We have a translation of the use of funds content to be used in English banners.

Acceptance Criteria

• The English translation is used in banners shown on English Wikipedia (desktop, iPad, mobile).
• All labels are extracted into a separate file in preparation of moving this feature to the donation application.

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Where does my donation go*?

It is for a Wikipedia that is always reliable in terms of organizational and technical aspects, now and in the future. For free access to encyclopedic, trustworthy knowledge at all times and wherever you are. It is also for you – and for all other people around the world.

Software

Up-to-date data from all over the world are the backbone of Wikipedia & Co. To ensure that all Wikipedia language versions have easy access to a shared data pool, our software developers in Germany and worldwide are developing a secure and reliable technical infrastructure. This really simplifies the processes of amending and updating Wikipedia articles with the latest data.

International and Technology

Wikipedia is a global project. Therefore, we make a substantial contribution to funding the international activities that develop Wikipedia further. In this way, we also co-fund the global server infrastructure to run all Wikimedia projects, including Wikipedia in German.

Communities

By supporting the work of our voluntary authors, we encourage and boost their commitment to Wikipedia. We assist them in various ways, for example by keeping a “technical wish list” for the ongoing improvement of our software, by establishing local Wikipedia sites, by funding digital access to journals and by helping to organize events.

Society

Through our EU- and Germany-wide civic engagement as well as our collaboration with institutions in the fields of culture, education and science, we unlock more content for Wikimedia projects and make it freely accessible – tapping into a lot of previously undetected treasure troves.

Operating Costs

The people in our Berlin team make sure that the organizational and financial processes run reliably. One aspect of their work is to raise public awareness for our projects. And they process all incoming donations and send out the donation receipts.

How your donation makes a difference

Your donation is a vital contribution to provide everybody around the world with free access to knowledge at all times.

Your donation is a contribution to maintaining Wikipedia’s secure and stable infrastructure and user-friendly interface in the future.

Your donation backs our efforts to promote the global establishment of regional Wikipedia communities.

Your donation is our most important source of income. It ensures that Wikipedia can remain independent of advertising, commercial interests or third-party funding.

Last, but not least, your donation is your contribution towards making sure you always have Wikipedia at your fingertips as your personal source of knowledge, offering a uniquely wide range of information to help you find answers to your questions.

Why we only need €8,700,000

Our goal to reach €8.7 million in donations is an important part of our total planned revenue for 2021. Without a doubt, this is a lot of money.

However, if you consider that Wikipedia ranks as the fifth most visited website worldwide, this figure is put into perspective. Because compared to other top websites, we only need an extraordinarily small budget to cover our running costs and for investments into the future. The only reason why this is possible is because Wikipedia does not pursue a “business model”, all contributions to Wikipedia are written by volunteers and we only have around 500 members of staff worldwide. In addition, we are a non-profit organization, which obliges us to handle our revenue responsibly and efficiently.

Annual budgets – a comparison

Google €161 billion Source
Amazon €280 billion Source
Facebook €70 billion Source
Wikipedia €0.12 billion

Who receives the donations for Wikipedia?

Donations from Germany go to the organization Wikimedia Fördergesellschaft in Berlin. The sole purpose of this organization is to raise funds for Wikipedia and transfer them to the association Wikimedia Deutschland as well as to the Wikimedia Foundation. The organization is a subsidiary of Wikimedia Deutschland. A great advantage for all donors: Both the Wikimedia Fördergesellschaft and Wikimedia Deutschland are recognized as non-profit organizations and can therefore issue tax-deductible donation receipts. The international Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit organization that runs, promotes and develops Wikipedia and related projects worldwide.

*) provisional