Most Ukrainians keep transferring money to support the military, although some funds’ data indicate a decline in momentum, Radio Liberty reported, citing its survey results.
According to the survey, the Come Back Alive Foundation has the most detailed donation data. From their website, over 950,000 records of transactions in hryvnias were downloaded from January to September 2023.
This foundation data shows that Ukrainians usually donate up to 100 hryvnias (UAH) ($2.7) to the army at a time. Since the beginning of 2023, the donation dynamics remained steadily stable but the final numbers show a slight increase in July and a peak in August.
“In August, together with partners in three days, we raised 235 million UAH ($6.5 million) for 10,000 FPV drones and ammunition. This explains the sharp increase against the average,” the foundation’s press service explained to Radio Liberty.
In addition, the Come Alive Back data illustrated that the main foundation’s donors are individuals. This is a tendency for both Ukrainian and foreign audiences.
Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation data from February to September 2023 showed that its donation amount was the smallest in July 2023. The foundation also reported that over 19 months of operation, they raised over 5.7 million UAH ($159,041).
“The average donation from a person is 850.85 UAH ($ 23). During 2023, the Prytula Foundation receives a stable number of donations, while the size of the average donation is decreasing,” the organization’s press service summarized.
During the latest fundraising campaign called “We Can Repeat” which lasted from 10 to 13 October, the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation, together with bloggers Serhiy Sternenko and Ihor Lachenkov, raised over 177 million UAH ($ 4,9 mn) for kamikadze drones. Their goal was 175 million UAH ($ 4,8 mn), however, they managed to raise more through over 492,000 contributions.
Another fundraising platform is the state-run UNITED24. According to its press service, UNITED24 donations are transferred to the accounts of ministries, including the Ministry of Defense.
Its data showed that the total amount raised in three quarters of 2023 exceeds 6.122 billion UAH ($169 million). It’s more than the combined funds of the Come Back Alive and Prytula Foundations. However, Radio Liberty highlighted, that UNITED24 is a state platform publicly supported by over 20 ambassadors: athletes, artists and public figures from Ukraine and abroad.
Compared with the previous year, Radio Liberty reported that in fall 2022, over 80% of Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) survey participants said they transfer funds to support the army.
Ukrainian artists also raise funds. Ukrainian bands are embarking on charity tours where proceeds provide drones, vehicles and protective gear for the military. For instance, a Ukrainian pop-rock band, Antytila, is embarking on a tour in a number of cities across Europe and Australia from the end of October to 2 December 2023. Reportedly, the musicians direct all their efforts to the volunteer projects of their own Charitable Foundation, which also takes care of the children of the families of the deceased soldiers of the 130th Territorial Defense Battalion of Kyiv where the band’s members serve.
Another Ukrainian band that blends hip-hop and funk styles, Boombox, plans to make a tour in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Croatia from 7-20 November, and in North America in 2024. The Boombox band also allocates their concert proceeds to support the needs of the Ukrainian military.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 winner “Kalush Orchestra,” a Ukrainian folk-hip-hop group, also embarks on tours around Europe and the USA. In 2022, the band raised 60 million hryvnias ($1.6 million) to help Ukraine.
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