In an ‘Awkward’ Appeal, Wikipedia is Asking Indian Users to Donate

Wikipedia is looking to source funds through donations from India users.

Wikipedia is asking for donations to keep its portal thriving.

(Photo: The Quint)

It’s a no-brainer that Wikipedia is a one-stop solution for all that we need to know about anybody or anything.

Even if you search something on Google, there’s a 90 percent chance that the first link the search engine shows is going to be that of a Wikipedia page. And that’s how the information portal is recognised all over the globe.

However, in order to continue running its operations, the ‘free online encyclopaedia’ recently sent out a notification asking for donations from Indian users.

India is one of Wikipedia’s leading markets. In 2019, the number of Indian visitors on Wikipedia was over 771 million – its fifth-largest number in terms of page views.

The world’s seventh-largest website is looking to defend its independence and feels that commercialising the website is going to be a great loss for its readers.

Although Wikipedia is a free website, all of the content on it is collated, managed and edited by a group of volunteers around the world. There is substantial capital that is required to run the website operations, and that is why it is seeking monetary help.

In the notification posted by the platform, Wikipedia said that it is willing to accept donations as low as Rs 150, although users can opt to pay even more.

“We’re a non-profit that depends on donations to stay online and thriving, but 98% of our readers don’t give; they simply look the other way. If everyone who reads Wikipedia gave just a little, we could keep Wikipedia thriving for years to come. The price of a cup of coffee is all we ask.”

Jimmy Wales, Founder, Wikimedia Foundation 

Users can pay via multiple payment platforms like PayTM or UPI. (Photo: Wikipedia)

As per Wikimedia Foundation, the website’s parent company, the donation will go into the maintenance of servers and its development.

Since Wikipedia does not run any ads nor has shareholders, it’s able to run thanks to donations from readers and funds that it receives from philanthropists.

You can make donations up to Rs 50,000 or more.(Photo: Wikimedia Foundation)

This is not the first time that Wikipedia has asked for donations from its readers. Back in 2015, Wikimedia Foundation had asked for donations to keep its sister sites safe, secure, fast and available.

(Correction: An earlier version of this article said the money was also being used to pay salaries to editors and the staff who work with the organisation. The claim was removed upon clarification from the Wikimedia Foundation asserting the contrary. The error is regretted.)