Wikipedia passes $6 million fundraising goal for 2008

The annual Wikipedia fundraising campaign that kicked off in July 1, 2008 has already raked in $6.2 million for the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation.

With its goal of $6 million for fiscal 2008, donations flooded in after founder, Jimmy Wales, posted an appeal for support towards the end of December last year.

The Foundation relies on donations to survive as Wikipedia does not display or support advertisements on the site.

The money will be used for day-to-day operations, further developments and improvements on open source software, conducting outreach events and assisting volunteer support till the end of June 2009.

In a note published on the website, Wales expressed his gratitude to supporters of the “free culture movement”. He also added that: “Any donations beyond our $6 million goal are put in a reserve fund, which will help us to offset operating costs beyond the current fiscal year.

“Your continued support will also serve as a much-needed financial safety net if economic conditions continue to worsen globally.”

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM