I am of two opinions on this: 1) When we raise money we call upon the goodwill people have for the work we do. We should raise sufficient funds to do the important work we do. We need to save some for a rainy day, but we should never collect money just for the sake of it. When we set appropriate fundraising goals and meet them we should thank all involved and save people's remaining goodwill for the future.
2) People do want to engage with us. Donating is often an easier commitment than becoming an editor or volunteer programmer. We have 260 proposals, most of which are excellent, for a community tech team with 6 members. This is obviously more work than they can take on. More funds for this sort of work is not a bad problem to have. With a clear movement strategy I think these will be easier issues to address. With Katherine at the helm I am confidence that we will soon have such a strategy. Additionally our financial future looks solid. Many of those entering the professional world have relied heavily on our work for their education and as such they in a way view us as an alma mater <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alma_mater>. Congrats to Lisa and her team for another amazing year of fundraising :-) James On Wed, Dec 7, 2016 at 11:06 PM, Gerard Meijssen <[email protected]> wrote: > Hoi, > Do you remember all this talk about an endowment fund? It makes sense to > get more money in it because without sufficient funds it is a paper tiger. > > PS I prefer to have it funded by out contributors than by a few large > donations. (both are welcome). > Thanks, > GerardM > > On 7 December 2016 at 18:03, Andreas Kolbe <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hi Seddon, > > > > Okay, but I believe I am correct in saying that you took around $34 > million > > last December, even though the publicised[1] target was $25 million. > > > > I am basing that on the monthly bar chart in the Wikimedia Foundation's > > 2015–2016 Fundraising Report.[2]* > > > > In 2014, the publicised target was $20 million, and you reported[3] that > > you surpassed that as well – by more than $10 million, according to the > > frdata dump. > > > > Given that this year you've taken well over half your target amount in > > eight days, and are outperforming last year's campaign, I estimate you'll > > end up with a total of around $40 million if you keep the campaign > running > > until the end of the year, i.e. $15 million more than the communicated > > target. > > > > Is that what you're intending to do, or will you end the campaign when > the > > targeted $25 million are in the bank? > > > > Andreas > > > > > > > > * I tried to include the chart for quick reference, but the mail that > > included seems to have gotten stuck in the system. I guess pipermail > > doesn't like graphics. > > > > [1] https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/12/01/wikimedia-foundati > > on-annual-campaign/ > > [2] https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/2015-2016_Fundraising_Report > > [3] https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/01/05/thank-you-for-keep > > ing-knowledge-free-and-accessible/ > > > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 7, 2016 at 2:04 PM, Joseph Seddon <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > > Hey Andreas > > > > > > A very quick email just noting I don't know the method by which that > > frdata > > > dump is created (its very old and not maintained) but it would seem > that > > > numbers in the frdata dump are only useful as a rough guide. > > > > > > We are basing our numbers on internal accounting figures which is more > > > representative of the actual cash flow since it is more closely based > on > > > actual cleared payments. > > > > > > Seddon > > > > > > On 7 Dec 2016 13:36, "Andreas Kolbe" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > People can follow progress of the fundraiser by loading the > spreadsheet > > > > files provided here: > > > > > > > > https://frdata.wikimedia.org/ > > > > > > > > At the time of writing, the data in > > > > > > > > > > > > yeardata-day-vs-sum.csv > > > > <https://frdata.wikimedia.org/yeardata-day-vs-sum.csv> Total amount > > > > received per day (not taking into account refunds) > > > > > > > > indicate that you have received $15.8 million in donations since the > > > > year-end campaign started on November 29. The advertised target of > the > > > > campaign is $25 million[1] – so after less than nine days, you are > > > already > > > > more than 60% there. > > > > > > > > Are you planning to end the campaign once the publicised target is > > > reached, > > > > or will you go beyond the target as you did in the last two years? > > > > > > > > [1] > > > > https://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/11/29/wikimedia- > > > > foundation-annual-fundraiser/ > > > > > > > > On Tue, Dec 6, 2016 at 11:05 PM, Joseph Seddon < > [email protected]> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > Hello All! > > > > > > > > > > So originally we were going to send an update after the first two > > weeks > > > > but > > > > > with so much going on and following feedback, I'll cover as much > as I > > > can > > > > > in as brief a form as possible and more regularly than planned: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > Banners limited: We have already begun limiting the number of > > times > > > a > > > > > reader will see a banner within a single browser if they choose > to > > > not > > > > > dismiss the banners. For the moment, dismissing a banner or > > viewing > > > a > > > > > banner *up to 10 times* will result in the banners being > > suppressed > > > > for > > > > > a period of 1 week. > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > Big messaging update [1]: We've been playing heavily with the > > ideas > > > of > > > > > “fake news” and “facts matter”. In addition for first time since > > > 2013, > > > > > we > > > > > have returned to an appeal coming from a specific individual, in > > > this > > > > > case > > > > > Jimmy. Much of the inspiration for both came from interviews > > > > Fundraising > > > > > did with both Jimmy and Katherine back in October. > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > Big design update & in-line banners: We've moved away from the > > dark > > > > navy > > > > > blue (seen as black by many people), which was considered by the > > > > > community > > > > > to be too mobid and foreboding, to a white background banner > with > > > red > > > > > border. Following extensive testing we also moved to inline > > banners > > > > over > > > > > the weekend replacing the top header banners. > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > Promising Numbers: Currently we believe that we have raised > around > > > > > $13,000,000 (accounting for payments to be cleared). This has > been > > > > > helped > > > > > enormously by both gains found in our banner campaigns that is > > > > allowing > > > > > us > > > > > to keep pace with the decline of desktop, as well as a > brilliantly > > > > > performing e-mail campaign. > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > Awesome E-mail: November 30th 2016 saw our biggest day for email > > > > > fundraising ~$950,000 (2016) vs ~$550,000 (2015) raised in a 24 > > hour > > > > > period > > > > > with approximately a similar number of e-mails. > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > Stable Tech: This year has been extremely stable from a > technical > > > > > standpoint compared to other years, with the most perplexing > issue > > > > > being an > > > > > odd dip that occurred in our donations and traffic [2] on > December > > > 1st > > > > > for > > > > > one hour. This occurred during the quietest period in a day for > 2 > > > days > > > > > but > > > > > then appeared to stop. Low impact but naturally could be a > bigger > > > > issue > > > > > if > > > > > the problem occurred during peak fundraising hours or was more > > > > > prolonged, > > > > > investigations continue. > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > Major gifts going great: Our major gifts team have been very > busy, > > > and > > > > > have seen double the number of Major gifts donations during this > > > > period > > > > > of > > > > > the year compared with last year which means this page [3] > > getting a > > > > > lot of > > > > > updates recently. > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > A brilliant social media team: In short awesome work has been > done > > > by > > > > > them but I will send a separate more detailed update on this :) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [1] - > > > > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein?banner=B1617_ > > > > > 1117_en6C_dsk_p1_lg_template&force=1&country=US > > > > > > > > > > [2] - https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T152122 > > > > > [3] - https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Benefactors > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > Seddon > > > > > > > > > > *Advancement Associate (Community Engagement)* > > > > > *Wikimedia Foundation* > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/ > > mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject= > unsubscribe> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/ > mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > New messages to: [email protected] > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > New messages to: [email protected] > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> -- James Heilman MD, CCFP-EM, Wikipedian The Wikipedia Open Textbook of Medicine www.opentextbookofmedicine.com _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe>
