Fundraising campaign update - Wikimedia-l

15 Dec 2014

Hi everyone,

We are two weeks into the English fundraising campaign.  We've had
incredible support from our community of readers these past two weeks and
we are thankful to everyone who has contributed so far.

We have raised roughly $18 million from 1.6 million readers since we
launched the campaign on December 2nd. This number is preliminary as
donations are still coming in and settling in our accounts. The team is on
track to reach the $20 million campaign goal this month.

Banners have been showing to all readers these past two weeks.  At this
point, we are starting to limit the number of banners each reader sees. We
will run the campaign at a higher traffic level again at the end of
December for a final year-end push.

Thank you again for your support.  I also want to thank everyone on the
fundraising team as well as staff and community members who have worked on
the campaign.  We work incredibly hard throughout the entire year, but
there has been exceptional effort the last month.  Thank you.

One of my favorite parts about the campaign is reading the notes from our
readers.  Please take a moment to read through some of these comments.  And
thank you for making Wikipedia a treasured resource that people are happy
to support :)

Quotes from Wikipedia readers:

--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

--Wikipedia is too valuable to be taken for granted. Donating is for me an
act of fairness, responsibility, and gratitude.

--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!

--It's so convenient to pop onto the computer (Wikipedia) and find out
almost anything I want to know. Sure beats the old encyclopedias I grew up
with. It's helpful with medical advice and also, at my age, when you can't
think of a name of somebody famous, etc. It makes life easier to find out
RIGHT NOW instead of waiting for your brain to compute the answer 3 days
later.

--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's 10pm and I have to write a history essay. I'd love to sit and tell
you about all the times Wikipedia saved my ass by giving me quick start
points on projects. I simply love Wikipedia, keep it up guys! :)

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

--Reduces intellectual irritation: Whenever, I encounter a word I don't
know or am fuzzy about, I look it up on Wiki; whenever I need facts to
resolve a political, religious, scientific or technical question, Wiki is
there.

--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.

--i use Wikipedia for 'fact checking" & naming space ships, realizing that
it still a secondary source... but trust the communal effort to gravitate
towards a mostly accurate "centerpoint". The Encyclopedia Galactica of
Trantor in the making......

--You've killed the "bar-gument" but that's okay, I'd prefer to be
informed
rather than simply louder than the next guy. ;)

--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.

--I frequently look things up while watching TV or movies. For example,
while watching Mad Men, I have frequently looked up specific dates or
locations to learn more about what was happening as it was portrayed on the
show. I learned more about the Bay of Pigs, the Kennedy assassination, Viet
Nam, riots, music, movies and general culture of the period. I always know
I can count on Wikipedia to provide a thorough synopsis of whatever it is
I'm looking for.

--Knowledge is the key to so many locks. Thank you

--Wikipedia is kinda like having my mom sitting next to me when I was a
kid. She knew everything :)

-- 

Megan Hernandez

Director of Online Fundraising
Wikimedia Foundation