Wikimedia is irrational in not accepting Bitcoin payment

[TippingPoint]

"those not backed by the full faith and credit of an issuing government" 

Yes.  It is especially disturbing that they would write such a thing.

[TippingPoint]

Does anyone know what would be a good email address to send our thoughts to?

Here it is:
problemsdonating@wikimedia.org
donate@wikimedia.org

from
https://donate.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:FundraiserLandingPage&country=US&uselang=en&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_source=donate&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org

or
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Problems_donating/en

[Cubic Earth]

Thanks TippingPoint.

Dear Wikimedia,

I have a small amount of money - around $10,000 equivalent - that I would like to donate to support your awesome efforts at keeping information free and available to the people of this world.  I have been trying to find a way to get my funds to you, but it seems your organization does not accept bitcoin.  All of my funds are held in bitcoin.  I would like to donate.  Please consider accepting bitcoins for donations so I can give!

Thanks

[jinni]

Simply refuse to donate in anything other than crypto-currencies, everywhere. If they don't accept crypto, they don't need
money that urgently anyway.

This.  I am a long time donator to both EFF and wikipedia. 

A while back EFF came out with some dubious reasons for not accepting Bitcoin.  Worse those reasons were often used by other organizations for not accepting Bitcoins.  I stopped my donations to the EFF.  They called/emailed me a couple times in their annual fund raising drives and I simply reiterated I would donate once they accepted Bitcoins but not before.

https://supporters.eff.org/donate

EFF now accepts Bitcoins again. 

Vote with your wallets.  No need to get angry, or outraged.  Just calming indicate to wikipedia why you will not ever donate until they accept Bitcoin donations.  When millions of people do that they will get with the program.

Maybe what we could do is set up a wallet with a trusted member and then everybody makes donations to that wallet. Once Wikimedia starts accepting Bitcoin, the sum of the wallet will be donated to Wikimedia. In that way we could constantly update them with how much money they are missing out on and we could prove it as well! Once the amount becomes big enough it would be really not prudent at all for them to say no.

[TippingPoint]

Maybe what we could do is set up a wallet with a trusted member and then everybody makes donations to that wallet.

I wasn't aware that we had any trusted members.

[tinus42]

Thanks TippingPoint.

Dear Wikimedia,

I have a small amount of money - around $10,000 equivalent - that I would like to donate to support your awesome efforts at keeping information free and available to the people of this world.  I have been trying to find a way to get my funds to you, but it seems your organization does not accept bitcoin.  All of my funds are held in bitcoin.  I would like to donate.  Please consider accepting bitcoins for donations so I can give!

Thanks

"small" amount of money!! Either you are being sarcastic or you are one of the early adopter Bitcoin millionaires who has lost touch with the value of money because it is so easy for them. $10,000 is more than a year's wages for the majority of the people on this planet.

[tinus42]

Maybe what we could do is set up a wallet with a trusted member and then everybody makes donations to that wallet.

I wasn't aware that we had any trusted members.

We have one at least:

http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=3

Because if we can't trust him then God help us.

[readonlyaccess]

If we all send in emails maybe they'll reconsider.  I just sent one encouraging them to have a look at merchant services from bitpay and coinbase.

[Cubic Earth]

"small" amount of money!! Either you are being sarcastic or you are one of the early adopter Bitcoin millionaires who has lost touch with the value of money because it is so easy for them. $10,000 is more than a year's wages for the majority of the people on this planet.

I was mostly being facetious and was trying to imagine how someone with many thousands of bitcoins might have thought about it.  It Wikimedia thinks I have a shit ton of money, maybe they would be more receptive to the request.  I think I actually changed the 'small' amount to $1,000 in my actual email.

[td services]

The Seasteading Institute has accepted Bitcoin donations for quite a while. TSI is promoting and researching ocean colonization.

http://www.seasteading.org/donate/

[phillipsjk]

Maybe what we could do is set up a wallet with a trusted member and then everybody makes donations to that wallet. Once Wikimedia starts accepting Bitcoin, the sum of the wallet will be donated to Wikimedia. In that way we could constantly update them with how much money they are missing out on and we could prove it as well! Once the amount becomes big enough it would be really not prudent at all for them to say no.

You can donate with bitcoins, just not directly: http://blog.bitpay.com/2012/11/donate-to-wikipedia-with-bitcoin.html

This problem was solved in the first page of the thread.

[knight22]

Maybe what we could do is set up a wallet with a trusted member and then everybody makes donations to that wallet. Once Wikimedia starts accepting Bitcoin, the sum of the wallet will be donated to Wikimedia. In that way we could constantly update them with how much money they are missing out on and we could prove it as well! Once the amount becomes big enough it would be really not prudent at all for them to say no.

You can donate with bitcoins, just not directly: http://blog.bitpay.com/2012/11/donate-to-wikipedia-with-bitcoin.html

This problem was solved in the first page of the thread.

I'm sorry but the problem is not solved.
The problem here is not how to donate bitcoin to wikipedia but how to get them approve bitcoin as a legitimate currency.
Unless they tell publicly that they are accepting bitcoin as donation option, I am stopping all donation to them. Not because I can't but because I'm boycotting them to add some pressure.

[Kouye]

Very strange position indeed.
They claim to be monitoring the "artificial" currency with interest, but they're just hoping it ends up being backed up by some government...
When bitcoin was designed specifically not to give a shit about any government backing.
They probably can't read, or something.

Anyway, thanks OP, I wasn't aware of that, and will quit donating to them, too.

[The Bitcoin Catalog]

We'll give a try with this one...

Hi,

We were about to contribute for a donation to Wikipedia but unfortunately I cannot find anywhere how to donate in bitcoin.
Due to the nature of our business, we do not hold any fiat currency so that is why I’m asking you how we can contribute in bitcoin.
Accepting bitcoin is one of the easiest way to receive money over the internet up-to-date. If you are afraid of the volatility of this currency, you can use either https://bips.me/ or https://bitpay.com/ services to convert instantly the bitcoin sent to fiat currency directly into your bank account.
Accepting bitcoin will allow you to receive donations from anyone in the world who wish to contribute to your very needed project.

Don’t hesitate to ask me if you have any questions and I’m looking forward for a donation solution.

Thank you

[Pumpkin]

Wikipedia clearly does not need money that much. Do not donate anything to them until they accept bitcoin.

[greyhawk]

Starving children clearly do need food that much. Do not donate anything to them until they accept tree bark.

[knight22]

Starving children clearly do need food that much. Do not donate anything to them until they accept tree bark.

You cannot trade tree bark for money and then food but You can trade bitcoin for money and then food.

Your comment is pointless

[crumbs]

Starving children clearly do need food that much. Do not donate anything to them until they accept tree bark.

You cannot trade tree bark for money and then food but You can trade bitcoin for money and then food.

Your comment is pointless

Let me explain how IRL works:
Wikip has to maintain a pristine public image to appease its major corporate & private donors, and to remain open to future, potential donors who, in turn, only wish to be associated with goodness & light.  That's why wikip does not wish to *publicly* accept money from, let's say, the Russian mafia -- doing so would negatively impact its bottom line.  It *will* accept such donations through a proxy, such as BitPay -- such transactions will not blemish it in the public eye.

Likewise, Wikip does not wish to accept donations in Bitcoin, due to Bitcoin's associations with hookers & blow.  Wikip does not wish to risk tainting its public image by associating with Bitcoin. 
This may or may not be "fair," but that's how it iz.

[Akka]

Starving children clearly do need food that much. Do not donate anything to them until they accept tree bark.

You cannot trade tree bark for money and then food but You can trade bitcoin for money and then food.

Your comment is pointless

Let me explain how IRL works:
Wikip has to maintain a pristine public image to appease its major corporate & private donors, and to remain open to future, potential donors who, in turn, only wish to be associated with goodness & light.  That's why wikip does not wish to *publicly* accept money from, let's say, the Russian mafia -- doing so would negatively impact its bottom line.  It *will* accept such donations through a proxy, such as BitPay -- such transactions will not blemish it in the public eye.

Likewise, Wikip does not wish to accept donations in Bitcoin, due to Bitcoin's associations with hookers & blow.  Wikip does not wish to risk tainting its public image by associating with Bitcoin. 
This may or may not be "fair," but that's how it iz.

Well, right they accept any currency as long as the "associations" of the currency are not directly seen on their Page:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/06/29/wikipedia-accepts-enemies-of-the-internet-currencies/

[crumbs]

Starving children clearly do need food that much. Do not donate anything to them until they accept tree bark.

You cannot trade tree bark for money and then food but You can trade bitcoin for money and then food.

Your comment is pointless

Let me explain how IRL works:
Wikip has to maintain a pristine public image to appease its major corporate & private donors, and to remain open to future, potential donors who, in turn, only wish to be associated with goodness & light.  That's why wikip does not wish to *publicly* accept money from, let's say, the Russian mafia -- doing so would negatively impact its bottom line.  It *will* accept such donations through a proxy, such as BitPay -- such transactions will not blemish it in the public eye.

Likewise, Wikip does not wish to accept donations in Bitcoin, due to Bitcoin's associations with hookers & blow.  Wikip does not wish to risk tainting its public image by associating with Bitcoin. 
This may or may not be "fair," but that's how it iz.

Well, right they accept any currency as long as the "associations" of the currency are not directly seen on their Page:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/06/29/wikipedia-accepts-enemies-of-the-internet-currencies/

Appearances are often more important IRL than substance.  Wikip sees Bitcoin as a bigger liability than accepting money from "the enemies of the internet."  As i said, wikip is happy to take your money if you launder it through BitPay or another proxy.  If donating to entities that don't wish to take your money is important to you, do it through BitPay -- you'll be enriching a Bitcoin business, and the Bitcoin economy as a whole.