Zhytomyr Community Foundation Presented the First Results of a Local Business Survey

On Friday, December 12, 2025, an open meeting of the Board-Zhytomyr business community took place at the “Optima” hotel, during which Zhanna Solovyova, Head of the Board of the Zhytomyr Community Foundation, shared the first results of a survey of local entrepreneurs.

The survey was aimed at studying:

• The main challenges and needs of business in the conditions of a full-scale war;

• The forms of support that entrepreneurs expect from the community;

• The development priorities that business considers most important;

• Philanthropic activity – which initiatives entrepreneurs are ready to join and what resources they can invest in community development.

The survey began on December 4, 2025, and primarily covered small and micro-businesses. As of 12.12.2025, 105 business representatives had participated in the survey. The respondents who took part in the survey were: 44.8% – individual entrepreneurs without hired employees (FOP); 28.6% – micro-businesses (up to 10 employees); 14.3% – small businesses (10–50 employees); 9.5% – medium businesses (50–250 employees); 2.9% – large businesses (over 250 employees).

Over 82.5% of respondents supported and are ready to continue supporting the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine), 49.8% of survey participants are willing to support cultural and sports projects, and 35% are ready to allocate funds to educational and youth projects.

The main challenges local entrepreneurs face are rising costs (61.9%), staff shortages (47.6%), and power outages (47.6%).

When asked whether their business engages in charity or volunteering during the full-scale war, 56.2% answered “yes, regularly,” and 35.2% confirmed they join “from time to time.”

The survey results confirm that the business community of the Zhytomyr community demonstrates a high readiness for public participation, charity, and community support.

Entrepreneurs have the greatest trust in public and charitable foundations, volunteers, resident initiative groups, and veterans/military personnel. Entrepreneurs are open to participating in charitable, social, and volunteer projects. They are ready to provide resources, expertise, and financial support. They are interested in developing partnership initiatives with the public sector.

It was important to find out which key community problems local business considers a priority.

“Entrepreneurs first and foremost point to safety – in all its manifestations: from blackouts and the condition of shelters to safe movement on the roads. A lot of attention is paid to transparency and trust – business wants to understand how public funds are used and why certain decisions are made. In third place is the problem of the lack of quality communication. Everyone works in their own ‘environments,’ but without a connection between business, government, and the community, it is difficult to move forward. Next is the psychological state of people. Exhaustion, stress, and the need for support – this affects both teams and clients. And another priority is infrastructure: the condition of roads, lighting, and transport. All of this directly affects comfort and safety in daily life. These areas outline not only problems but also potential points of action for philanthropy, partnership, and community development,” summarizes the entrepreneurs’ views Zhanna Solovyova, Head of the Board of the Zhytomyr Community Foundation.

During the meeting, Dmytro Epik, head of the Board-Zhytomyr business community, emphasized the importance of supporting projects and initiatives in the community and announced a joint initiative of Board-Zhytomyr and the Zhytomyr Community Foundation during the event.

The Zhytomyr Community Foundation continues to collect responses from business representatives. We invite community entrepreneurs to fill out a short questionnaire. Your opinion is important!

The survey was initiated by the Charitable Organization “Zhytomyr Community Foundation” in partnership with Board Zhytomyr and with the support of the National Network for Local Philanthropy Development within the framework of the “Resource Hub” project, implemented with the support of GlobalGiving.