I don't know about Wiki and fundraising (don't care either), but just so everyone knows, non-profit doesn't mean the entity doesn't try to make money. It simply means the entity spends the money it makes rather than rolling it over and dispersing it to shareholders. Some non-profits pay their top people a lot of money and some "misuse" funds.
I was considering writing for Knol, but I looked at a page with ads and then decided I'd forget about it... to me the ad placement is simply wrong, I don't believe it would be profitable to write for them.
^ Adsense can help SOMEHOW. Besides I don't think the ad section is the primary reason why one should write a Knol. It's more of you being able to "showcase" your knowledge and writing skills. You can use it as part of your portfolio.
Well you could look at it that way, in terms of similar websites it is actually a knock off of Squidoo.
I agree that the pictures were less than desirable. I'm sure some people thought they were downright disgusting.
I have a feeling Google's browser Chrome will make it easier for people to write their Knols in the very near future.
Knol. Chrome. Wiki. Squidoo. We lead odd lives. For copywriters starting out and trying to build authority and a portfolio, why not write a knol? I've written print articles for free, to try to do the same thing.