If people find out that they lied, they might become cynical to appeal banners altogether. There are other community projects that deserve the money more than W

If people find out that they lied, they might become cynical to appeal banners altogether. There are other community projects that deserve the money more than Wikipedia - such as the Internet Archive, or the local food bank. Now they won't get the money, because people have become desensitized. IMO, cash is the wrong thing to stockpile anyway. They are big enough to benefit from a financial advisor, and with the right portfolio mix, they could both safeguard existing cash and assure a steady income stream so they don't need the donations in the first place.