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Fundraising/WMF India fundraising campaign

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Every year the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) runs fundraising campaigns in different parts of the world from the US, to Uruguay, to Australia, and Japan. From the 13th of August to the 10th of September 2024 the WMF will be running the annual banner fundraising campaign on English Wikipedia in India for non-logged in readers. This page is for you to explore and provide input in the Indian fundraising campaign.

Read what some of the donors from the last campaign in India said:

Happy to donate. I am a heavy user of Wiki. And I believe Wiki is playing a critical role in the preservation of truth in information dissemination.

I don't know if this will reach out to you but thanks for all the work you guys have done. I wanted to support the Wikimedia Foundation with a portion of my first income for all the help I have received from Wikipedia over the years with school and otherwise. Thanks for this initiative and for helping me with all my school assignments.

Many thanks in return for your gracious acknowledgement of my insignificant contribution. I feel that my donation is but a poor reciprocation for the rich value addition that Wikipedia provides on every imaginable subject under the sun. Even more than this, its business model of a serious and dedicated non-profit with the noble objectives that it fulfils is truly a glowing inspiration amidst the often disturbing hurly-burly of the crass commercial world we presently live in. I am also a great appreciator of the “flat” yet highly comprehensive approach consistently followed by Wikipedia to the provision of information. As far as I have seen, there never have been any judgements expressed on what is reported, irrespective of the momentous and often unpleasant controversies that the topic could potentially rake up. Yes, I refer to matters such as, for instance, politics, religion, racial and gender discrimination and the like. The overall aim has emphatically never been one to sway the reader in one direction or the other, but simply to inform and educate with all-round facts dispassionately gathered through a wide-angle lens, so to speak. The fact that the knowledge made available is absolutely free is an outstanding example of the practicality of an ideal. Not least is the humility that shines through in that users are free to contribute and modify information.

I should thank you and Wikipedia for the bringing wonderful knowledge and transformation in our lives. I started my learning journey with Wikipedia as a student and still continuing as a professional to explore many topics. Even today Wikipedia is bridging the knowledge gaps across the globe and always became trusted co-sailer for students and professionals.

A BIG thank for being a wonderful mentor!

Why do we fundraise for Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects?[edit]

People give to Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Projects for many different reasons. The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, ensures that every donation we receive is invested back into serving Wikipedia, Wikimedia projects, and our free knowledge mission.

  • We’re a nonprofit, and readers and donors around the world keep us independent.
  • Wikipedia along with our other projects serves millions of readers and runs at a fraction of the cost of other top websites.
  • Reader donations support the technology that makes Wikipedia possible and improvements to how people read, edit, and share knowledge on Wikipedia.
  • We’ve evolved to meet new needs in a changing technology landscape and respond to new global threats.
  • We manage our finances responsibly and balance Wikipedia’s immediate needs with long-term sustainability.
  • Supporting Wikipedia means you’re helping it become more representative of all the world’s knowledge.
  • Contributions from readers keep us going.

You can read more in this Medium post.

Investments in the Indian community[edit]

During the last years, several projects were funded by the WMF to help the Indian community thrive and grow. These projects have had an impact at a South Asia regional level as well with credits going to various Indic community members who prioritized regional level engagement.

Have a look at some of those (projects below are from the financial years 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 unless otherwise indicated):

Investments in the Indian community

Together we make the fundraising campaign better[edit]

To ensure a strong start to the campaign, the WMF fundraising team is inviting ideas and input ahead of the campaign to prepare for the launch. Please add any comments, suggestions, questions, thoughts, and general ideas to the talk page. Alternatively, if you'd rather get in touch directly, please email Julia Brungs (Community Relations specialist for the fundraising team) at jbrungs at wikimedia dot org.

If you encounter people with questions about donating, you can ask them to email donate at wikimedia dot org.

Current banner examples – share your input and creativity[edit]

Below you find our current example banners. Please note that these are still in the process of being localized for our Indian audience (as you see they are localized for the US right now). If you have localisation suggestions, please leave them below. We welcome ideas you may have to better reach readers in India this year. Please add your feedback by the end of June.

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Mobile large

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Please add any comments, suggestions, questions, thoughts, and general ideas to the talk page. Alternatively, if you'd rather get in touch directly, please email Julia Brungs at jbrungs at wikimedia dot org or on Julia’s meta talk page.

Additional resources[edit]

Wikimedia donate frequently asked questions