If you’re a Ukrainian freelancer, clients can now make a donation to you by purchasing a Project Catalog project without asking for any work in return.
To make sure you receive the whole amount, we are waiving all freelancer service fees you are charged too.
How it works
- If you live in Ukraine or recently had to relocate from there, we’ll add your project here to show that it is eligible to be purchased as a donation.
- When clients purchase your project, they’ll see a box that they can check if they want to make a donation. If they choose this, they’ll see a Donate button replace the Continue button.
- Instead of submitting work, you’ll be able to accept the donation and send a message to the client.
- The client will then be able to release the funds to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
In light of the war in Ukraine, we have decided to not charge freelancer service fees on Ukraine freelancers’ Project Catalog projects. Whether the client purchases your project as a donation (meaning they don’t expect any work in return) or purchases a project regularly (meaning they’d like you to complete the project), you'll receive the full amount of the project’s cost.
NOTE:
Fees will still apply on hourly and fixed-price contracts outside of Project Catalog.
In order for the client to release the payment, you’ll need to click on the green “Submit Work” button in the project workroom and send a reply (a simple “thanks” or other short message is all that is needed). No work is required in these cases.
We haven’t set an end date at this time, and are closely monitoring the war and its impact on freelancers in Ukraine.
No, we aren’t able to refund fees on previously purchased projects.
Yes, you can still work and clients can still purchase your projects for you to complete. The client will have the option to donate or to continue purchasing the project in the regular way. We will also still waive your freelancer processing fee even if you’re doing the work.
You can easily set up a client profile within your existing Upwork account. Learn how here. You’ll then be able to easily access both your freelancer and client profile in one spot.
NOTE:
It’s critical to create your client profile from within your existing freelancer account; multiple accounts are not permitted on Upwork.
It’s likely you are trying to buy the project from your freelancer or agency profile. In this case, to purchase a project, you’ll need to add a client profile to your Upwork account. It’s quick and simple, and once you do you’ll be able to easily access both your freelancer and client profiles from within your Upwork account. Learn how to add a client account here.
NOTE:
It’s critical to create your client profile from within your existing freelancer account; multiple accounts are not permitted on Upwork.
We wanted to move quickly to help, and this was the fastest and easiest way for us to give people a way to make donations directly to freelancers in Ukraine.
Yes, you can create a project in Project Catalog at any time, and you will be eligible for the donation program if you were based in Ukraine at the start of this crisis. Just make sure to include all the details about the work you’ll do because clients may choose to have you complete the project versus making a donation. We’ll also review your project before it’s added to Project Catalog, so be sure to follow these steps. We are working to expedite project approval for Ukraine freelancers, but please allow up to 5 days for your project to be reviewed.
Not at all, your score will not be impacted by projects that are purchased as a way to donate to you. If for some reason a client inadvertently leaves feedback after they’ve left a donation, just let us know and we can have it removed in this case.
