Even though the email below from Wikipedia is an automated one thanking me for a recent donation, I thought it was lovely. I’m sharing it for five reasons:
- I want you to remember, whether you’re a business owner or not, there’s always time and place for expressing old fashioned gratitude.
- Gratitude, when expressed simply and from the heart, is a powerful connection tool.
- The author of this letter asked me to share it because Wikipedia serves an important function to all of us who use the Internet.
- There is a link for how you can make additions and edits to Wikipedia entries.
- If you use Wikipedia, I hope you’ll consider making a donation too.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dear Elizabeth,
Thank you for donating to the Wikimedia Foundation. You are wonderful!
It’s easy to ignore our fundraising banners, and I’m really glad you didn’t. This is how Wikipedia pays its bills — people like you giving us money, so we can keep the site freely available for everyone around the world.
People tell me they donate to Wikipedia because they find it useful, and they trust it because even though it’s not perfect, they know it’s written for them. Wikipedia isn’t meant to advance somebody’s PR agenda or push a particular ideology, or to persuade you to believe something that’s not true. We aim to tell the truth, and we can do that because of you. The fact that you fund the site keeps us independent and able to deliver what you need and want from Wikipedia. Exactly as it should be.
You should know: your donation isn’t just covering your own costs. The average donor is paying for his or her own use of Wikipedia, plus the costs of hundreds of other people. Your donation keeps Wikipedia available for an ambitious kid in Bangalore who’s teaching herself computer programming. A middle-aged homemaker in Vienna who’s just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A novelist researching 1850s Britain. A 10-year-old in San Salvador who’s just discovered Carl Sagan.
On behalf of those people, and the half-billion other readers of Wikipedia and its sister sites and projects, I thank you for joining us in our effort to make the sum of all human knowledge available for everyone. Your donation makes the world a better place. Thank you.
Most people don’t know Wikipedia’s run by a non-profit. Please consider sharing this e-mail with a few of your friends to encourage them to donate too. And if you’re interested, you should try adding some new information to Wikipedia. If you see a typo or other small mistake, please fix it, and if you find something missing, please add it. There are resources here that can help you get started. Don’t worry about making a mistake: that’s normal when people first start editing and if it happens, other Wikipedians will be happy to fix it for you.
I appreciate your trust in us, and I promise you we’ll use your money well.
Thanks,
Sue
Sue Gardner
Executive Director,
Wikimedia Foundation
https://donate.wikimedia.org
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Karen S. Elliott says
atThat is a nice letter, even if it is canned. I never thought of Wikipedia on a grand scale like they say, and with the sort of people they mention. Wikipedia has been around for some time (can’t remember when I started to use it), and I look up all sorts of stuff. Thank you for sharing this message.
Elizabeth Cottrell says
atYes, I had the same reaction, Karen. It put a different spin on things.
I certainly don’t think Wikipedia should be at the top of anyone’s list for charitable giving, but I somehow felt it was important to get people to at least appreciate the benefit of their service and lofty vision.
Karen S. Elliott says
atIt certainly did put several new thoughts into my head! I think many of us take the internet and sites and connection for granted. I know I do. And yes, there are many places on line to find information – I’m careful now to look for “edu” or “gov” before I trust what I read online! And even then, I take it with a grain of salt. I usually research by looking at numerous sites before I trust what I read.
I spend most of my charity $$ on the military and military-related organizations. And I babysit a lot for the military so that they can serve without worry! 🙂
Elizabeth Cottrell says
atI know you’re passionate about supporting our troops, and that’s so important!