donate to charity with NFTs community three people talking
Source: pexels.com

If I said you should donate to charity with NFTs, would you laugh? A lot of people probably would because NFTs are known as a trendy thing, not as much a social cause thing. But there are actually some pretty big problems that could be solved by mashing two seemingly unrelated things into one new and cool concept. 

You may have noticed it in your own life and social circle in the last two years, but studies have also confirmed that the mood and outlook regarding the world’s economic, political, and social situation have been dropping among the tech-native generations. Interestingly though, we also indicate that we very much want to impact social change and to help solve the problems we see in the world.

Even Vitalik Buterin, one of the fathers of cryptocurrency who dances on the edge between the millennial and Gen Z age brackets, uses his platform to promote social change and wants to dispel misconceptions and harness non-fungible tokens and crypto-friendly NGOs to do it.

The problem is there are big, looming issues in the world that seem insurmountable. Young people want to fix them, but it seems like a losing battle. And the ways our parents and grandparents were inspired to help only serve to depress us further. Let me explain.

donate to charity with NFTs community angry girl with glasses
Source: yahoo.com

The movements and organizations that are putting effort into creating social change tend to be nonprofits and charities. Boomers and older generations had their sympathies stirred by stories and calls to action from NGOs proclaiming their mission to change the world. But the younger millennials and zoomers (millz, as I’ll call them), lack trust.

One study found that 48% of Americans don’t trust NGOs. Scandals about how money has been spent, questionable ethical practices, and general skepticism toward institutions has made noses crinkle among all donors, not just millz.

Younger, tech-savvy givers don’t have much desire to return a direct mail envelope with a donation check. Because honestly, who even has a checkbook? Miss me with the primary fundraising methods nonprofits have used since… well, ever. Millz like crowdfunding, we prefer to give on mobile, we’d rather give to a cause than an institution. But the missions to create the social change we want to see are still being done, oftentimes, by NGOs who simply haven’t learned how to relate to or communicate with millz.

So how can crypto and non-fungible tokens help bridge the gap between the giant problems of the world, the cause of NGOs, and the attitudes of millz?

Reasons to donate to charity with NFTs

First, it’s worth noting that 94% of crypto buyers are millz, *raises hand.* And half of millennials are comfortable with owning crypto. But millennials only make up 5-10% of the average nonprofit’s donor base. So if crypto-friendly NGOs make it easy to donate to charity with NFTs and crypto, they can likely capture a completely new donor pool.

It’s not just about aligning on how younger people want to give, though. There are ways blockchain and non-fungible tokens can help create social change that weren’t possible before now. You can read more about that here. In short, NFTs give something back to donors when they show support, they’re a good way to crowdfund, and they can also be used to create more transparency in funding. 

Millz already feel comfortable giving crypto to each other, it shouldn’t take much to convince us to support social change through non-fungible tokens.

How NFTs can help create social change

By now, hopefully you’re a little more curious about how you can actually donate to charity with NFTs. Luckily, there are a handful of options.

Buying NFTs for fundraisers

If your favorite crypto-friendly NGOs know what’s up, they may sell their own NFTs. You can help support by buying them. It’s also common that businesses or celebrities sell NFTs and donate the proceeds to charity, like Charmin’s toilet paper NFTPs (get it?) which raised funds for Direct Relief.

Donating an actual NFT

Theoretically, it is possible to make a gift-in-kind donation by actually donating one of your NFTs to an NGO. This is not very common, however, because most NGOs today aren’t set up to accept them and the tax implications are still a bit uncertain.

Creator donations

It’s also possible, if you are an NFT creator, to designate a portion of your NFT sales to a charity you choose. Or, if you’re a buyer, you can look for creators who give part of their profits to causes you like.

Keep an eye out for projects that are donating to charities

Because the NFT-NGO crossover space is so new, many times project auctions and NFT drops are one-time events with proceeds going to charity. For example, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation raised money for childhood cancer with an auction. If you want to support these causes, be looking for upcoming projects that align with your interests.

donate to charity with NFTs community man taking picture
Source: egyptianstreets.com

Crypto-friendly NGOs and how to give

There are constantly new projects and ways popping up to donate to charity with NFTs. Here are a few examples of crypto-friendly NGOs that you can give to right away. But probably by tomorrow there will be even more, so watch the cryptosphere for causes that catch your attention.

Virunga National Park: Donate crypto or make NFT donations to support the park and orphan gorillas.

Mental Health America: Buy an NFT in the Blazed Cat collection to support mental health.

Ukraine: The government of Ukraine has launched an NFT “Museum of War” to raise funds to support the army and civilians.

Trees for the Future: Help the environment and plant trees by donating crypto or reach out to the organization and donate an NFT — the site says they’re working on ways to make that easier.

Summary of why you should donate to charity with NFTs

Even though there is a lot of dissonance for crypto holders and young people in general about the state of the world, how to create social change, and our relationship with NGOs, hopefully new ways to donate to charity with NFTs will begin to resolve those contradictions. 

With more crypto-friendly NGOs emerging all the time, and NFT projects supporting causes we like, crypto investors can make use of our digital assets in a new way. From buying non-fungible tokens to support causes to donating NFTs from our collections, more options are available all the time. And the easier NGOs make it to donate using crypto and NFTs, the more we as crypto holders will be inclined to do so.