SMS donations to charity now available in Ukraine
Donating to a charity in Ukraine is now as easy as sending a text from a cellphone – literally. A service that allows users to send Hr 5, 10 or 20 to Ukrainian charities via SMS was launched on Aug. 1.
Ukrainian parliament passed the law that enabled SMS donations in October of 2016, but the cellular companies needed almost two years to set up the service technically.
The legislation exempts SMS donations from a total of 45.5 percent in taxes that would otherwise be due, including VAT, income tax and the Pension Fund deduction.
The law was in the making for three years, competing with an alternative bill, and was eventually supported by 299 lawmakers.
Mariia Artemenko, the founder of Klub Dobrodiiv Charity Fund, says that SMS donations will change the face of Ukrainian charity campaigns completely.
“Now you can send an SMS and help a child to recover from cancer, or contribute to the development of orphans, or, perhaps, support an educational project,” she said.
Larysa Zhygun, a counselor for SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine charity, says that SMS-donations will allow a quick collection of funds for urgent causes.
“We can quickly raise funds for expensive surgeries for seriously ill people and children because then every minute counts.”
SMS donations cut out the risk of fraud when making a cash donation or sending money to personal bank accounts. They are also accessible: anyone with a mobile phone can make an SMS donation – no internet access is needed.
SMS donations have already proved to be an effective way to collect money in the times of crisis internationally. In the wake of the Haiti earthquake of 2010, the Red Cross collected $43 million in donations via text messages. Most of the donations were made on impulse – as an immediate response to reports of the tragedy.
The effectiveness of SMS-donations has been proven in Ukraine, too. In the year after the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine in the Donbas and its occupation of Crimea, the public donated over Hr 37 million to the Ukrainian army via text messages and calls to the 565 mobile number. At that time, it was the only number exempted from taxation according to special directives from Ukraine’s Fiscal Service and the Pension Fund.
At the moment there are six Ukrainian charities that can receive donations via SMS to the following phone numbers:
88000 – Tvoya Opora – provides care to orphaned and severely ill children;
88001, 88002, 88007 – Ukrainian Philanthropic Marketplace – an online platform that connects philanthropists and those who need help;
88010, 88011, 88012 – Caritas Ukraine – provides support to “the Ukrainians most in need of help”;
88070 – SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine – supports families in difficult life circumstances and facilitates the creation of foster families;
88077 – Zaporuka – helps severely ill children in Kyiv and Lviv;
88088 – Tabletochki – helps children with cancer and their families.
Artur Korniienko
