Crypto is a great way to make the world a better, happier place – especially when it is used as donations to charities.
If you have accessed Wikipedia in recent months, you must have come across a banner asking for donations. That is, Wikipedia is asking you to donate an amount to the non-profit organization to keep with the increasing expenses of server management and other requirements. Quite conveniently, Wikipedia also allows you to donate through a popular payment method in your country as well. However, something you may not have noticed is that you can pay through cryptocurrencies too. That’s right. You can donate to Wikipedia using one or the other cryptocurrency that you have in your crypto wallets.
Depending on where you are, you can donate to Wikipedia through credit/debit cards, PayPal, bank transfer, Amazon Pay, Cryptocurrency, and so on and so forth. Wikipedia accepts donations via the the most secure way to pay on the internet. It’s a well-organized protocol for managing payments made in cryptocurrency as well. So, even if anything goes wrong, you don’t need to worry.
In this article, we have explained everything you need to know before donating crypto to Wikipedia. But first, let’s discuss why Wikipedia is asking for donations in the first place and why you should donate to Wikipedia using cryptos.
How to Donate Money to Wikipedia using Cryptocurrency?
First, you must understand that the Wikimedia Foundation doesn’t store cryptocurrency. Instead, whenever you pay using Bitcoin to Wikipedia, the amount is instantly converted to fiat equivalent United States Dollars. The company uses a payment gateway and a cryptocurrency exchange to make this possible. Therefore, if you need a refund, the Wikimedia Foundation will refund you in the same cryptocurrency you used to pay. For instance, if you paid Bitcoin worth $50 through the program, you would receive not the same amount of Bitcoin, but the amount of Bitcoin equivalent to $50 at the time of refund. Once you are clear about this, you can navigate to the payment page and take steps to pay via cryptocurrency.
Which cryptocurrencies does the Wikimedia Foundation accept?
Now, this is an important thing. As we said, the Wikimedia Foundation does not store cryptocurrency. So, to manage the currency’s reception and conversion, it uses a payment gateway called Bitpay.
At this point, you can donate to Wikipedia using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ether. These three can be called three of the most popular cryptocurrencies in the world right now. Even those who are new to the world of cryptocurrencies and mining are familiar with the term Bitcoin.
With NOWPayments, charities can accept 59+ cryptocurrencies.
How to make Wikipedia donations if you don’t have Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, or Ether?
With NOWPayments auto coin conversion feature, one wouldn’t have to worry about this.
You can use a trusted cryptocurrency exchange to convert cryptocurrencies. For instance, if you have Litecoin, you can convert it into Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, or Ether. This option will give you maximum value and other benefits. Then, you can go ahead and make your Wikipedia crypto donation without any hassle.
Just keep in mind that you will receive the money in how you paid it in the event of a refund. So, if you like the amount back in Litecoin, you may have to use the cryptocurrency exchange again.
How to donate to Wikipedia without crypto?
In recent months, Wikipedia has launched a donation drive campaign for some countries. If you belong to a country on this list, you may have seen a banner: Wikipedia asking for donations. If you still can see it, you’ll be able to donate by following the link. The process is simple and doesn’t take much time. If you cannot see that banner, though, don’t worry. You can go to the official page of Wikimedia Foundation, titled “Other ways to give.” This page gives you an overview of how you can contribute to Wikipedia’s sustenance and other projects that make information globally and freely accessible.
Why is Wikipedia asking for donations?
Wikipedia needs donations to keep itself thriving, thereby serving readers from all over the world. Pat Pena, the Director of Payment and Operations for Wikimedia Foundation, says that running Wikipedia now requires a similar infrastructure level that commercial sites use. The foundation believes that the donations from its patrons — everyday users — can help the organization stay on a healthy, positive side. Although Wikipedia receives donations from corporates and other entities from time to time, mass donations from people also make a huge difference.
Should I donate to Wikipedia?
Wikipedia has been helping millions of netizens access credible information for several years now. It is safe to say that an average Internet user seeks the help of Wikipedia content at least once a day. This may happen directly or through assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri. More importantly, Wikipedia does not show any advertisements on the website. So, the only way it could address the increasing expenses is through donations from its patrons. If you believe Wikipedia has helped you gather knowledge so far, the least you can do is consider donating to Wikipedia.
Is donating to Wikipedia legit?
Yes, donating to Wikipedia may be one of the most legitimate things to do. Wikipedia is run by a non-profit organization called Wikimedia Foundation, which takes care of everything you know and hear about the free encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation is also one of the most transparent entities globally — to the point that you can track how it receives and spends money. Therefore, you can be sure your donations will reach the right hands.
The Bottom Line
We hope we’ve cleared all your doubts about making regular and cryptocurrency donations to Wikipedia. It is impressive that the Wikimedia Foundation is all set to receive funds in cryptocurrency, making things safer and more privacy-friendly than ever before.
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