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ozimtoday at 11:56 AM8 repliesview on HN

I disagree with take on Wikipedia or Wikimedia there was a lot of trash talk because they were totally obnoxious with their fundraising.

I donated once to Wikipedia and then I was getting Jimmy Wales in my mailbox basically like everyday.

That actually drove me away from ever wanting to donate to them. Then there was a lot of talking if they really are so much in need of money but that's different topic.

In contrast I donated to LibreOffice and it was perfectly quiet for one time donation and I am happy to donate from time to time as I use LibreOffice for my personal stuff.


Replies

jorvitoday at 1:41 PM

I have this same feeling with donating blood (in most EU countries you don't get paid for this so it is completely charitable).

If you have donated blood, every 2-3 months they will send you an e-mail for a new donation cycle. That's fine. But if you don't respond, they will send another reminder. Then a text. Then they will call you.

Yes, you can just click the "Not this time" button, and click the reason for denying in their web portal, but sometimes you're busy.

I understand that this procedure probably nets them more donations, but the feeling of being lightly hounded never escapes me, and it makes me slightly less agreeable about donating, even if it would never be a reason for me to not donate.

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therealpygontoday at 2:09 PM

Why not just click the “unsubscribe” button on any of those emails you complained about getting? Seems like blaming marketing for a lack of self-agency to opt-out, but I suppose we each have our own metrics. I’ve donated, got emails, clicked one button, stopped getting emails. Guess it just seems the complaint is very solvable, but I do partially understand your point.

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netuletoday at 2:15 PM

I donate to Wikipedia on a recurring, monthly basis and don’t get any of this.

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flumpcakestoday at 4:02 PM

I donated and don't receive any spam - you could perhaps try reviewing mail list settings / unsubcribe.

ginkotoday at 12:32 PM

Yeah, having Jimbo staring creepily in my face made me never want to donate to Wikipedia ever.

djrztoday at 3:59 PM

What drove me away from ever donating to Wikipedia again was that they asked me to put them in my will. For when I die. Absolutely disgusting. It reminds me of that one character from Glengarry Glen Ross.

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josefritzisheretoday at 3:45 PM

The Deletionists drove me away from Wikipedia. Articles keep disappearing. It's a truly bizarre paradigm.

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taneqtoday at 4:02 PM

Ugh. The persistent nagging fundraising drives are probably the main reason I haven’t donated to Wikipedia even though I feel like I should.

One time I donated to a Red Cross appeal and over the next decade I’m certain they spent more than my original donation on spamming me with physical junk mail trying to extract more money from me. Never again.

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