It's that time of year where Wikipedia activates those obnoxious ads. They're even more obnoxious on mobile. They tell you that without your contribution, Wikipedia will go off the 'net.
Last year that claim was examined by the Washington Post among others. Contributor Caitlin Dewey said Wikimedia's cash reserves were "about 1.5 times the site's annual expenses." That meant if no one donated a dime, Wikimedia could run for six months before it had to turn out the lights.
Well, guess what? In findings by Charity Navigator (which based its analysis on the organization's public filings), in 2016, Wikimedia had 1.7 times the site's annual expenses, despite a growth in expenses of over 20 percent.
There are growing concerns that Wikimedia might not be so well run. According to a Vice investigation, at the beginning of 2016, Wikimedia was developing a search engine, but transparency issues around it caused Executive Director Lila Tretikov to resign. That isn't Wikipedia's first high-profile resignation, either.
Don't get me wrong -- I love Wikipedia. It's one of the most important sites on the internet. But those ads are obnoxious and the scandals bug me. Clearly, the ads work: Normal people read them and think Wikipedia is in crisis. But given its cash reserves, is Wikimedia the best place to give to improve internet freedom and literacy?
If you're itching to donate some cash before the end of the year and you care about where and how it's spent, you might consider giving to these worthy causes instead:
Electronic Frontier Foundation: The EFF has an even higher working capital ratio (more than three years), but since it picks fights with people over our civil rights, I'll cut them some slack.
Charity Navigator: Although it runs obnoxious ads at the top, if you click "I've already donated," they go away. Frankly, I never donate to any organization without checking Charity Navigator first.
Girl Develop It: Technology and population growth are two primary components of modern economic growth. For women to reach economic and social parity with men, they can't be locked out of the No. 1 growth industry with the highest salaries. Reasons for the lack of women in tech are complex -- but encouraging girls to code is a nice start. Girl Develop It had less than $1 million at last filing, so it certainly needs the cash more than Wikipedia.
Girls Who Code: Same basic idea as Girl Develop It, except Girls Who Code is better funded. I suggest determining which has a chapter nearest you and pick that one.
Black Girls Code: Similar to Girl Develop It and Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code is an even more focused organization. If there aren't a lot of women in software, then there are even fewer black women in software.
Prison Books Collective: Mass incarceration, mandatory minimum sentences, and corporate-run private prisons with lobbying arms have created a crisis of freedom in the United States. The tide is slowly turning, but large numbers of people in prison for minor drug offenses and crimes of poverty still languish. When they get out, they're locked out of most high-paying jobs and lack education. I can't fix all of that -- but I can send books to people in prison. When I first started volunteering with Prison Books Collective, I was impressed at how many people wanted to learn to write and improve themselves despite living on the lower end of literacy. Prison Books Collective and organizations like it are their beacon of hope. This organization has plenty of books, but the monthly cost of postage is no joke.
Mother Jones: When I said the prison tide was turning, no one made a bigger difference in accelerating that shift than Shane Bauer and Mother Jones. Bauer spent four months as a guard in a Louisiana private prison (after getting back from a Tehran prison). Bauer's long article on private prisons is so compelling, I put it down only because it depressed me so much. Not long after the article broke, the DoJ announced plans to stop using private prisons. We need more journalism like this.
Free Software Foundation: No nonprofit has had a bigger impact on technology than the Free Software Foundation. I may not always agree with it, but it's a force for good nonetheless. Its guidance will be needed as we move to a more cloud-centered industry.
Open Rights Group: An organization similar to the EFF, but based in the United Kingdom, the Open Rights Group has a slightly broader mission.
Like I said, I love Wikipedia, but give me fewer obnoxious ads, scandals, and management crises before I donate. Instead, check out these great organizations! Feel free to suggest others to me on Twitter.