More than $1 million for the Armed Forces – how Ukrainian IT people strengthen the victory

Ukrainians from top IT companies established a charity fund and created a volunteer organization to promptly deliver hi-tech equipment to the military forces in the hottest conflict areas.

By March 6, 2022, it has become obvious that the speed of delivery to hotspots is one of the main operational problems facing charitable organizations during the war. An idea to solve it arose among top product IT companies in Ukraine. 

Top managers of Kyivstar, Readdle, Parimatch, Reface, Vimeo, Projector, LUN, and Wise founded KOLO, a charity fund of prompt assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Thanks to their experience in launching complex technological products, KOLO founders  understand how to help the Ukrainian Army in the fastest and most effective way.

Who volunteers for KOLO?

At the beginning of the war, a small Telegram chat of ten people grew into a large community. Currently, 64 people volunteer for the organization. 

The KOLO team comprises people from the IT industry who know what speed, efficiency, and autonomy mean. Existing members invite other knowledgeable members to join. 

Salespeople help with fundraising and PR specialists build awareness and trust for the fund. Designers have developed a unique style for the organization to help people visually recognize KOLO among other initiatives. 

Misha Nestor, the co-founder of the fund and Chief Product Officer at Kyivstar, said, "Every specialist knows what they can do best to help, so we don't waste time on bureaucracy."

How does KOLO help?

Having analyzed the work of the existing volunteer organizations, the KOLO team determined that most of them face the same operational problem: it takes weeks from purchasing the equipment to deliver it to the front line.

Speed is the core value of the fund. "Each batch of strategically important equipment arrives at the Ukrainian hotspots in the shortest possible time. Recently, we delivered the big box of thermal imagers to Kharkiv in just three days after we received the request," said co-founder of the Foundation and Head of Growth at Readdle, Ray Astafichev.

The KOLO team decided to operate in the niche of medium-sized batches that are too small for larger funds, yet too big for individual volunteers to deal with.

Large organizations focus on bulk supplies of tens of thousands of items, and it takes weeks for the equipment to be delivered. Individual volunteers raise money to purchase anything from a single item to dozens of pieces of equipment, which might not be enough to support an entire squad.

As long as the delivery of medium-sized orders remained empty, KOLO filled the niche.

The fund has already successfully delivered medium-sized batches to the front line. Our volunteers purchased and organized supplies of drones and thermal imagers to Mariupol, 4th category bulletproof vests for $400,000 for the Armed Forces and the Territorial Defense Forces of the Kyiv region, and 50 satellite phones for Special Operations Forces for $50,000.

How much did KOLO raise for Ukraine?

During the first month of operations, KOLO purchased equipment for the Armed Forces for more than $1 million, delivering it to Mariupol, Kharkiv, and Mykolayiv.

The fund is focused on the supply of 4 main categories of equipment: body armor and helmets, sights and thermal imagers, quadcopters and drones, satellite phones and walkie-talkies.

In the first week, the fund raised $240,000. The largest single donation was $29,000. Using the funds raised, the KOLO team purchased and delivered a dozen of quadcopters with infrared cameras, more than 5,000 vests and helmets, American military-grade drones, and dozens of boxes with thermal imagers to Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Mariupol.

Together with partners from the United States, the fund organized an aircraft with supplies that successfully landed in Ukraine.

KOLO makes purchases only from verified sellers and organizes logistics independently. The financials of the fund are transparent. KOLO reports on donations and spending on the official Facebook page. 

How to help the Armed Forces and become a KOLO patron

Ukrainians can donate from the official website of the organization in just two clicks via credit card or a bank transfer. Recently, KOLO introduced an English version of the website for international donations. 

Global companies such as Grammarly, Preply, and Wirex became donors of the fund. KOLO expanded the partnership program to involve more businesses into charitable activities.

Companies can become patrons via regular monthly contributions, or by sending a percentage of the company's profits, as some of the fund's partners chose to do. To assist the Armed Forces of Ukraine, OBRIO, the web and mobile applications developer, sends 3% from the company's first sales to KOLO. 

To join the KOLO partnership program, please send an email to info@koloua.com with the note "Partnership." Our managers will contact you for further information. 

Daria Samokish, Head of Public Relations at SEO company Ahrefs, and a PR volunteer at the charity fund KOLO