Let's look at the numbers and compare the 2020-2021 (the latest audited results) financial statements [1] to 2010-2011 [2]. All of this is publicly available as it is for any 501(c)(3) non-profit. Some selected numbers:
2021 2011
Current Assets 208,678,345 20,784,992
Donations 153,096,642 23,020,127
Salaries 67,857,676 7,312,120
Internet Hosting 2,384,439 1,799,943
So the WMF has ballooned in staff. I'm reminded of colleges where the administration keeps inexplicably growing (as do admin salaries). I'm also reminded of the quote: "the bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy".
I'm one who is seeing these Wikipedia donation links currently (apparently not everyone is yet) so I'm glad this article raised the issue. The WMF probably has enough assets to run itself on a shoestring budget in perpetuity.
Mozilla is a great comparison. Compare how CEO pay goes up while Firefox users are down 85% [1].
The Red Cross has also been mired in controversy (eg [2]). Eventually such organizations just seem to collapse under the weight of their bloat and have very little effective spending on the things they fund raise off.
I'm one who is seeing these Wikipedia donation links currently (apparently not everyone is yet) so I'm glad this article raised the issue. The WMF probably has enough assets to run itself on a shoestring budget in perpetuity.
[1]: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/1/1e/Wikim...
[2]: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/a/ac/FINAL...