though I am an independent, on my Facebook friends were climbing all over Betsy Devos ( current pick for secretary of education ) so instead of just believing the negative meme at face value, I read and then copy and pasted the link to the Wikipedia article on her. People should strive for more information than positive or negative sound bytes.

On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 10:22 PM, Pine W wiki.pine@gmail.com wrote:

Below are some quotes from past donors to WMF, courtesy of Megan Hernandez. I appreciated reading these in 2014 and thought that others might appreciate them again also:

--I consider Wikipedia one of the few (the only?) big internet company who are actually trustworthy. I value Wikipedia and I want to support it

--I read a comic about a Wikipedia-Comcast merger. It was terrifying.

--Keep doing what you are doing. I love Wikipedia. My most visited site by a mile. Any time I watch a new documentary, nature show, or read a book about a topic I find fascinating, I always Wikipedia the information. Irreplaceable!

--Very helpful! As a nursing student I frequently use Wikipedia to reference science and engineering topics so I can get a deeper understanding concepts and extra learning. Ilove it. As a young child in the early 1960s I thought that computers were going to be giant machines you could ask any question and get answers, Wikipedia is that machine! It's wonderful! Just sharing.

--It can finish a debate in a couple of clicks

--Once upon a time far far away I wanted a set of encyclopedias, but, alas I could not afford them. Wikipedia now fills that void.

--I visit and utilize Wikipedia multiple times every week, sometimes daily. Going to Wikipedia has become second nature to me. It is synonymous with knowledge - there's nothing more profound. I support it with the small donations I can afford in the hope of setting an example, and so that others may have the same opportunities I've had.

--There have been so many ways that the internet has disappointed me in my hopes that it would improve the human condition. However, there is this one shining exception, and from my least expected source. Wikipedia is that best thing that humanity has done with the internet, contributing to both a common knowledge set and re-learning how to find areas of agreement with others, instead of just shouting and not listening.

--Most often I turn to Wiki in order to answer a question that my grandson has asked about life, the universe and everything...in the old days we had a kids' encyclopedia on the bookshelf, but it became outdated and Wiki has taken its place.

--Knowledge is the key to so many locks. Thank you _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe