Is the Give & Grow app from UkraineNow legitimate for charity donations?

[jpshivell]

Almost two weeks ago, I received an email from an organization called UkraineNow. They supposedly have an app called Give & Grow that can be connected to our Shopify store, so our customers can have a portion of their purchase sent to a charity that allegedly helps the people of Ukraine.

Is this legitiomate? I can't find anything about it on the Shopify website.

[Holly · Accepted solution]

Hi @jpshivell !

The best way to know if something is supported by Shopify is to see if it is available on our App Store. I've taken a look and I was able to find Give & Grow Donations by Pledge - does this seem to be in line with what you've read? 

If so, it is absolutely safe to use the application on your store. In regards to where the funds are directed when a customer makes a donation, I would recommend reaching out to the app developer directly to make sure it would be sent to the cause you desire in Ukraine. 

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Cheers!

[Holly · Accepted solution]

Hi @jpshivell !

The best way to know if something is supported by Shopify is to see if it is available on our App Store. I've taken a look and I was able to find Give & Grow Donations by Pledge - does this seem to be in line with what you've read? 

If so, it is absolutely safe to use the application on your store. In regards to where the funds are directed when a customer makes a donation, I would recommend reaching out to the app developer directly to make sure it would be sent to the cause you desire in Ukraine. 

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Cheers!

[jpshivell]

I have looked into various lists of charities for donations to help Ukraine, and cannot find Ukraine Now in any of them. Therefore I have decided not to install the app in my store, and would not recommend that anyone else do so.

I realize that Shopify, and many other companies, want to do what they can for the people of Ukraine, and I applaud them for attempting to do so. I also realize that because of the number of available apps, for various purposes, it is not possible to vet them all. However, because of the nature of this particular app, and the possible affect on the reputations of the various Shopify stores, an exception should have been made for this particular case.

[Holly]

Thank you so much for getting back to me @jpshivell .

I would like to bring this to the attention of our internal team. Can you provide me with a link or screenshot that states that the organization UkraineNow recommended the Shopify app Give & Grow for giving back to their cause? There are many variables at play here and I would like to narrow down the legitimacy of all parties to ensure the app we have on our store is one that can be trusted.

If I understand correctly, UkraineNow is not listed as a charity within the Give & Grow app?

I look forward to your reply.

[jpshivell]

I do noy know if UkraineNow is listed in the Give & Grow app, and cannot find out unless I install the app. As mentioned before, I don't want to do that, unless I can check them out. I have searched on Google, and checked several other legitimate sources, and Neither UkraineNow nor Give & Grow are listed as approved sources for donations.

[Holly]

I see. Thank you for the context on this. Do you happen to have a screenshot of the email from UkraineNow that referenced us? I'll flag this internally. 

[jpshivell]

It was a long email, so I captured two screenshots to show the beginning of the email, which I think will provide the information you need. if not, let me know and I'll send the rest.

[Holly · Accepted solution]

Thank you for those screenshots. It appears that they are insinuating that ecommerce platforms such as Shopify could consider utilizing the app Give & Grow to give back to the UkraineNow charity. It doesn't necessarily confirm that there is a link between the three parties. In any case, I will pass this along internally for review.

Thank you!