We ask you, humbly, to help.-Jimmy Wales Wikipedia Founder
Words from Jimmy Wales
We’ll get straight to the point: Today we ask you to defend Wikipedia’s independence.
We’re a non-profit that depends on donations to stay online and thriving, but 98% of our readers don’t give; they simply look the other way. If everyone who reads Wikipedia gave just a little, we could keep Wikipedia thriving for years to come. The price of a cup of coffee is all we ask.
When we made Wikipedia a non-profit, people told us we’d regret it. But if Wikipedia were to become commercial, it would be a great loss to the world.
Wikipedia is a place to learn, not a place for advertising. The heart and soul of Wikipedia is a community of people working to bring you unlimited access to reliable, neutral information.
We know that most people will ignore this message. But if Wikipedia is useful to you, please consider making a donation of ₹100, ₹200, ₹300 or whatever you can to protect and sustain Wikipedia.
Thanks,
Jimmy Wales
Wikipedia Founder
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal “Jimbo” Wales (born August 7, 1966) is an American-British Internet entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the for-profit web hosting company Wikia
Wales was born in Huntsville, Alabama, where he attended Randolph School, a university-preparatory school. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance from Auburn University and the University of Alabama respectively. In graduate school, Wales taught at two universities; however, he departed before completing a PhD to take a job in finance and later worked as the research director of a Chicago futures and options firm.
In 1996, he and two partners founded Bomis, a web portal featuring entertainment and adult content. Bomis provided the initial funding for the free peer-reviewed encyclopedia, Nupedia (2000–2003), and its successor, Wikipedia. On January 15, 2001, with Larry Sanger and others, Wales launched Wikipedia—a free, open-content encyclopedia that enjoyed rapid growth and popularity. As Wikipedia’s public profile grew, he became its promoter and spokesman. Though he is historically credited as co-founder, he has disputed this, declaring himself the sole founder.
Wales serves on the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees, the charity that he helped establish to operate Wikipedia, holding its board-appointed “community founder” seat. For his role in creating Wikipedia, which has become the world’s largest encyclopedia, Time named him one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2006.
Hi, reader in India, it seems you use Wikipedia a lot; that’s great! This is the 2nd appeal we’ve shown you. It’s awkward, but this Sunday we need your help. We don’t have salespeople. We depend on donations from exceptional readers, but fewer than 2% give. If you donate just ₹ 110, or whatever you can this Sunday, Wikipedia could keep thriving. Thank you.