How to check a charity
How to check a charity before you give: a short checklist that takes a few minutes, and what Dolonia checks for you — before a charity joins, before a campaign is published and after each payout.
In short
An organisation, not a card
A genuine charity accepts donations into the organisation’s account. A collection on a personal card in a charity’s name is a reason to stop.
It is in the state registers
You can find the charity by its EDRPOU code: it has not been dissolved, and its name and head match what it says on its website.
It reports on spending
Receipts, handover certificates and photos of the result — for each campaign, not just general words about “help”.
It does not pressure you
A real charity never demands that you pay “right now” and never asks for SMS codes or card details.
Checklist: how to check a charity yourself
Find the EDRPOU code
A real organisation gives its full name and EDRPOU code (its state registration number) on its website, in its bank details and in its documents. No code, or a refusal to give one when asked, is a warning sign.
Check the charity in the state register
In the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Associations, look the code up: check that the organisation has not been dissolved and that its name, address and head match.
Check its non-profit status
A charitable organisation should be in the Register of Non-profit Institutions and Organisations, kept by the State Tax Service. Only donations to non-profits on this register can count towards a Ukrainian tax rebate.
Look at where the money goes
The payee should be the organisation itself, with the same EDRPOU code — not a private individual. Check the payee on the payment page or in the bank details before you confirm the payment.
Read the reports
A good report shows what was bought, from whom, for how much and when, with receipts and handover certificates, and how the help reached people. Compare what was raised with what was spent.
Check the campaign documents
For treatment — a medical report and the clinic’s invoice; for the military — a request letter from the unit; for purchases — an invoice or cost estimate. The documents may be de-identified, but they should be there.
Check the website address and links
Scammers copy the names and look of well-known charities. Open the charity’s website yourself rather than through a link in a message from a stranger, and check the address letter by letter.
Take your time
“Urgent, or it will be too late” is a common way of putting pressure on you. Five minutes spent checking will not harm a real charity.
Warning signs
- You are asked to send money to a personal card, a crypto wallet or “via an intermediary”.
- There is no organisation name, EDRPOU code, address or people responsible for it.
- There are no reports, or only photos without receipts, amounts or dates.
- You are asked for your card number, CVV code, SMS codes or passwords.
- The name or website address is almost the same as a well-known charity’s but differs by one letter.
- The same “urgent” campaign runs for months with no news and no report.
Collections on a volunteer’s card
Many volunteers collect honestly, but a transfer to a personal card is the hardest to check: there is no register, no agreement and no mandatory report, and such donations do not count towards a tax rebate because the recipient is not a non-profit organisation.
There are no personal card collections on Dolonia. A volunteer can run a campaign only on behalf of a charity and under its responsibility, and the money goes into the Operator’s donations account and from there to the charity.
What Dolonia checks for you
Only organisations that have passed our checks and signed a paper agreement with the Operator can fundraise on Dolonia. Automatic checks and AI only make suggestions — the decision is always made by a person. Details are on the Who can fundraise page.
| Check | How | When |
|---|---|---|
| State register status, name and head | automatically; a dissolved organisation is not connected | when the charity joins |
| Sanctions lists of Ukraine, the EU, the US and the UN | automatically: the charity, its heads, founders and beneficial owners | every day |
| Links to Russia and Belarus | founders or beneficial owners who are citizens or residents — refusal | when the charity joins |
| Non-profit status, court decisions, politically exposed persons | a moderator | when the charity joins |
| Statutes, documents, three months of statements for all accounts | a moderator; with the charity’s consent, an AI analysis helps | when the charity joins |
| Video call with the head | a moderator | when the charity joins |
| Every campaign: purpose, text, cover photo, documents | a moderator publishes it, asks for changes or refuses with a reason | within 2 working days, and again after every change |
| Report: spending, receipts, certificates, photos | automatic receipt checks and a moderator | within 30 days of every payout |
When checking a report, the site itself compares the spending with the payout and looks for lines without a document, payments to the charity itself, documents dated before the campaign or “from the future”, the same receipt in another report by any charity and photos taken before the campaign. An overdue report is shown on the campaign page, and the charity’s new campaigns are blocked. The first proven case of misuse means the charity is removed for good, and the fact is made public.
What you see on a campaign page
- The “documents checked” mark — who checked them and when.
- A “Documents” tab with de-identified copies approved by a moderator.
- The ledger: every donation, the bank fee as a separate line and every payout to the charity.
- Reports with spending line by line, certificates and photos — and a mark if a report is overdue.
- The charity’s page: its mission, causes, regions and all its campaigns and reports.
Being honest about the limits
We check charities, campaigns and reports and require a report on every payout, but we cannot promise that every campaign will reach its goal, and we are not responsible for the quality of a charity’s work. The charity running the campaign is responsible for the truth of its description and documents and for using the money as intended.
Noticed something suspicious in a campaign or report? Write to us via Support.
A donation on Dolonia is made only on the campaign page at dolonia.com.ua: payment on the bank’s page, or a transfer to the account of CO “CF ‘Mriiu Zhyty’” using the details in the campaign form. We never ask for card details, SMS codes or passwords. You can check a receipt or statement by its QR code on the Document check page.
Questions
How do I check a charity by its EDRPOU code?
Look the organisation up by its code in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Associations. Check its status (that it has not been dissolved), full name, address and head, and compare them with what the charity says about itself. For charities on Dolonia we match these against the register automatically.
How can I find out whether a charity is a non-profit?
Non-profit organisations are included in the Register of Non-profit Institutions and Organisations, kept by the State Tax Service; each has a non-profit status code. Dolonia’s Operator, CO “CF ‘Mriiu Zhyty’”, is on this register with code 0036, which is why donations through the platform can count towards a Ukrainian tax rebate.
Does checking guarantee the money is spent properly?
Nobody can guarantee it, but checks and a mandatory report reduce the risk. On Dolonia a charity reports on every payout within 30 days, a moderator checks the receipts, and proven misuse means the charity is removed for good and must return the money.
How do I check a treatment campaign?
Ask for or find a medical document (a discharge summary, a doctor’s report or the doctors’ decision) and the clinic’s invoice or estimate — who they are issued to and for how much. On Dolonia a treatment campaign is not published without these documents, and de-identified copies are shown on the “Documents” tab.
Someone writing in a charity’s name asks me to send money to a card. What should I do?
Do not send anything. Find the charity’s official website yourself and contact it through the details given there. If you were asked for card details or codes and have already shared them, call your bank straight away and block the card, and report the fraud to the National Police.
How do I check a Dolonia receipt?
Every receipt and annual statement carries a QR code. Scan it to open the Document check page with the details the platform holds.
Choose a checked campaign
Every charity on Dolonia has been checked, every campaign moderated, and every hryvnia is visible in the ledger.