Results of the B50 community activities in 2023

In the new year, we continue to actively volunteer, develop programs and projects, and summarize our work in 2023.

We also continue to publish our financial reports, because the activities of the community are as transparent as possible, we are responsible with the funds we receive, we use them exclusively for their intended purpose, and we want to be trusted in the future. We invite you to check out the financial reports of CO «CF «B50 VOLUNTEERS» and B50 NGO, which can also be found in the Documents section.

Below is some of the information from last year’s report.

B50’s activities include 4 programs aimed at eliminating the consequences of hostile invasion, minimizing the impact of war, and restoring the potential of children of war. During 2023, the B50 community developed and optimized the existing programs Restoration (repairs were separated into a separate project Reconstruction) and Growing (anchor project P.AGE was developed). In the Care program, the Shelters project was joined by the Fluffy Sunday project, in which B50 activists help shelters and take care of animals. A new separate area for promoting volunteerism, the Country of Volunteers, has also been created, which brings together such projects: Interviews with #B50 heroes, Corporate volunteering, “Stronger than bricks” photo exhibition, and “Chronicles of the Unkown Superheroes Ukrainians” photo exhibition.

In 2023, we paid significant attention to media work, namely:

1. improved the B50 website: added detailed information about our projects, regularly publish news and achievements, added a community team, information for foreign volunteers, and an option to sign up for volunteer trips through the website (as a result, more than 18 thousand people used the site in the second half of 2023 alone);
2. launched the full English version of the website;
3. launched a shortened Crimean Tatar version of the website;
4. created accounts on many platforms::
   – Ukrainian-language Facebook group for volunteers;
   – official English-language Facebook-page;
   – Instagram;
   – Telegram-chanтel Б50 in Ukrainian language;
   – new Whatsapp-channel in English;
   – our page on the platform Reddit;
   – account on Buy Me a Coffee, where you can not only find out our news, but also sponsor our projects by purchasing a “cup of coffee” or become a subscriber by choosing a project to support;
   – bilingual channel on YouTube.

Thus, we are always in touch with our volunteers, partners, donors and beneficiaries via Telegram, Viber, Whatsapp or via our phone (+38 050-654-32-30) or email (сontact@b50.com.ua).

In 2023, we received a grant from Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits, which allows us to advertise on search with a budget of up to $10,000 per month. In this way, we make the B50 community more visible and convenient, and people from all over the world can learn about B50 if they are looking for ways to help Ukraine or get involved in charity. Also, thanks to the grant opportunities offered by Google, B50 now has its own email domain and all the resources of Google Workspace and Analytics, which makes administrative work easier and faster.

The B50 community also appeared in Google search, where you can leave feedback and see contacts.

Thanks to our expanded presence in the English-speaking media, we receive more donations and support from abroad, and thanks to advertising, people in Ukraine learn about us. For example, the founders of the Lemons for Learning project (USA) saw us on Reddit and decided to sponsor the P.AGE project (thus, 3 libraries received sets of 50 educational books). The Irish NGO ChangeX took the example of the transformation of the Kozachok kindergarten bomb shelter as its guide, thanks to a publication on our website. Nataliia Paliychuk, a volunteer from Khmelnytskyi who sponsored books for Kherson School No. 39, saw us on Google suggestions when she was looking for charitable projects for children.

In 2023, we received much gratitude from educational institutions in the Kyiv region (for the repaired and decorated children’s bomb shelters) and from libraries in the frontline areas (for our sets of educational books). We would also like to thank our partners and sponsors for their concern, support, donations and grants.

In 2023, the B50 community built its own warehouse in Moshchun. In this way, we created a separate place to store inventory, tools, and building materials and improved logistics during volunteer trips. B50 activists and their friends joined the construction. The warehouse was decorated by the volunteers of the B50 Shelter project.

Last year, we also assembled a mini-car park: in March, B50 received an Opel Astra as a charitable donation, and in July, a Kia Pregio. Since then, both volunteer vehicles have been working diligently during their work trips, delivering B50 activists, tools and building materials to the aid sites.

In 2023, we launched our own merchandise! This created a new opportunity to get high-quality, stylish items and, at the same time, support our community, as all profits left over after paying the cost of production are transferred to B50 projects. Currently, the merchandise includes:

• T-shirts with prints «I’M VOLUNTEER Б50» і «#BASHYM ЗА СПАСИБІ»;
• cap with B50 print;
• shopper «I’M VOLUNTEER Б50»;
• hoodie «I’M VOLUNTEER Б50».

B50 volunteers take part in various projects; some of them join weekly, others monthly, some try their hand at carrying bricks, others at decorating or repairing, etc. All help is needed, useful, and relevant.

The most active volunteers in 2023 were:

We were also joined by foreign volunteers from different parts of the world: Christina from Canada, Clara from Spain, Gary, Alex, and Davion from the United States, who not only helped to clean up the damage but also filmed a blog about Moshchun and the work of B50 activists.

Last year, B50 volunteers were involved in various activities outside of their work trips: they donated blood, participated in festivals and volunteer forums, went on tours, concerts, and their own photo exhibition, supported their “own” in performances and presentations, and just had fun together.

2023 was a very busy and productive year for the B50 community, with new projects, programs, volunteers, and partners. We have achieved a lot, but there is still a lot of work to be done and, therefore many new challenges and achievements. So, let’s stay together and keep the momentum going!