Supporting the Ukrainian President’s call for global help in the time of war and humanitarian crisis

UNITED24: Ukrainian President’s global initiative to help Ukraine fight for their future

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war. The invasion caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II, with more than 9.9 million Ukrainians fleeing the country and a third of the population displaced.

The invasion began on the morning of 24 February when missiles and airstrikes hit Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. A large ground invasion followed from multiple directions. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted martial law and a general mobilization of all male Ukrainian citizens between 18 and 60. Thousands of lives have since been lost.

UNITED24 is a global initiative led by the Ukrainian President, and one of its components is the fundraising platform.

Through UNITED24, the Ukraine government aims to unite everyone across the world who wants to support Ukraine. The official platform channels global support to help Ukraine fight for the future of democracy and a future world where human values are at the center and human life matters. The platform protects everyone who wishes to support Ukraine from delays, intermediaries, and fraud. They operate speedily to provide a swift response, 24 hours every day, helping everyone support Ukraine directly and efficiently, through a channel verified by the president of Ukraine.

UNITED24 raises funds to be used in three directions: Medical Aid, Defense, and Rebuilding of the infrastructure damaged during the war.

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Facing the Crisis: A True Hero’s Journey

Julia Solovey, Partnerships Manager at UNITED24 filled us in about the issues they have encountered while facing the crisis head-on, “One of the challenges we faced during the first month of war is that a lot of organizations are raising billions on Ukrainian issues, but they need support and time to understand the urgencies all over the country. Sometimes it took months for them to find a local partner to understand where this help can be provided and how to provide it correctly, and then make all the contracts… you don't have much time for a long process every day. Our friends, relatives, and kids are dying because of the bombings and we need very urgent and direct support and that's why UNITED24 was launched.”

When the war started, people and organizations worldwide began searching for efficient ways to transfer money. In response, the National Bank of Ukraine opened several accounts to support the Ukraine army and humanitarian efforts. One of the functions of UNITED24 is to be the communicative and coordinational platform.

The Coming together of UNITED24

When launching the UNITED24, they knew that one of their main partners and audiences would be in the United States and the international audience, not Ukraine, is their core focus for support.

“We were searching for a form of payment that will be known and easily understandable for the international community and that they will be able to trust”, Julia told us that the first version of the UNITED24 fundraising platform was created using the Ukrainian Bank to make payments. Despite being flexible and one of the biggest global digital balances launched in Ukraine, it is not very well known all over the world.

“When we showed this first prototype to our partners in the United States, they told us that no one knows this and they won't trust this payment system.”

They were searching for a payment system that was intuitive, easy to understand, and user-friendly, something common that people have already used in different types of charity organization sites. They wanted a platform that the donors were familiar with and knew how it would work.

That’s when they discovered Donorbox.

Quick Integration, No Contracts

After a great conversation with Amy Champagne, Account Executive at Donorbox, Julia explained that they had a very short period of time to launch everything.

Julia also figured there would be a long list of things to do in order to make the payment system work for U24, but was pleasantly surprised to find out it wasn't! It was a super seamless process, with no paperwork and no contracts involved.

UNITED24 integrated its donation form into its platform and is also creating separate links for specific targeted fundraising campaigns. “It's very useful and very fast to work with”, Julia said.

“We are really happy with this ability to see donation data and confirmation on Donorbox. We want to try the feature to create tickets for charity events.” Julia added.

Still fairly new to the platform, their team is in the process of discovering and using more features. “We are deeply and very thankful for your CEO's decision to reduce the fees for us because we are fighting for every dollar.

“We are really fighting with all our power and energy, and we have very little right now”, Julia adds with a heart full of gratitude and the gusto of a true hero, that in the most difficult times of their country, every dollar matters, “​​it may be a small amount but it's also very, very important for us.”

UNITED24 is registered in the USA as a 501c3 organization by the Embassy of Ukraine. Visit their website to give.

Fundraising for medical aid, and rebuilding the post-war country

UNITED24 raises funds to be used in three directions, with Defence being the most popular. Although contributions towards the Defence fund are not tax-deductible, people around the world understand that demining and defending is a basic step for Ukraine to fight in this war. All contributions here are channeled through Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence and are being used to fund lifesaving procurements.

The second direction, Medical Aid, is channeled by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, which is working to procure medical equipment, medical cars, and ambulances. Stressing on the ground-level situation and need for funds, Julia adds that right now, there is a statistic reporting approximately 300 cars are stolen by Russians.

The Ministry of Health is able to procure very expensive equipment, which is crucial and is saving lives.

One of the funding channels is dedicated to rebuilding Ukraine and restoring the damaged infrastructure.

The third funding direction is going toward rebuilding Ukraine and restoring the damaged infrastructure.

Julia shared the case of delivering critical aid to a city where the main bridge has been destroyed, requiring volunteers to use small boats to deliver emergency aid. If the roads were there, this would be a much more effective operation. Critical infrastructure is crucial for people to be able to return to their homes.

“The real fact is that for any person that was forced to leave their home, their biggest dream is to turn back home,” Julia explained. She went on to say that there is no safe place right now in Ukraine cities because the Russian military is bombing civilian projects, shopping malls, and homes where people live. Even still, everyone wants to turn back home. “We can't just freeze, we can't wait till the end of the war and then rebuild everything. Because if we will do that, the economy will die and our country won't be able to stand once more on its legs”, she added.

That's why the people of Ukraine have donated their own money in an incredible “inner” effort to stand strong during the war and support their economy the best way they can.

The official partner of UNITED24 in the USA is Ukraine House DC Foundation which is a 501(c)3 registered nonprofit organization (EIN 872080907). Donations are deductible to the full extent allowable under IRS regulations. UNITED24 is registered in the USA as a 501c3 organization by the Embassy of Ukraine. Visit their website to give.