Numerous members of the WHU community—students, alumni, and founders alike—have acted swiftly in response to the war in Ukraine by starting several relief initiatives. To accomplish this, it is imperative to ensure a timely coordination of activities and relief efforts. The action coalition Alliance4Ukraine wants to make this a reality. Together with other WHU initiatives and programs, the WHU Center for Non-Profit Management and the WHU Entrepreneurship Center invited the community to an online session to inform them about the possibilities for Alliance4Ukraine’s offers, as well as their current activities and needs. Alliance4Ukraine was founded by the non-profit organization ProjectTogether and is envisioned as a coordinative coalition between civic organizations, foundations, state institutions, and companies. It is supported, both personally and institutionally, by various WHU alumni and university-affiliated start-ups (e.g., Imagine Ukraine, Scout 24, and ProjectTogether). The alliance’s goal is not necessarily to generate new offers of relief. Rather, they seek to coordinate existing initiatives and network with their respective agents. As opposed to helping in individual cases, their core objective is to offer support on a grander scale and achieve the highest level of efficiency possible.
Expressing her delight at the founding of the alliance, Katarina Peranic, Director of the Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement and Ehrenamt (DSSE—German Foundation for Civil Engagement and Volunteering), stated, “It is more important than ever to offer effective help and to do it together. That is why we, as DSEE, are supporting the objectives and activities of Alliance4Ukraine. I am very grateful that the WHU community is also on board and has chosen to engage its network of alumni, including their friends and families.”
To date, Alliance4Ukraine is coordinating relief efforts in a total of 17 different domains, including refugee housing, language support, and ensuring that basic needs are met. Additionally, the group is asking for donations from companies, foundations, and associations to its Alliance4Ukraine fund, which will provide short-term financial relief to those organizations that are overloaded and whose solutions are sorely needed.
Alliance4Ukraine has a considerable need for volunteers who can contribute their professional expertise and management skills to many branches of the operation. This need not be on an hourly basis. In fact, full-time commitments are encouraged, whenever possible. Above all else, they will be expected to coordinate offers of relief from different companies, link these to the most appropriate areas of need, and act as the interfacing agent between civil society and state-run institutions. They will also highly appreciate participants making use of their own contacts and network to ensure that the necessary resources can be accessed as painlessly as possible.
Those who wish to offer their support, as well as those aware of companies that would like to aid the refugees, can contact Nils Omland, ProjectTogether representative and doctoral student at WHU, at nomland(at)projecttogether.org or sign up on the following pages:
Companies, volunteer coordinators, or donors can visit https://alliance4ukraine.org/
If you would like to offer employment to a refugee, visit https://www.uatalents.com/
If you would like to offer employment to a refugee or help them further their education, visit https://imagine-ukraine.org/