[Foundation-l] Fundraising banners

[Liam Wyatt]

On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 5:03 AM, Michael Snow <wikipedia at verizon.net> wrote:

> Bod Notbod wrote:
> > Congrats to the WMF on raising all the necessary funds.
> >
> > I'm sure plenty was learned for next year's effort.
> >
> > I've always been curious that the fundraiser runs over Christmas. I
> > thought that would be a time when people are watching their pennies.
> > What's the reason for that? Just curious, as obviously it has been a
> > success.
> >
> Actually, while holiday gift-giving is a significant expense for many
> people, the standard analysis from a charity perspective is that the
> spirit of generosity permeating the season makes people more willing to
> donate. In addition, for those who deduct contributions on their taxes,
> the end of the year is often a time when donors make gifts as they
> adjust to reach the desired deduction.
>
> --Michael Snow
>

That's interesting. I had always thought that it was done at this time of
year to coincide with "Wikipedia Day" on Jan.15 but that we just reached our
goal early. To that end, Wikipedia Day in 2011 will be our "10th Birthday"
and potentially there is a lot of fundraising/media potential around that
date.

 Yes, I can see how the Christmas "giving spirit" would increase the
potential donations. If that is the reason why it's run in December, why
don't we investigate how donations to WM could be given as a present to a
friend/relative. I know a lot of charities offer "gifts" where what you
personally receive is a certificate to give as a present to your relative,
but the money is actually going to the charity for a nominated purpose. For
example: http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au/Product.php?productid=94 Could
donating to WM somehow be made into a christmas present? I believe we've
previously talked about saying things like "donating $30 will run your
language's Wikipedia for 'x' minutes" - perhaps we could turn that into a
certificate kind of thing? (so long as it was made clear that this was
nominal, rather than making a false promise that your donation would be
spent at a precise moment in time).

As for the tax-adjustment aspect, that may be the case for the US (and
granted, that's where most of the money is being raised currently), but
different countries have different periods - here in Australia for example
the fiscal year is July-June.

-Liam [[witty lama]]


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