Accountability and Social Media Engagement of Charitable Organizations in Ukraine during the War

A lecture by Olga Iermolenko, Associate Professor, Nord University Business School and Visiting Scholar at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University

Moderated by Serhiy Bilenky, HUSI Program Director at HURI, Research Associate at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), University of Alberta, and Editor-In-Chief of East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies

About the Lecture

This talk examines the evolving landscape of accountability in Ukrainian charitable organizations, with a focus on the impact of social media engagement during times of crisis. In Ukraine, 86% of the population has consistently engaged in charitable activities since 2022. In contrast, 64% of Americans made charitable donations in 2023. This high level of charitable engagement in Ukraine is particularly notable, given the urgent need to fund the military and support those affected by the ongoing war. Social media has been extensively utilized for both charity fundraising and reporting/accountability. There is a need to understand the dynamic interaction between the charity, its donors, and the broader public, emphasizing the role of dialogic accountability in maintaining transparency and trust. Using the Serhii Prytula Charity Fund as a case study, Dr. Iermolenko will analyze how the emotive power of accounting on social media can help charities foster meaningful conversations, improve decision-making, and ensure effective accountability.

About the Speaker

Olga Iermolenko is an Associate Professor at the Nord University Business School and a Visiting Scholar at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. She earned her PhD in Business Administration at the Nord University Business School, Norway (2018). Dr. Iermolenko's interests include but are not limited to the management and performance evaluation of international projects with societal impact, such as the retraining and social adaptation of veterans and internally displaced people in Ukraine; accounting changes in the context of transitional economies with a special focus on the energy sector; accountability of charities and other organizations in Ukraine during war time.
 

This event is organized by Harvard's Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) as part of the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute (HUSI) Public Lecture Series.

Persons with disabilities who wish to request accommodations or who have questions about access should contact HURI Programs Manager, Megan K. Duncan Smith, at least two weeks in advance of the session.

Watch videos of past HURI events on our YouTube Channel and subscribe to our email list to receive announcements about events and other activities.