Gov/en/Portal:Economy/Rewards-FAQ

💡 In simple words: 💡 In simple words: This page answers common questions about Rewards: how they work, when subscription money is shared, and why donating early is a smart move.

🎯 In 20 seconds (scientific summary): 🎯 In 20 seconds: Subscription revenue is redistributed only to active Rewards, i.e. those already generated by actual donations, not to the full theoretical pool planned for the prototype. Early donors therefore get more Rewards per franc (bonding curve) and cash out faster, since they share subscription income among fewer holders.

This FAQ covers the most frequent questions about Rewards and how subscription revenue is redistributed to their holders during Prototype 1 (Cycle 1).

1. Is subscription money distributed across all the Rewards planned for the prototype?

No. Subscription revenue is distributed only to Rewards that are active.

When someone buys a one-month subscription for 1 CHF/EUR, that amount is not spread over the full pool of roughly 50 million Rewards theoretically planned for the prototype (the pool that would result from the expected CHF 1 million in donations). It is redistributed only among the Rewards that already exist, i.e. those generated by donations actually received so far.

Example: Suppose that out of the expected CHF 1 million, only CHF 100,000 has been raised so far. Thanks to the bonding curve multiplier, this may have generated, say, 10 million active Rewards. In that case, every subscription payment is redistributed exclusively among the holders of these 10 million active Rewards. As donations grow, the number of active Rewards grows with them, and subscription revenue is then shared among a larger pool.

2. Why this "first come, first served" mechanism?

This design gives early donors a double advantage:

• More Rewards per franc donated, thanks to the bonding curve (higher multiplier at the start).
• Faster cash-out at the beginning: since early donors share subscription income among fewer Reward holders, each active Reward receives its share sooner.

Even though it is likely that the majority of Rewards will be cashed out only after the full first million has been raised, this initial advantage creates a strong incentive to participate early.

3. What happens as more donations arrive?

Each new donation generates new active Rewards according to the bonding curve. The pool of active Rewards therefore expands progressively toward the full amount planned for the prototype. Subscription revenue is always shared among the active Rewards existing at the time of redistribution — never among Rewards that have not yet been generated.

4. If I donate CHF 1,000 at a x64 multiplier, does my whole donation get x64?

Yes. The displayed multiplier is applied flat to the entire donation.

For reasons of simplicity and clarity, the multiplier is not degressive within a single donation (e.g. no averaging between x64 and x63.5 franc by franc). If the multiplier displayed at the moment of your donation is x64, then CHF 1,000 generates exactly 64,000 Rewards. The bonding curve algorithm then recalculates a new, lower multiplier after your transaction, which applies to the next donor.

5. What about large donations by bank transfer — can someone "reserve" a high multiplier and never pay?

No: a bank-transfer pledge must be secured immediately by a credit-card down payment.

Large donations (e.g. above CHF 1,000 or CHF 5,000) are often paid by bank transfer, which takes a few days to arrive. To keep the bonding curve fair and prevent someone from artificially blocking a high multiplier (which would penalise subsequent donors), the person committing to a bank transfer must immediately pay a down payment by credit card (for example 5% to 10% of the pledged amount). This down payment reserves the multiplier. If the bank transfer is not completed within the agreed deadline, the down payment is kept to compensate for the cancellation.

6. When and how do my Rewards actually become activated for cash-out?

Activation is automatic. Cash-out becomes active as soon as two conditions are met:

1. Your donation payment has been confirmed by the Foundation.
2. You have confirmed that you accept the conditions (the acknowledgements validated during the donation process, in which you confirm in particular that you fully understand this is a donation with no guaranteed return).

No manual validation by an organiser is required: once these two points are fulfilled, your Rewards are displayed on your profile and cash-out is active.

Optional introduction webinar: after your donation, you receive an email inviting you to a free webinar (minimum 30 minutes) where you can meet a delegate of the founders and ask all your questions. This human meeting is warmly recommended, but it is optional — it is not a condition for cash-out.

And my own subscription? Paying your own annual subscription (e.g. 10 CHF/year) remains a natural step, since you benefit from the service. The fun (and virtuous) twist of this model is that when you pay your subscription, a micro-fraction of it automatically flows back to you via your own Rewards (since, in a way, you pre-funded everyone's subscription with your donation — including your own). It is not a condition for cash-out.

7. Can I freely choose the amount of my donation and the return formula?

Yes, both.

The amount: you choose it freely. The envisaged minimum is CHF 250, then in steps of CHF 250 up to CHF 2,000, and a free amount above that.

The return formula: you choose one of four roles, according to what you want your donation to become:

• Pure Patron (×0): everything is given — the pure gift of a patron.
• Seed Keeper (×1): a break-even operation — you get the same amount back.
• Harvester (×2): if it works, you harvest double.
• Gardener: you keep all or part of the maximum amount generated by the bonding curve and Need-Driven Funding, choosing the exact percentage yourself (always more than x2). This is the formula most donors are expected to choose.

Two complementary Premium options are also proposed (from CHF 1,000, and they can be combined):

• Custom Proposal: a tailor-made proposal, with a 1-to-1 interview with a founder.
• Founder's Circle: an invitation to a meeting with the first-hour WikiDealers.

This is the model currently proposed; details may still be refined before launch.

8. Do you pass on my donation or my personal data to third parties?

No. Your donation is private.

Your data is used for two purposes only: issuing your donation certificate, and identifying the beneficiary at the moment of cash-out (tax questions). Nothing is shared or distributed to third parties.

9. Is the list of donors public?

No. By default, your donation is anonymous.

People who wish to appear in a list of donors can ask for it: this is strictly an opt-in choice (never opt-out), proposed at the moment of the donation ("Would you like your first and last name to appear in the list of donors?").

10. Concretely, how much does one activated Reward earn when someone subscribes?

Each subscription franc is shared equally between all activated Rewards of each group.

Subscription income follows the 25/25/50 rule: 25% to donors, 25% to Early Supporters, 50% to the operations of the project. Within each group, the share is divided by the number of Rewards activated at that moment — only activated Rewards participate (see question 1).

Worked example (proposed as an illustration): suppose that, at a given date, half of the expected first million has been raised (CHF 500,000) and donors hold 37 million activated Rewards. A subscriber pays CHF 1. The donors' share is CHF 0.25, divided by 37 million: each activated donor Reward is credited CHF 0.25 / 37,000,000 — a 37-millionth fraction per franc. This looks tiny per event, but it accumulates with every subscriber, every month. Since 1 Reward = CHF 1 when cashed out, your promised Rewards convert 1:1 into your cash-out balance as these credits accumulate, and transfers become possible from CHF 100.

The more subscribers WikiDeal gains (for example a taxi driver paying CHF 10/year in exchange for much lower per-ride commissions than on incumbent platforms), the faster activated Rewards are compensated. This goes in this tendency and is the model currently proposed; figures in the example are purely illustrative.

Open questions

The following frequently asked questions are currently being processed; the answers will be published here.

1. What happens to my money if the project stops or the platform never launches? — Answer in preparation.
2. Can I donate less than CHF 250? — Answer in preparation.
3. Can I donate from abroad, in euros or in another currency? — Answer in preparation.
4. Do I need to create an account to make a donation? — Answer in preparation.
5. What happens to my Rewards if I pass away (inheritance)? — Answer in preparation.
6. Can I transfer or give my Rewards to someone else? — Answer in preparation.
7. How do I follow, day by day, what my Rewards have already earned me? — Answer in preparation.
8. Is my donation tax-deductible outside Switzerland? — Answer in preparation.
9. Can I change my formula (Pure Patron, Seed Keeper, Harvester, Gardener) after my donation? — Answer in preparation.
10. Who decides how the money is concretely used, and how can I verify it? — Answer in preparation (see the Court of Auditors, currently proposed as the independent body verifying distributions).
11. Is there a maximum donation amount? — Answer in preparation.

See also

• Rewards
• FAQ for Donors
• Need-Driven Funding
• Bonding Curve
• Revenue Structure
• Subscriptions
• Court of Auditors
• 🇫🇷 Version française de cette FAQ