The Collective Action of Crowdfunding: A Tangible Societal Resilience of Ukraine during the War

This paper presents a comprehensive exploration of collective action in crowdfunding initiatives during the ongoing war in Ukraine. Since the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine has faced significant challenges, prompting a remarkable response from its civil society. The study employs collective action theory to dissect the emergence of crowdfunding as a critical tool for crisis response in Ukrainian society. It analyzes a variety of crowdfunding campaigns to understand the driving forces and mechanisms that catalyze collective action under such extreme conditions as war. As a result, it proposes the synthetized approach to framing the "success formula" of effective crowdfunding campaigns, based on interviews with managers of top crowdfunding initiatives in Ukraine. The research also emphasizes the crucial role of shared national identity and the process of nation-building in the success of crowdfunding efforts amid prolonged war. By providing a nuanced understanding of how civil society actors utilize crowdfunding in times of crises like war, this paper offers insights into the empowering role of collective action. It highlights innovative approaches to addressing urgent needs, supporting humanitarian causes, and maintaining resilience. The study showcases the extraordinary capacity of civil society actors, organizations, and their networks to unite and persevere in adversity through innovative means of crowdfunding, emphasizing the phenomenon of civil society uniting. Also, it serves as a practical guide for policymakers, NGOs, and civic activists on organizing successful crowdfunding campaigns. It underscores the potential of crowdfunding as a tool for collective action, offering lessons applicable to crises worldwide.