When Funding Priorities Shift: Lessons in Charity Resilience from Ukraine
Lessons from Ukraine on fundraising, compliance and organisational resilience
Fae Ashton is a Senior Trusts and Foundations Consultant at Altair and previously spent two years as Development Director for a Ukraine-based international non-governmental organisation (NGO) during the full-scale invasion. To mark International Day of Charity 2026, she reflects on what that experience taught her about organisational resilience, fundraising and the importance of adapting when funding assumptions change.
Charity Resilience in Practice
When people think about charities operating in conflict zones, they often focus on the visible challenges: damaged infrastructure, displaced communities and the daily realities of war. Those pressures are significant, but another challenge often receives less attention: whether fundraising systems, governance structures and donation pathways are strong enough to sustain support when circumstances change.
The organisation I worked for was established in the early days of the invasion and rapidly grew from a volunteer-led initiative into an international NGO working across Ukraine and North America. Its global structure provided access to international supporters and funding opportunities, but fundraising processes had been designed primarily for donors outside Ukraine. When pressure on international funding increased, that became a challenge. We needed not only more donations but systems, messages and processes that enabled different audiences to support the organisation confidently and effectively.
My role focused on fundraising, donor relationships and reporting. Through visits to Ukraine and close collaboration with operational teams, I saw firsthand how essential strong systems are to ensuring support reaches people when it is needed most.
How Funding Cuts Increased Pressure Across the Sector
In 2025, the withdrawal of significant United States government aid funding created uncertainty across the humanitarian sector. Although our organisation was not directly funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the impact was felt widely. As funding across the sector became more constrained, competition for resources increased and charities faced growing pressure to sustain their work.
For organisations operating in Ukraine, these were not distant policy discussions. They affected staffing, programme delivery and long-term planning. Many charities were forced to rethink how they secured funding and managed risk in an increasingly uncertain environment.
Adapting Fundraising for Local Communities
At the same time, local giving became increasingly important. Ukrainians continued to support their communities through digital platforms, volunteer networks and grassroots fundraising efforts.
For our organisation, this meant building systems that better served domestic supporters. We developed customer relationship management (CRM) processes, local donation pathways and communications tailored to Ukrainian audiences. This was not simply a matter of translation. Fundraising messages had to feel relevant, immediate and trustworthy for people experiencing the realities of war.
The experience reinforced an important lesson: fundraising success depends not only on donor willingness but on having the right systems and communications in place to support giving.
Why Governance and Compliance Matter
Fundraising across borders also highlighted the importance of governance and compliance.
Moving charitable funds internationally requires careful oversight, robust processes and clear accountability. Payment systems, donor verification, financial reporting and regulatory compliance all play a role in maintaining trust and ensuring support can be delivered effectively.
The changing funding landscape also forced organisations to question whether their existing legal structures remained fit for purpose. Like many charities, we explored ways to diversify fundraising opportunities and reduce reliance on a single regulatory environment. Across the sector, organisations were reviewing governance arrangements, registration models and funding strategies to strengthen long-term resilience.
The Lesson for Charities
The lesson from Ukraine is not that every charity will face the same crisis. It is that every charity benefits from building resilience before it is needed.
Sustainable impact depends on what sits behind the visible work: adaptable systems, strong governance, diversified funding and the ability to respond when circumstances change. Charities cannot control geopolitical events, government policy or shifts in donor priorities, but they can strengthen their resilience by investing in:
- diverse income streams;
- strong governance and decision-making;
- sustainable fundraising pipelines;
- compliant structures and processes; and
- clear, effective donor communications.
Practical fundraising support can help organisations reduce risk before pressures emerge, rather than rebuilding systems during a crisis.
Altair’s Community Impact team works with charities to strengthen fundraising capability, identify new funding opportunities and build long-term organisational resilience.
If your organisation is thinking about how to diversify income, reduce reliance on a single funder or strengthen the systems that support sustainable impact, we’d be happy to have a conversation.
Get in touch here
