Why does wikipedia need millions

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These cookies collect information in aggregate form to help us understand how our websites are being used. They allow us to count visits and traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our sites. If people say no to these cookies, we do not know how many people have visited and we cannot monitor performance. Special Report It's that time of year again. As the Christmas lights go up, Wikipedia's donation drive kicks off.

Wikipedia claims that the donations are needed to keep the site online. Guilt-tripped journalists including Heather Brooke and Toby Young have contributed to Wikipedia in the belief that donations help fund operating costs. Students, who are already heavily in debt, are urged to donate in case Wikipedia "disappears". But what Wikipedia doesn't tell us is that it is awash with cash - and raises far more money each year than it needs to keep operating.

Donations are funding a huge expansion in professional administrative staff and "research projects". Amazingly, this year for the first time Wikipedia - the web encyclopaedia anyone can edit - has even found the cash to fund a lobbyist.

All this has been met with dismay by the loyal enthusiasts who do all the hard work of keeping the project afloat by editing and contributing words - and who still aren't paid. For the first time, Wikipedians are beginning to examine the cash awards - and are making some interesting discoveries.

The original intention, according to the site's co-founder Jimmy Wales, was to fund Wikipedia through advertising revenue. In Wales rejected that option and pointed to other revenue sources - "leveraging our brand into radio, television, games, etc" - but left the door to advertising open just in case it was needed.

The vast potential for advertising attracted the interest of venture capital firms. Soon after, VC firm Elevation Partners whose investors include Bono from U2 to court Wikipedia, a very curious relationship we covered in depth in Later Wales dropped the volunteers and hired professionals instead. It's not hard to see why: as Wales had acknowledged, Wikipedia is one of the best-known brands in the world. But the courtship with the VC firm never blossomed into a formal relationship.

Today, the funding is organised by a non-profit corporation, the Wikimedia Foundation WMF , and the growth in funding has been dramatic. It was amateurish, too. The Wikimedia Foundation hired a convicted felon as its chief operating officer to look after its books while on she was on parole. The executive's convictions included cheque fraud and unlawfully wounding her boyfriend with a gunshot to the chest. Today the foundation is a very different beast.

The architect of the latest highly aggressive funding drive is Sue Gardner, executive director of the WMF. Described by one insider as "very savvy politically and excessively diplomatic", Gardner has been lauded as one of the Most Powerful Women by Forbes. Only a small fraction of this is required to keep the site alive. No matter how many edits enthusiasts make, they don't get a penny for their hard work. So where's the cash going? Primarily, it's being spent on new research and development programmes.

These are outlined in the Wikimedia Foundation's Strategic Plan - and the next year's installment is outlined in detail here. Some projects appear to be eminently sensible. For example, the number of editors has been in decline since , and the gender ratio is heavily tipped towards men.

The foundation wants to make participation easier, so much so that one major project is the development of a visual editing kit, so contributors do not need to learn the arcane technical Wiki syntax.

This is running behind schedule - rollout was supposed to be a year ago, but it will be mid before it's ready, according to the project page. But some of the spending has raised eyebrows. The UK foundation also found itself under close scrutiny after approving projects that personally benefited board members - which imperilled the foundation's hard-won charity status.

Some other funding is highly questionable. Nice work if you can get it. The budget includes travel to and from the gigs for the budding snappers. It is not uncommon for large nonprofits like Wikipedia to continuously add funds to its reserve, which acts as a safety net if required, a Washington Post report stated. Charitable organisations are encouraged to maintain an adequate cash reserve in excess of their annual expenditure in case of an adverse situation.

While the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has choked businesses across industries, it has presented a new opportunity for the website. Wikipedia has found an uptick in the number of people turning to the site as a reliable source of information during the health crisis. The charitable website is supported by its readers across the world and depends on their donations to survive.

Fundraising campaigns are carried out at specific times every year in most parts of the world. Given the readership garnered in India, it is rather surprising that Wikipedia launched its first full fledged fundraising drive in India only this year.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, which seems to have brought life to a grinding halt for millions across the world, Wikipedia was forced to delay the fundraising campaign it had scheduled for spring, this year. Click here to join our channel indianexpress and stay updated with the latest headlines.

Rahel Philipose Rahel Philipose writes for the indianexpress. Australia beat Pakistan to reach the finals Explained: Who is Devasahayam, the first Indian layman to be conferred sainthood? Home Explained Explained: Why is Wikipedia seeking donations from its users?