Your monthly donation is extremely valuable as it allows us to respond quickly to emergencies and to support refugees all over the world. It also helps us to protect people and families in the long run.  

We offer the following payment methods for regular giving on our donation page: 

• Direct debit (LSV+) or PostFinance direct debit (CH-DD) 
• credit card 
• standing order 

If you would like to change the amount or the frequency of your regular donation, please contact our donor care team.

If you want to donate at the post office or your bank, please contact our donor care team. Kindly tell us your address and the amount you would like to donate. We will be happy to send you a personalized QR-payment slip to your home.   

Yes. You can download a QR-payment slip on our donation page. Simply scan the QR-code in your mobile e-banking app to donate by bank transfer.  

You can also donate directly to our bank account CH62 0900 0000 1561 7329 8. 

Donations that are not bound to a specific region or program are the most helpful because they allow UNHCR to support refugees and displaced families in countries affected by crises, even when the media is no longer covering these crises. They also give UNHCR the flexibility to respond immediately and efficiently to emergencies.   

However, you have the possibility to support a region or program that is dear to you. For an overview of our earmarking options please visit our emergencies page.  

By including UNCR in your will, you ensure that your philanthropic values will outlive you and change the fate of many refugees. 

You can write your wishes by hand in a holographic will. For the will to be valid, you must mention the Switzerland for UNHCR Foundation, as well as the place and date, and add your signature. You do not need to include the address or account number of our foundation. 

For more information download our guide on legacies here or contact us by phone or email.  

Since the establishment of the Switzerland for UNHCR Foundation, more than 90 cents of every franc received has been donated to UNHCR programmes to support uprooted people. The remaining less than 10 cents are used to cover our investment and operating costs.   

Every year, we strive to keep our costs as low as possible in order to maximise our impact on the ground. 

Yes, Switzerland for UNHCR is a foundation under Swiss law and is registered in Geneva. As a donor, you will receive a certificate at the beginning of the year following your donation(s), indicating the total amount of your contributions for the previous year. That amount can be included in your tax return.   

Donations to charitable organizations are eligible for tax deductions in most Cantons. Please check your Canton’s legislation to know the percentage of your deduction. 

If you have any questions about your donation certificate, please contact our donor relations department. We will gladly reissue a copy.  

Please note that your certificate will include all donations made during the previous calendar year. We refer to the value date of the bank, i.e., the date on which the money was transferred into our account. If you donated at the end of December, and if your bank processed the payment after December 31, your donation will appear on the certificate for the following year. 

If you have lost your donation certificate, please contact our donor relations department. We will gladly reissue a new one. 

Scammers regularly try to take advantage of the plight of people forced to flee by asking for money through fake online donation pages, mailings, and other marketing methods. Those scams are particularly acute during times of humanitarian emergencies. Those communication look and speak like UNHCR and claim to support refugees, migrants, and other people in urgent need. But money donated lands in the hand of scammers. 

It can be difficult to judge if a communication is real or fake. Here are a few good tips: 

• Look out for incorrect grammar. If the communications contain spelling mistakes, it might not be an official UNHCR communications. 
• We will never ask you for your bank details. Donations to UNHCR or Switzerland for UNHCR are made either through secured online payments within our official websites or through payment slips, clearly stating our bank and address details. 

If you have any doubts, do not make a donation. Reach out first to our donor care team to make sure that the request of payment is coming from an official UNHCR source.  

The donor relations department is available to help update your contact information, such as your address, phone number or e-mail address. Once the changes have been made, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.  

As a donor, you will receive stories on how your gifts support refugees. We will also keep you informed about sudden humanitarian emergencies.  

Our goal is to keep you informed about the activities we run to support refugees. If you would like to change or reduce the amount and types of communication you receive from us, please contact our donor care team.  

You can subscribe to our newsletter. When there is a crisis, you will be among the first to know what is happening on the ground, what UNHCR is doing to respond, and what you can do to help save lives. 

If you have never subscribed to our postal mail, it is likely that we reached out to you during a crisis. We collect names and addresses of potential donors from a mailing list rental company. You can request to be removed from our list at any time. 

The Swiss Post allows numerous non-profit organizations, including the Switzerland for UNHCR foundation, to distribute mailings that have no commercial purpose. 

Thus, donation appeals may be distributed in mailboxes marked with a "No advertising" sticker. 

We would like to inform you that we do not have your address if you never donated to our foundation or if you received an unaddressed mailing.  

Our foundation has several bank accounts. This allows us to know which campaign, project or region you would like to support with your donation. 

If you have any doubts, do not donate. Reach out to our donor care team to make sure that the support request is coming from an official UNHCR source.