It's nice to hear of these changes. Thanks, Andreas and Lisa. Pine On Nov 15, 2015 5:52 AM, "Andreas Kolbe" <jayen...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Anna, > > Thanks for your note. For what it's worth, Lisa Seitz Gruwell[1] said[2] a > couple of days ago on Meta, in response to Liam Wyatt, > > > Thanks for the feedback. I think you are referring to language about > "keeping Wikipedia ad-free." We have taken that language out of the banner. > > She added, in response to myself, > > > Thanks for the suggestions. Here is the language we are now using to > summarize costs: "If Wikipedia is useful to you, please take one minute to > keep it online and growing. We're a small non-profit with costs of a top > website: servers, staff and programs." > > I personally like the simple German wording about "giving something back to > Wikipedia" very much. I think many of us started editing with that sort of > sentiment in mind. > > However, "to keep it online and growing", too, is a vast improvement over > "to keep it online and ad-free". I am very happy to see Lisa confirming > that "ad-free" has been dropped. > > Andreas > > [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Lgruwell-WMF > [2] > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fundraising%2F2015-16_Fundraising_ideas&type=revision&diff=14612876&oldid=14600150 > > > On Sun, Nov 15, 2015 at 6:49 AM, Anna Stillwell <astillw...@wikimedia.org> > wrote: > > > Andreas, > > > > Thank you for this positive feedback. I can't comment on future banner > > messages because I don't have the requisite knowledge. > > > > Here's where we are right now... I've seen Megan and the fundraising team > > really apply themselves on this concern. They've interviewed many people > > and they are starting to collaborate with some of the people who have not > > liked our banners. > > > > I have no promises. None. I am just filling you in on the process. We're > > also headed into the busiest times of our year and we are a small team so > > we may not be able to update you in a timely fashion. > > > > /a > > > > On Fri, Nov 13, 2015 at 5:42 AM, Andreas Kolbe <jayen...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > > I see that the fundraising banners currently running in Germany[1][2] > no > > > longer speak of "keeping Wikipedia online and ad-free", but instead > > > encourage people to "give something back to Wikipedia" if they find it > > > useful. > > > > > > That is a much, much better wording. Thank you. I trust the English > > banners > > > that will run in December will follow the same approach. > > > > > > Note however that the German FAQ[3] that is linked from the German > Donate > > > Now page[4] is several years out of date. It refers to 2013/2014 as the > > > current financial year, and directs readers to the 2011/2012 annual > > report > > > (!!!). > > > > > > The English FAQ[5] has much less content than the German one (I'm told > > all > > > the outdated content has been commented out) and now lacks any > specifics > > > that would give donors an idea of what the Foundation is doing with > their > > > money. > > > > > > In all languages, the link to the FAQ on the Donate Now page is in such > > > small print as to be barely legible. Please update the FAQs in all > > > languages as a matter of urgency, and change the font size of the links > > to > > > something more reasonable. > > > > > > In general I would like to see the Foundation communicate more clearly, > > > transparently and proactively about where the money goes, and what the > > user > > > benefits are. Reports like the one last year on improving access > speed[6] > > > are useful. > > > > > > Andreas > > > > > > [1] > > > > > > > > > https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Spendenbanner-de-s5mini-151112_Kopie.jpg > > > [2] > > > > https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fehlerhafte_Spendenkampagne.png > > > [3] https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/FAQ/de > > > [4] > > > > > > > > > https://donate.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:FundraiserLandingPage&uselang=de > > > [5] https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/FAQ/en > > > [6] > > > > > > > > > http://blog.wikimedia.org/2014/12/29/how-we-made-editing-wikipedia-twice-as-fast/ > > > > > > > > > On Thu, Nov 5, 2015 at 11:17 PM, Pine W <wiki.p...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > I was happy to see increasing net assets and increasing revenue. The > > > > fundraising messages that WMF sends should to reflect the facts about > > > where > > > > the money will go and about the current financial status of WMF. > > > > > > > > I've been told by someone whose history with the Wikimedia community > is > > > > longer than mine that many years ago, the chapters used to be in > > stronger > > > > financial positions than WMF was. Eventually this flipped. As > recently > > > as a > > > > few years ago were consistent questions about the effectiveness and > > > > integrity of the chapters. In more recent history, the chapters seem > to > > > be > > > > doing well in terms of effectiveness and integrity, and now the bulk > of > > > the > > > > revenue is going to WMF where there are more questions about > > > effectiveness > > > > and integrity. I'm particularly troubled by the lack of responses > from > > > WMF > > > > to a number of questions that I repeatedly asked about the 2015-2016 > > > Annual > > > > Plan, and I'd really like to see some work done on increasing > financial > > > > transparency in WMF as well as enhancing the integrity of the online > > > > fundraising messages. > > > > > > > > Pine > > > > > > > > On Thu, Nov 5, 2015 at 2:59 PM, Andreas Kolbe <jayen...@gmail.com> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > On October 30, the Wikimedia Foundation posted its audited > financial > > > > > statements for the year ended June 30, 2015. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/0/0b/Audit_Report_-_FY_14-15_-_Final.PDF > > > > > > > > > > The figures contained in these statements have a bearing on the > > present > > > > > discussion. Some highlights: > > > > > > > > > > Net assets at end of year: > > > > > $77.8 million > > > > > (up $24.3 million from $53.5 million) > > > > > > > > > > Current assets include: > > > > > $35.2 million in cash and cash equivalents > > > > > $29.0 million in short-term investments. > > > > > > > > > > Total support and revenue: > > > > > $75.8 million > > > > > (up $23.3 million from $52.5 million) > > > > > > > > > > Total expenses: > > > > > $52.6 million > > > > > (up $6.7 million from $45.9 million) > > > > > > > > > > Internet hosting costs: > > > > > just under $2 million > > > > > (down $0.5 million from $2.5 million) > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > > > Unsubscribe: > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org > ?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > > Unsubscribe: > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Anna Stillwell > > Major Gifts Officer > > Wikimedia Foundation > > 415.806.1536 > > *www.wikimediafoundation.org <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org>* > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
