By: William Sikkens
Host, User Friendly 2.0 Saturday’s at 5:00 p.m.

Online Fundraising for Ukraine

Many want to know how they can help the people of Ukraine during this difficult time, but scammers could try to take advantage of that generosity.

Here are some tips to make sure your money ends up in the right hands:

Look up the donation organization on sites like Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and Charity Watch. These sites are charity watchdogs and have detailed information about organizations and how well they perform.

Also, be cautious of donating to independent fundraising efforts on sites like GoFundMe.com and on social media. It can be difficult to know if the money will reach those who need it most.

In situations such as the one in Ukraine, donating can be tricky because the relief might not be timely unless the organization already has a presence in Ukraine.

Before you donate:

  • Ask what percentage of your donation will go to relief efforts
  • Find out if the charity has experience in emergency relief
  • Look up the charity and see how well they are rated
  • Make sure the organization has prior experience in the impacted area

If you don’t know where to donate, here’s a list of Better Business Bureau accredited charities currently working on Ukraine relief:

Article information from NBC Channel 4 Washington.

William (Bill) Sikkens has been an on-air technology expert since 2014. With an expertise in I.T., cyber security and software design he has had more than 20 years’ experience with advanced technology. Sikkens conceptualizes and designs custom applications for many professional industries from health care to banking and has the ability to explain the details in a way all can understand.  Article edited by Gretchen Winkler, who along with Jeremy Winkler are the co-hosts of User Friendly 2.0 here on The Answer Saturday’s at 5:00 p.m.

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Got a technology question or comment for Bill? Follow him on Twitter @sikkensw