Wikimedia UK is delighted to announce that it has raised over £1 million in the recent annual Wikimedia fundraiser.
This is our highest ever fundraising total – a truly remarkable 81% increase on the £560,000 raised in Autumn 2010. Over 43,000 people contributed.
This year also saw the widest variety of fundraising messages. Alongside fundraising banners featuring Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, we shared the stories of over a dozen men and women from all over the world who help create Wikipedia articles.
We are really grateful to everyone who has donated. More and more people believe Wikipedia is a cause worth supporting, and there is growing awareness that Wikipedia is a volunteer movement supported by a network of charities worldwide. The global fundraising campaign has raised over $20 million, with donations in more currencies than ever before.
We became a registered charity on November 3rd, just in time for the start of the Wikimedia fundraising season, and so were able to benefit from Gift Aid. We expect to be able to claim about £88,000 of Gift Aid back on the gifts we received, and by the end of the fundraiser, 60% of donations were being Gift Aided.
Also for the first time, Wikimedia UK offered donors the chance to donate by Direct Debit, with nearly a third of the total being donated in this way. The generosity of our Direct Debit donors will help keep us on a strong financial footing for years to come.
The donations we received range from £1 to several thousands. The average cash gift was £16 and the average Direct Debit £43. A number of supporters also pledged their support in ways we haven’t seen before, for instance by offering to leave a gift to Wikimedia UK in their will.
Once again, many, many thanks to everyone who has supported us in this year’s fundraiser. We are also looking forward to building on our successes in future. The Wikimedia movement continues to grow in size and impact every year and we look forward to playing a major role in raising vital funds to support this work in future.
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