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In wikipedia's gratitude letter, it reads

Thank you for giving Wikipedia shape, and purpose, and momentum. Thank you for fitting us into your life.

With immense gratitude.

Reference to "give something shape", what does shape mean here?

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Guided by the OED, we find that the word shape means the external form, outline, or contour of the surface of an object. Thus

Q: What shape is the building?
A: It's a cube with one corner sheared off at a 45 degree angle.

This can extend metaphorically to the "appearance, structure, or properties" of abstract things that don't have a literal geometry. Compare the title of the 1936 film by H G Wells Things to Come that is also known as The Shape of Things to Come, which is about what the future will look like.

The word takes on the connotation of the "regular or proper form" of something, which we see in the idiomatic expression

Plans are taking shape

Thus the shape of Wikipedia comprises its recognizable and regular features including its hyperlinking, crowd-sourced editorial method, standard organization of articles, and so on.

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