Wikipedia, the “free encyclopedia” of all information may be the most trusted source of getting info on the internet. We don’t acknowledge any hero/heroine unless they have a proper Wiki page stating their work and background.
But don’t you wonder how does Wikipedia make money? Given Wikipedia the status as a non-profit foundation, where does the money come from? This is how they earn actually…
Wikipedia, a sister project of the Wikimedia foundation, is actually funded primarily by readers’ donation. It is a community of volunteer contributors and Wikimedia uses reader contributions to pay the expenses of Wikipedia’s operation, server and staff etc. In 2014-15, they collected almost $75 million USD from more than 4 million donors to support Wikipedia through the Wikimedia Foundation.
Samantha Lien, a Wikimedia Foundation spokesperson told, “”People make contributions year-round from countries all over the world. We receive contributions of all sizes, but every gift is meaningful. The average donation is just $15. Wikipedia readers will see banners on the site asking for a small contribution. We strive to make sure fundraising campaigns are as short as possible, and that people who have already contributed are not asked again”
Though they have another source of income like ‘Wikipedia Store’ where you can easily find goods like t-shirts, notebooks and pens etc, this only adds less than 1% of the total revenue for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. 100% of the profits go straight to support Wikipedia and its sister projects. Furthermore, these earnings reserved for the Merchandise Giveaways Program and editors around the world who have contributed to the Wikimedia projects.
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