Fundraising/Donor Thanks WMF20
Appreciation from our Supporters
Over the last 20 years, tens of thousands of our donors have sent notes of thanks, expressing their gratitude, love, and appreciation for the contributors, volunteers, and staff who give the world the joy of free and open knowledge and make Wikimedia possible.
We share below a selection of their messages.
| “ | If an extraterrestrial sentient being should ask me "as human being, what are you proud of?", I would answer "we made and maintain Wikimedia". Donor from Italy |
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| “ | Wikipedia is everything correct about humanity. You host much human knowledge, for free, for everyone. That is amazing. The community volunteers, the staff and Admins. The person reading this. You are taking part in one of the most important things that humanity is doing. Thanks for that. Donor from the UK |
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| “ | In an age of disinformation and commercialized everything, Wikipedia is nothing short of a miracle. You give me information but you also give me hope. Donor from the United States |
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| “ | Wikipedia is all the more important to me because following my disability, I fell into deep depression for several years and my only link to the outside became the internet... and Wikimedia. You don't just have answers, you also have links to other sites for further research. Your windows to further research became my windows to the outside world. Thank you for the opportunity to keep these windows open. Donor from Belgium |
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| “ | Universal knowledge within everyone's reach is the only effective weapon for winning peace in the world and preserving or freeing people from all dictatorships. Wikipedia is in this respect a major vector by its neutrality, its convenience of access, and the real quality of all the articles which nourish the brain and philosophical reflection. Thank you and long may it live. Donor from France |
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| “ | I continue to recognize the enormous value that Wikipedia and Wikimedia have, for all of humanity. I will say it many times, as a teacher I received magnificent help from Wikipedia, in mathematics, geography, history, physics, computing, general culture, and much, much more. I am very happy to have been able to support such an important organization. Donor from Argentina |
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| “ | Please accept my token of support, a small contribution from me. Also, please accept my heartfelt thanks for keeping Wikipedia going, for not letting it to be anyone's personal property, for maintaining its integrity, quality and its sanctity, for making it accessible to anyone and everyone across the geography. I understand how difficult it can be to not compromise and keep going especially in today's profit-seeking digital world. I can't be thankful enough. Donor from India |
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| “ | Wikipedia is a truly excellent production. I have learned so much from it. It must go on for the good of the world, the people and the quest to spread knowledge and eradicate ignorance forever. I just wished I had Wikipedia 30-40 years ago. LONG LIVE WIKIPEDIA! Donor from Ireland |
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| “ | Where would we be without you? Thanks for enlightening the world for a price all can afford. You are awesome. Thank YOU so much. Donor from New Zealand |
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| “ | Thank you for Wikipedia, I need you now more than ever, because I am rather old, 80 years, and with age the memory gets less reliable and I have also been struck by Alzheimer's and forget everything, and need to ask Wikipedia a lot. Wikipedia is my best friend to take on Alzheimers, so I need you much more than you need me. Donor from Sweden |
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| “ | Please know how much Wikipedia's unique importance and unrivaled value become ever more urgent in a world in which the privatization and contamination of knowledge are proceeding apace. Thank you and your colleagues for doing so much to keep the lights on for all people in a darkening house. You truly are culture heroes, and I hold a good thought for all of you who are sustaining Wikipedia. Donor from Canada |
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| “ | Without Wikipedia I wouldn’t be the person I am now. After 63 years on this planet, Wikipedia made me fall in love with learning for the first time. I am now 70 and still studying, still learning, and still loving it. Who can put a price on that? Donor from the United States |
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| “ | Your encyclopaedia has had an immeasurable impact on millions worldwide and, even now at the age of 30, I can still recall relying on it during my early teenage years in high-school and later on throughout medical school. I wanted to convey my gratitude for the Wikipedia team's commitment to disseminating knowledge without exception to anyone's circumstances. In a day and age where reliable knowledge is key to saving lives and allowing us to see past our own differences, your encyclopedia is an invaluable resource. Please continue doing what you do for the world. I can tell you that in Qatar, as is the case everywhere else, we are immensely grateful and we hope that we can rely on you for years to come. Happy birthday to the Wikimedia team and long may you prosper. Donor from the Qatar |
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| “ | No number can reflect the value of what you and your team give to humankind for free —challenging all business models and setting the example for hoards of would-be world-changers. I am delighted to continue contributing to Wikipedia’s purpose. Your success is our success. Donor from the UK |
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| “ | I am a tiny donor, but if I had to choose one word to explain why I give, it is GRATITUDE to Wikipedia. Gratitude for having available the most precious thing in the world after food and shelter – access to knowledge. Donor from South Africa |
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| “ | You just keep letting the light of knowledge be available to everybody on this planet, in every nook and corner, without any discrimination of any sort crossing the boundaries of times and generations. Donor from Colombia |
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| “ | I have to thank you for making Wikipedia possible to this world. I believe in knowledge and I believe in development, and I am happy to support you. You and your team are changing this world for a better place of knowledge, of understanding, of comprehension and of the only thing that all human beings have in common, which is awareness. Thank you so much again You deserve the purest gratitude ever. Donor from Germany |
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| “ | Wikipedia has my sincere respect. Knowledge and education are one of the most democratic, effective and important tools of inclusion and social justice in the world. More power to you for keeping it open access without cost, that is a credit to your values and vision. Donor from Australia |
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| “ | I learned so much from Wikipedia, it's a treasure not just for me, but for everyone in this world. I understand it must be very hard work to maintain something this big like Wikipedia for free and for such a long time. It's not much, but as long as I have the ability, I will definitely continue my donation every year. But one man can only do so little to help, I just hope there will be more Wiki readers like me to support Wikipedia every year. Donor from Japan |
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| “ | Of course I transferred my donation again. In a world dominated by money and power, nothing is more important than independent information. Keep it up, nice to have you here! Donor from the Netherlands |
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| “ | How can we ever repay the debt owed by millions of us to Wikipedia which graciously allows sharing of information on almost every aspect under the sun ? It's like the generosity which we enjoy from the Sun, the Moon, the trees and the hills. Donor from India |
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| “ | Wikipedia is a garden I work and play in every day, and every time I do it makes me a slightly better person. Thank you. Donor from the UK |
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| “ | I am delighted to be able to help such a noble purpose of making "knowledge" available to the entire world. I am convinced that knowledge belongs to EVERYONE, and that it is generated thanks to the experiences of our species, therefore it is something in our essence, available to every individual. Donor from Colombia |
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| “ | I am proud of supporting one of the last real democratic and science based institutions on the planet. Objective science based information is one the most important methods we have to protect humans from falling into “mental wormholes” on social media. Donor from Denmark |
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| “ | I am an elderly carpenter with a constant curiosity. I learned to read at the age of 5 and today in my eighties I continue to do so, feeling grateful to you for giving answers to so many self-taught people like myself. Donor from Chile |
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| “ | The commons are one of our most precious resources (more so than ever), and the gift of an expansive, curated information base for global consumption is a precious commodity that deserves all our respect and support. So thank you for the important work you do, I respect it, and honor the difference it makes in a world that has become all too full of disinformation. You are the light in the darkness, and it is up to each and every one of us to keep that candle lit and burning as brightly as possible. Donor from the United States |
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| “ | Your sentence about the possibility of a planet in which everyone has access to knowledge reminded me that this was one of the visions of the great Isaac Asimov, one of my favorite authors. In this world in which we used to be able to trust what we saw and today technology allows us to falsify even images, it can no longer be said that a picture is worth a thousand words. That is why I understand, approve and support your reasons for asking for a donation, because I trust that there are still people and organizations that really say what they think and do what they say, actions that become the only weapons to combat so much hypocrisy and falsehood. And I trust that the world can be improved along that path. Donor from the Uruguay |
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| “ | Wikipedia has been a source of knowledge of absolutely inestimable value for me since I was probably around 15. I just turned 30 and use it virtually every day for personal, professional, and (preliminary) academic purposes. It's easy to take things that are easy and free to use for granted. I'm glad I made the decision to support Wikipedia regularly even if it's a tiny amount currently. As my financial situation improves, I want to increase my level of reciprocation in line with my level of gratitude. In the meantime, know that you are doing an incredibly important job, keeping knowledge free and open for the lot of us. Donor from Israel |
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| “ | What do I think of Wikipedia: A lifeline to an evidence based rational world! My primary source for every important decision I take! Donor from Austria |
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| “ | I want to share with you about my resistance to using Wikimedia at first, I did not really know the project, I took on the task of learning more, now I am very pleased to realize the care that is taken to put the data, it has its references. I don't censor my undergrads anymore, I think it's a really good resource. I gave myself the opportunity to value this idea, this is a means to socialize knowledge. Thanks Jimmy, you are like the people who visualized something beyond a flat horizon. We are with you. Donor from Mexico |
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| “ | Thanks to you and your team, the promise I made to my first grade teacher, Sister Alvira, can be kept. Sister Alvira said, “ today I am going to begin teaching you how to read. But before I do that, I am going to show you that you can’t believe everything you read.” That night I hid a flashlight under my pillow and for the next few weeks I began reading the encyclopedia. Starting at A, I read every night until I got to Z. Once done, I read it all over again. She had us in the palm of her hand, and we’ve stayed there. Most, for the rest of our lives. Sixty years have passed. We are still Sister Alvira’s team of skeptics looking for all the facts. Wikipedia is my home page. Donor from the United States |
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| “ | Bringing the combined and collective knowledge of humanity within reach of anyone with an internet connection is an achievement beyond comprehension. Donor from the UK |
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