Why does Wikipedia need donations despite its massive popularity?

What Google is to search, Wikipedia is to what comes next. It has emerged as one of the most oft-browsed non-social media websites, and an unparalleled inventory of shared digital knowledge. In 2023, the website has seen an average of 4.5 billion unique global visitors per month. The online encyclopaedia marked its 22nd anniversary in January.

It now has versions in 334 languages and a total of more than 61 million articles. It consistently ranks among the world’s 10 most-visited websites. However, it alone in that select group — led usually by Google, YouTube, and Facebook — is an American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Wikipedia’s contributors, who make nearly 345 edits per minute on the site, are not paid.