Since the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, people from all over the world have expressed their support for, and willingness to help, the Ukrainian people. Some have hosted Ukrainian refugees, others have organized humanitarian convoys and military ammunition, and a number have even joined the Foreign Legion.
However, financial donations are by far the most popular means of support to hasten Ukraine’s victory. The process is quick, easy and can be done from virtually anywhere.
For this reason, President Volodymyr Zelensky initiated platform United24, which became the main window for collecting international donations for Ukraine. Funds are transferred to accounts held with the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and allocated by relevant ministries for such needs as defense and mine clearance, medical care, and the restoration of Ukraine.
Subsequently, international foundations began to respond and form partnership agreements to transfer large donations to Ukraine. In August, Tim Sanders, CEO of the largest anonymous donation platform in the world, Silent Donor, offered to help attract anonymous patrons to send financial assistance to Ukraine through United24.
“I met members of the United24 team at a fundraising event for Ukraine in Chicago,” Sanders tells Kyiv Post. “I explained that our team would be happy to help United24. Some donors just want to stay private, and we have the infrastructure to allow them to donate anonymously to help the cause.”
World’s largest anonymous donation platform
Silent Donor allows individuals and businesses to easily send anonymous donations to organizations with complete privacy protection. The platform’s mission is to allow individuals or companies to donate funds without receiving any attention from the host organization or any unwanted attention from the public.
The platform went live in 2020 and at first served only a small community of private donors.
“We created the first online giving platform focused exclusively on one purpose: providing a secure and easy way for people and companies to send anonymous donations to the charitable organizations they are passionate about, ” Sanders recalls. “We eventually opened up our services to the public in response to philanthropic efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“All the growth in the company thus far has been organic, and we had not marketed our services in the media until this month. Despite not having undertaken any marketing, we have become the largest anonymous donation platform on the internet.”
Most often, potential donors come across the organization’s services through government partnerships (which Silent Donor has forged over the past few years) or by searching for privacy-focused donation services online.
“There are many reasons why donors choose to remain anonymous, ” explains Sanders. “Some hold strong altruistic beliefs while others cite religious values. Some also prefer to give anonymously to causes that other groups might find controversial. Many donors also complain about the frustration of being inundated with written communications from an organization after they have donated.”
The organization is now working to develop treatment for people who have experienced traumatic brain injuries or strokes. It also cooperates with an African organization that helps refugees. One area in which it does not get involved is funding related to politics.
“Importantly, we have found that donors are emboldened by privacy. The donations made through our platform in 2021, for example, were three times higher than the U.S. online donation average,” Sanders emphasizes.
Silent Donor continues to encourage new donations to United24, especially given the increased incidence of missile attacks on Ukraine during October/
“Our largest donation so far was sent to United24 with the aim of helping wherever it would be needed most. The donor did not specify a particular area of focus for the funds, indicating they have great trust in the organization to effectively deploy their donation,” Sanders confirms.
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