Ask HN: Should I donate to Wikipedia? Why?

9 points by dbustac 5 years ago | 10 comments

Lately, every time I visit Wikipedia they show me an ad asking me to donate money. Since I get a lot of value from it, I've considered it. But I can't help but wonder if, as an organization, they really need the money.

What do y'all think?

codegeek 5 years ago |

It is argued that they don't really need money. But you can check their financial statements for yourself and make your own judgement:

https://wikimediafoundation.org/about/financial-reports/

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/f/f7/Wikim...

zurfer 5 years ago | |

Thanks for the links. Eye opening for me is that hosting costs around 2.4 million and 55.6 million is for salaries and wages. That seems a bit out of proportion "just" for Wikipedia. You can easily employ 500 people for that(depending on the country up to 1000). I am really happy for them, in the end they create so much more value than what people choose to give back, but my next donation goes to an organisation with tougher financials.

throwawaybutwhy 5 years ago |

The fundamental disconnect here is that diligent Wikipedia editors who contribute to thousands of STEM-related articles won't get even a single dime. You are subsidizing a clique of political operatives and bureaucrats instead.

Solution - install uBlock Origin and forget about changing the world. It will give you something much more valuable - peace of mind amid a culture of rage.

DangsPoodle 5 years ago |

Nope. No. You 'should' donate to the Internet Archive instead. Wikipedia has more than enough money. Their donation-drives are just cash-drives, compared to other lint-filled pockets. Wikipedia doesn't need a cent more.

tsjq 5 years ago | |

Is that the archive.is you referring to?

davidsojevic 5 years ago | | |

It would be https://archive.org/

leipert 5 years ago |

I found the article and discussion to „Wikipedia has cancer (2017)“ enlightening: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21699011

Personally I am spending my money with local charitable Organisations that need it more. Like someone else is suggesting in this thread: archive.org is an important effort on the net, otherwise I like effective altruism: https://www.effectivealtruism.org/

ancymon 5 years ago |

If they really needed money, they would put some ads. They claim Wikipedia must be independent and that's why there are banner free. But for me it does not make sense, I am sure you can have business relation without compromising values.

sigmaprimus 5 years ago |

Ever give change to a panhandler? How about one of those window boxes at the drive thru? If You value Wiki and want to donate, You should do it. Nobody is going to hold it against You.

mstg 5 years ago |

I donate to Wikipedia because I use it and value as an important resource. There are some heavy costs to keep the wiki running.