During the year of full-scale war in Ukraine, we observed a boom in registrations of new charitable organisations. From February to November 2022, Ukrainians created more than 6,000 COs.
In this article, we will try to figure out how to build your organisation's communications properly and use available tools to their fullest.

It is an online business card of any organisation. This way, a new audience can get comprehensive information about you. Who you are, what you do, how long you have been working, and your active projects.
If you are just starting and there is not enough information to report, tell your audience more about the team, show the areas you will work in, and give your team contacts. Do not forget to share the news about you in a separate section. That is how your potential donors can understand whether the organisation is active now and in what areas you work.
It does not have to be a unique site with a hundred pages. There are many online tools with ready-to-use templates. The most popular ones are Webflow, WordPress, Wix.com, as well as Ukrainian Weblium. But forget about Tilda and Readymag because these services are of russian origin.

In 2023, there are no more social networks exclusively for teenagers or the «50+» audience. Facebook is used by Ukrainians aged 18 to 60. Thanks to updates, Instagram has become a marketplace for service providers and sales of goods.
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, many military and volunteer accounts migrated to TikTok because of its moderate community guidelines. Also, the so-called video tutorials, from recipes to legal recommendations, are gaining popularity here.
Twitter will be useful if you are focused on working with an English-speaking audience. A LinkedIn profile will keep your donors informed about your activities. And a Telegram channel will be useful if you run a news feed or work with a specific community. Choose what suits you best.
However, remember that more than having a page on social networks is required. You have to post on it actively. So, let's move on to the next component — content. Your page, no matter what social network it is on, should immediately answer the question «What are we about?» Make a get-to-know post, and tell your audience about the team and key work areas. Pin in highlights stories with current activities and reports.
Try to write about your activity as if you were telling a friend about it.

Choose 2-3 colours that will be the basis for the design. If your budget is limited, use free constructors. For example, the most popular one is Canva, which has dozens of ready-made templates for posts and stories.
Dilute content with videos. Social media love this format. For example, Instagram posts with videos get more coverage than posts on the same topic with pictures. Even Facebook recently added the Reels feature.

If you have an interesting case, do not be afraid to write to a journalist first and offer your story. The main thing to remember is that if you do not know each other personally, write to work email only. Form a concise request, do not forget to specify the subject of the letter, and leave a phone number for feedback.

Finally, let's not forget about collaborations. Joint meetings, broadcasts, involving opinion leaders — all of it works. Think back to the fundraising of Ihor Lachenkov and Serhii Prytula for Bayraktar. Look for partners among related projects. Offer joint broadcasts, events, interview series, or podcasts.

Veronika Kobzysta, head of the Communication Agency for Social Change "9.Department" for «Cases.Media»