It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not beenthoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.
This page in a nutshell: It is secondary coverage in reliable sources which determines if a topic should be covered by Wikipedia, not how well-intentioned it is.
Charitable or public-minded intentions, as this gentleman appears to have, do not obviate the need to show notability in a Wikipedia article.
Wikipedia attracts many people who want to advertise companies or individuals, with a view to increasing their customer base and hence their profits. It also attracts people wishing to promote their political causes. Inappropriate articles that are blatant advertising are eligible forspeedy deletion on that basis; inappropriateexternal links should be removed, sinceWikipedia isn't to be used for spam.
However, inappropriate promotion need not be about profit. It may take the form of promoting a charitable, non-profit, or quasi-charitable organisation, such as a community group or legislation. Even when the cause that the group advocates is noble, the usual Wikipedia principles about the acceptability of an article apply.The group must be "notable", withreliable andindependent secondary sources to show it. AsUser:Blanchardb oncesaid,
... nobility is not the same as notability, and [...] non-profit organisations are subjected to our spam and notability guidelines just the same as for-profit companies, no matter how noble their goals are.
A caution for Wikipedia editors not involved with the cause
Experienced editors not involved with the cause in question may suspect the new user of having aclose connection with it. Such editors should respond carefully, to ensure that by alleging or deciding that thegroup is not "notable" by Wikipedia's standards, they do not suggest to the new user that thecause for which the group works is unimportant.
Before starting an article on a non-profit organization, please keep in mind the following:
An article about a non-profit organization should be about the organization itself, not about the cause it supports. Seecoatrack articles. The details of the cause should be covered in the cause's article.
It is not enough that the cause be notable: the organization itself must meetour notability guidelines. Thegreenhouse effect is notable, but this does not mean Wikipedia should have articles about each local chapter of theSierra Club, or about other organizations competing with it for attention.
Organizations that have a limited scope and work towards a specific local cause (such as the preservation of a local street park) usually fail Wikipedia's notability guidelines if the cause they advocate is notnotable in its own right.
If an organization exists solely to support a cause for which there is no article in Wikipedia, it is usually better to start an article on the cause than on the organization.
Contact information and other information on how to donate time, money, etc., to a non-profit organization is better left on the organization's website, not in its Wikipedia article (if any). There are scores offree webspace providers out there; Wikipedia is anencyclopaedia,not one of them. However, if the company has its own website, a single link to the main page of this website is appropriate.
Raw mission statements areoften regarded as inherently promotional. In most cases, it is better to state them not in terms of intent, but rather in terms of past achievements, and do so in down-to-earth language that helps the reader understand the organization.
We do not exist to promote your "brand", and will not tolerate efforts to abuse this project with that goal in mind.
