How to Support Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022. While dozens of aid organizations and ministries have gone to the border and neighboring countries, here are some practical ways you can provide support:

1. Send cash. In complex humanitarian emergencies, the worst thing we can do is send boxes of supplies (clothing, food, etc.) to the border. Sending items oversees requires paying thousands of dollars in shipping fees and creates a logistical nightmare for aid workers on the ground, blocking off sections of the airport that could be used otherwise and requiring significant logistics manpower. It also disrupts the local economy, whether that’s local farmers or textile factories. Instead, keep any items you would otherwise donate for local outreach to homeless shelters or food pantries, and send cash through a credited 501(c)3 organization with experience serving on the ground.

2. Volunteer thoughtfully. Likewise, going to volunteer yourself is a noble thing, but you’ll likely be more of a safety liability than a help unless you’re a trained relief worker with experience working in complex humanitarian emergencies. If you want to volunteer but don’t have that experience, Save the Children, Oxfam, and UNICEF offer opportunities to translate materials and help remotely.

3. Try to support local NGOs. Large organizations like Save the Children or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) do great work but they also use a large percentage of donations for overhead and admin costs. If you want your dollar to have the most impact, try to support local non-profits and ministries on the ground who have experience and networks in the region you’re looking to help. You’ll want to make sure that they are a public, registered 501(c)3 organization. Also, be especially careful with crowdfunding campaigns where there is more than one degree of separation between yourself and the organizer.

4. Check for credibility. If you’re not sure if an organization is reputable or trustworthy, you can check websites like Charity Navigator or Global Giving, which rate categories like transparency and financial accountability. Interaction and ReliefWeb are also good places to start and offer crisis-specific resources.

5. Consider supporting short-term or long-term relief. Whenever a crisis happens people are often quick to give within the first few weeks, but you’ll typically see a drop-off after that point even though relief typically lasts for months to years. Consider whether you are looking to provide short-term relief or a long-term investment to help those in need after the conflict has ended.

6. Stay informed. In addition to following a variety of news sources, including national and international sources, I also like to follow local journalists who are on the ground. In conflict settings they typically have the best sense of what is happening in realtime and will have a stronger pulse of how things are impacted locally.

With that in mind, here are some organizations I have connected with in the past couple of months and are on the ground right now:

1. Good Call Ministries: https://goodcallministries.org/

2. Mercy Corps: https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/crisis-ukraine-give-now

I also have followed these organizations in other emergencies and would recommend supporting them as well:

1. CARE

2. International Rescue Committee (IRC)

3. Project Hope

4. World Central Kitchen

5. World Vision