NGOs and charities in Ukraine – How to verify they are genuine

Back on 2nd February I pondered social initiatives in Ukraine in response to a statement by Sergey Tigipko.

In the final paragraph of that entry I wrote “As for me? Well I am about to email HM Embassy in Kyiv as well as Odessa City Hall and find out if they have any such list for Odessa and if so, as if by magic, a suitable permanent web page to this blog will appear on receipt of any such information!”

You will have noted no permanent web page has appeared on the blog relating to this matter.  That is about to change.

Yesterday I received a reply from Deputy Head of Mission HM Embassy Kyiv with some rather valuable links to sources listing NGOs and charities registered in Ukraine and a way to search to see if those you are donating to are indeed registered in Ukraine.

Needless to say registration is important.  Whilst some unregistered NGOs and charities may not be a scam (and others may well be so), issues arise when trying to import charitable donations tax free when you discover the charity is not registered.  Also there could well be issues when donating to a NGO that is not registered in Ukraine, working without government knowledge, and subsequently you find yourself banned from entry into Ukraine for unwittingly sponsoring a nefarious organisation.

My sincere advice is to know as much as possible about the NGO or charity your are supporting rather than simply looking at the stated cause.

Anyway, HM Embassy has forwarded this link relating to the registered entities in Ukraine and also this link which allows you to search for registered entities by name.

Therefore you good readers have no excuse for donating to unregistered charities or NGOs any longer and can be assured of their legal existence in Ukraine, thus mitigating any unpleasant surprises in the future.

A small round of applause for Deputy Head of Mission at HM Embassy Kyiv who has not been in Ukraine very long, is no doubt on a very steep learning curve at present, and yet still found the time to read this blog and respond to my email.