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=== Why doesn't Wikipedia use ads for revenue? ===
=== Why doesn't Wikipedia use ads for revenue? ===
We do not believe that advertising belongs in a project devoted to education, and one that is driven by the values consistent with a balanced, neutral encyclopedia. Our big, global volunteer community (the people who make Wikipedia) have always felt that advertising would have a major effect on our ability to stay neutral, and ultimately ads would weaken the readers' overall confidence in the articles they are reading.
We are not considering advertising as a source of revenue. We do not believe that advertising belongs in a project devoted to free, reliable, and neutral knowledge. Introducing commercial interests could jeopardize Wikipedia’s reliability as a neutral source of information. Our global volunteer community has always felt that advertising would have a major effect on our ability to stay neutral, and ultimately ads would weaken readers' overall confidence in the articles they read on Wikipedia.


We are not against the world of online advertising, nor are we against other organizations that host ads. We just know ads are not appropriate in a project devoted to education and knowledge – and especially one that strives for balance and neutrality.
The current models for web advertising are also not supportive of our views on user privacy. We do not want to deliver ads to users based on their geography or on the topic they are currently reading about. Contextual advertising (similar to geo-targeted advertising) reads the content you are viewing which goes against Wikipedia's strict privacy policy for users. We respect your right to online privacy, and bring you the knowledge and information you are looking for.


We are not against the world of online advertising, nor are we against other organizations that host ads. We just know ads are not an appropriate thing to find in a project devoted to education and knowledge – and especially one that strives for balance and neutrality.
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=== How much money are you hoping to raise? ===
The 2014-15 plan posits revenue of $58.5 million from a 2013-14 projection of $50.1 million.

More details about our finances can be found in our [[financial reports]]. Here is our [[Media:2014-15_Wikimedia_Foundation_Plan.pdf|2014-15 Plan]] (PDF), and here is the [[2014-2015_Annual_Plan_Questions_and_Answers|Questions and Answers]] page related to it.

=== Where can I learn more about your recent activities? ===
For the fiscal year 2012-13, please '''download the 2012-2013 Annual Report:''' '''[[Media:Wmf_AR12_v11_SHIP_2pp_hyper_14jan14.pdf|PDF version]]'''

If you want to keep up with Wikimedia events more regularly, we recommend the following sources:
* the [//blog.wikimedia.org/ Wikimedia Foundation blog]
* [//en.planet.wikimedia.org/ Planet Wikimedia], which includes Wikimedia community blogs
* the [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/WikimediaAnnounce-l Wikimedia Announcements mailing list], which includes announcements from chapters and community members
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=== How can I donate via debit or credit card? ===
=== How can I donate via debit or credit card? ===
To donate using any major credit or debit card ''(VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express)'', PayPal, bank transfer; please visit our [[Ways_to_Give/en|Ways to Give]] page. Our donation options support many (although not all) currencies.
To donate using any major credit or debit card ''(VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express)'', PayPal, bank transfer; please visit our [[Ways_to_Give/en|Ways to Give]] page. Our donation options support many (although not all) currencies.

Revision as of 18:32, 24 November 2015

This page lists frequently asked questions about the Wikimedia Foundation. Other questions are addressed at Answers. If you do not find your question answered here or there, please feel free to contact us.