If you’ve recently been to the Wikipedia website, you may have seen a big banner at the top asking for donations. While there are many websites that ask for donations, please allow us to explain why this one is different. This is not only a donation to Wikipedia, but rather a great way to invest your money – yes, that’s right, we said *invest* your money… and we mean invest it in your future and everyone else’s.
To start off, here’s a bit of context: Wikipedia is run by the Wikimedia Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that supports itself with donations. In spite of this limitation, Wikipedia is the 5th most visited website on earth, beating Amazon, Blogger or even Twitter – and the best part is that it’s run by only 57 people and, very importantly, millions of volunteers. Do you know many institutions like that? We certainly don’t!
This year Wikipedia is turning 10 years old and it’s doing a fund raising campaign. The major goal is to keep Wikipedia free of charge and free of advertising; and even more importantly, keeping it open, with the possibility of using the information in any way we want to and spreading it everywhere – see more on how the donations will be spent.
So, why is it better to give your money to the Wikimedia Foundation rather than to other organizations? Or why is it better to donate it $20 to support Wikipedia instead of just saving (or spending) that amount? Well, the truth is that we don’t live alone in this world… and while many of us have been lucky to have had many opportunities in life, not everyone has had those same opportunities. Frankly, one of the best ways to help improve the world and level the playing field is through education… and fortunately, “learning” is something that human beings are generally good at. Now, having access to information is core to learning… and information is exactly what Wikipedia offers, providing the most open, free and accessible window to knowledge in the world: for you and everyone else.
Let’s all work together to help Wikipedia grow and improve people’s lives around the world. Let’s invest in our collective future… what are you waiting for?
Stay tuned!
The Streema Team
