Wikipedia Scam trends on Twitter: Know why Wikipedia is asking for donations?

Wikipedia which is a reserve of free knowledge and better known as an online encyclopedia has been asking for donations again on its official website. But, it seems that the Twitterati is perplexed why Wikipedia would ask for donations requesting to defend its Independence? That is the reason why many #WikipediaScam was one of the top 5 hashtag trends on Twitter last night. So, if you have been wondering about why is Wikipedia asking for donations, then do not worry, here is all you need to know.

Why is Wikipedia asking for donations?

Wikipedia was launched in the year 2001 (January 15) promising to provide free knowledge to its users around the globe. The organisation has been guaranteed to provide its services with a reserve of knowledge of more than 50 million articles in nearly 300 languages. 

However, as the internet market and the number of users keep on growing every year, the organisation has been trying its best to provide ad-free information on its website. The organisation is handled by Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit company. However, having the 13th most visited website listed in the 15 most popular websites as ranked by Alexa; in 2021, does not have its perks. According to an updated article published on Wikipedia, the organisation earns and functions technically from donations of which 80% are small donations from individual users. The organisation has a team of around 250 employees and over 250,000 global volunteers, as stated by Pat Pena, Director of Payment and Operations for Wikimedia Foundation, in a blog post.

But, the question still remains - why are many Twitter users calling the fundraising initiative Wikipedia Scam? Wikipedia has been asking for donations for a very long time and it generally comes during this time of the year. If you have a look at the 'need for donation' pop-up on the official site, you will notice that every year the organisation uses the doomsday appeal to get users to donate. A Twitter user shared the pop-up of Wikipedia asking for donations and it reads: 

"We'll get straight to the point: This Tuesday we need to make a donation to protect Wikipedia's Independence. 98% of our readers don't give; they simply look the other way. If you are one of our rare donors, then you have our gratitude, and we warmly thank you. We know you're busy and we don't mean to interrupt you, but we must remind everyone that if they donate ₹75, we could keep Wikipedia thriving for years." 

In the 2020 blog post, Pat Pena mentioned why the organisation asks for donations. He wrote: “Reader donations are critical to supporting Wikipedia’s global presence. To meet the needs of readers in India and around the world, we operate an international technology infrastructure comparable to the world’s largest commercial websites.” Being an ad-free site, the organisation only earns through donations which are later diluted for direct support to the website, training, tools, events and partnerships for its network of volunteers, recruitment, to pay staff members and for various fundraising initiatives. Also, many users of Wikipedia who have donated to the cause shared the screenshots on Twitter.

Is Wikipedia scam real?

The fundraising campaign run by Wikimedia Foundation is reportedly legitimate, however, we are not sure about the 'call-to-action used by the organisation that refers to defending its "Independence". According to the Wikipedia Fund Raising Statistics page, Wiki was able to raise $28,653,256 between 2018-2019, bringing its total assets to $165,641,425 (look at the image below). Nevertheless, to donate or not is totally a personal choice, but the numbers are eye-brow raising. With such great numbers in hand and a campaign for more only directs that the organisation is planning for a better future for free knowledge and making it available.

Image: Wikipedia