Wikipedia $16 Million Fundraising Target Reached
![Wikipedia $16 Million Fundraising Target Reached [Wikimedia Foundation Exceeds Its $16 Million Donation Campaign for 2011 for Wikipedia & Other Operations; Half a Million Donors Thanked]](http://tftscdn.nexus404.com/Blog/thumbnailimages/alt/wikimedia-foundation-logoTFTSThumb220153.jpg)
In an effort to keep Wikipedia free and ad-free, the nonprofit organization running it holds a fundraising campaign at end of each year, to support the year’s activities. This year, the Wikimedia Foundation has raised $16 million from 500,000 donors.
You may have noticed banner announcements from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and other endorsers asking for donations. This year, half a million of Wikipedia’s 400 million readers donated an average of $22 each, reaching–and exceeding–the foundation’s $16 million target. This is said to have doubled the last year’s contributors, which totaled to 230,000 donors.
Wikipedia is celebrating its 10th year anniversary this January 15, 2011, and is also offering limited-edition T-shirts, which users can customize in 200 languages. Shirts will be shipped starting January 15th, for a minimum donation of $15 (with shipping included).
According to the Wikimedia foundation, its operating budget for fiscal year 2010 to 2011 amounted to $20.4 million, and the donations collected will be used toward this. Said expenses include running servers, developing applications, and encouraging volunteer participation.
Credit: Source.Wikimedia Foundation Releases An Official Wikipedia App For Android, Can Be Found In The Android Market & Requires Android 2.2 Or Later For Use
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I wonder when the news media will figure out that the Wikimedia Foundation spends on program services only 41 cents of every dollar they scam from donors, which earns them ONE STAR (out of four!) from Charity Navigator in organizational efficiency. The WMF’s own KPMG audit showed that it only costs about $2.5 million to keep the servers running, provide ample bandwidth, and even employ a few excellent code developers to keep the site software running efficiently. So, if it only costs $2.5 million, why the need to ask for $16 million from donors?
I also wonder why the news media never thought to cover the 2009 story of how the Wikimedia Foundation needed extra office space, and as if by magic, they hand-picked Jimmy Wales’ for-profit corporation to be their landlord, THEN obtained competitive bids, THEN asked Wales’ for-profit company to match the average of the competitive bids.
I too wonder why the media don’t seem to care that the 2010 market research study of past Wikimedia Foundation donors was awarded to the former employer of the WMF staffer running the project, without any competitive bidding whatsoever. And when the Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation was asked how much the project cost, the guy asking the question was banned from the online discussion.