Racy online video subscription platform OnlyFans has donated 500 ETH (about US$1.27 million) to UkraineDAO, a decentralised autonomous organisation raising funds to support Ukraine in its resistance to the Russian invasion.
Risque vs Reward: Personal Element to OnlyFans’ Altruism
The website says it has now contributed over US$5 million to various humanitarian efforts supporting the besieged country, its charitable effort led by OnlyFans’ Ukrainian-American owner Leonid Radvinsky.
Since Russia’s invasion began last month, UkraineDAO has been a leading crypto contributor to Ukraine’s government, which has now received more than US$100 million in crypto donations from a range of sources.
UkraineDAO was formed by radical Russian art collective Pussy Riot and NFT studio Trippy Labs. OnlyFans’ 500 ETH contribution was counted as part of the largest single donation to date, from a US$6.5 million crowd-funded NFT sale on March 2.
CEO Extends Sympathy to Creator Community
“These tragic events have had a terrible impact on individuals, including members of our creator community,” OnlyFans CEO Ami Gan said in a statement.
Given our strong personal ties to Ukraine, we wanted to support in a way which felt true to who we are at OnlyFans, and which focused on getting aid and support to the Ukrainian people.
Digital asset exchange FTX and the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation have come together to develop a platform for crypto donations to the besieged country’s war defence.
‘Aid for Ukraine’ is utilising FTX’s technology to convert crypto donations into fiat money, which is then distributed to Ukraine’s National Bank’s fundraising account:
The official website where users from around the world can make crypto donations to Ukraine goes live: https://t.co/UJhiA1jBWc. It has never been so easy to support 🇺🇦! A beautiful joint initiative of our @mintsyfra in partnership with @everstake_pool and @FTX_Official. We win!
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, took to Twitter on March 15 to announce Aid for Ukraine, the result of a partnership between the nation, FTX and decentralised staking provider Everstake.
FTX and Everstake have been developing the necessary technology to convert incoming donations into fiat money that can be used by Ukrainians in need. The money is sent to the National Bank’s fundraising account and distributed appropriately, though some Twitter users have raised concerns about how their donations are being spent:
But dont buy weapons with our donations. Help refugees with it
The donated funds are said to be sent directly to both the nation’s armed forces and civilians in need of humanitarian assistance. At the time of writing, over US$48 million had been raised via the platform.
The site currently accepts BTC, ETH, SOL, EOS, DOGE, XMR, USDT, DOT, ICON and NEO. Updates on how much has been raised by the community so far can be viewed on the Aid for Ukraine website.
Crypto Funds Ukrainian Defence Effort
Crypto donations are playing a large role in Ukraine’s defence against Russia. On March 4, an NFT of the Ukrainian flag raised US$6.75 million in crypto for the nation, proceeds of which were directed to the ‘Come Back Alive’ organisation which donates supplies to the families of soldiers and civilians.
Total crypto donations to Ukrainians have now surpassed US$108 million. Kraken exchange recently distributed over US$10 million in aid to Ukraine citizens with crypto wallets. The total donations are dispersed across relief efforts, charities, and government wallets.
Two weeks into the Russia-Ukraine War, total crypto donations across Ukrainian government wallet addresses, charities and relief efforts have passed US$108 million.
Ukrainian Clients of Kraken to Receive $1,000 in BTC
On March 9, Kraken announced it would distribute over US$10 million for relief efforts to clients who created an account from Ukraine prior to that date. Those clients will each receive US$1,000 in bitcoin during the first tranche of funds disbursement, which can be withdrawn immediately. The exchange also waived currency exchange fees for withdrawals of up to US$1,000.
Kraken will distribute over $10 million worth of to aid clients in 🇺🇦Ukraine. Tranche 1 recipients will be credited $1000 of #BTC, withdrawable tomorrow. The package is funded by historical Ukraine revenues and H1 2022 revenues from Russia-based trading.https://t.co/DdkY2TsVoB
Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) has also pitched in on the fundraising effort. After collecting nearly US$1 million in ETH from wallets containing a BAYC non-fungible token (NFT), the developers behind BAYC said it would match the contribution with a US$1 million ETH donation of their own.
It’s been inspiring seeing our community come together in support of Ukraine – almost $1m in ETH has been donated to @Ukraine by wallets containing a BAYC ecosystem NFT. Today we’re matching that with a $1m ETH donation of our own. 🦍♥️🇺🇦
Last week, an NFT of the Ukrainian flag was sold for 2,258 ether – about US$6.75 million – with the proceeds directed to ‘Come Back Alive’, an organisation that donates supplies to Ukrainian civilians and members of the military.
In other donations news, Binance’s Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund has received over US$11.3 million in various cryptocurrencies since its inception. Kuna’s Crypto Fund of Ukraine has also accepted over US$14 million in major altcoins such as Polkadot, Tether, Candle, USD Coin and Dai.
Alex Bornyakov, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation, says that cryptocurrencies have been “essential in this conflict, in terms of helping our army”.
In a situation like this where the national bank is not really operating, crypto is helping to perform fast transfers, to make it very quick and get results almost immediately.
Alex Bornyakov, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation
Boy George, arguably the first openly gay pop star of the modern era, has announced the launch of an NFT collection aptly entitled CryptoQueenz, timed to coincide with the release of seven new songs.
The writer and performer of hits such as Karma Chameleon, Church of the Poison Mind and Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? will unveil 9,999 unique non-fungible tokens on the CryptoQueenz site and OpenSea from March 1:
Be my valentine? 🌹
The original avatar of an avatar; "I created myself out of cardboard & glitter".
We are excited and proud to release this video to celebrate the launch of the CryptoQueenz by Boy George NFT collection.
— TheCryptoQueenz by Boy George (@thecryptoqueenz) February 14, 2022
Three Charities to Benefit from Sale of NFTs
Part of the proceeds from the sale of each NFT will help support the LGBTQ+ community, with two per cent of profits also allotted to the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Shelter, a separate British charity for the homeless, in perpetuity.
Each NFT will include the face of the famous Boy George artwork Scarman, along with samples of his renowned hat collection:
— TheCryptoQueenz by Boy George (@thecryptoqueenz) February 14, 2022
“As a creator and artist I’ve long been interested in the different mediums which can act as a canvas for self-expression,” Boy George said. “NFTs and digital art are a great example of this and help to democratise the stuffy art world for everyone”.
“I hope this project will help to bring a little colour and joy into everyone’s lives whilst also helping to support the LGBTQ+ community, which I’m very proud to be a part of.”
Boy George Identifies as a ‘Crypto Maniac’
Boy George, who fronted the ’80s band Culture Club, first expressed his interest in NFTs last year when he signed a deal with trading site Crypto.com to produce content for its new NFT platform.
I think life turned me into art. I’ve painted myself into a corner. I love metaphors and mystery and crypto sounds like klepto, so that makes me a crypto maniac.
Boy George, musician/artist
Speaking of maniacs, Boy George was possibly gazumped last month by fellow singer Ozzy Osbourne who launched his own NFT collection called CryptoBatz, so named for an infamous moment in the former Black Sabbath frontman’s career when Osbourne bit the head off a bat during a 1982 live performance in the US.
Both, however, were beaten to the punch by Australian pop-rap star Tones and I, whose appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine last July was turned into an NFT.
GoFundMe has withheld US$8 million in donations to the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser for Canadian truckers after police stated it was no longer a peaceful protest. With an investigation pending into GoFundMe, this situation makes a clear case against centralised crowdfunding entities.
Vaccine Mandate Leads to Blockade
The Canadian insurrection has been driven by the Covid mandate requiring that all truck drivers crossing the US-Canadian border be vaccinated. Thousands of truckers in Canada have since gathered in capital Ottawa to protest the mandate and the force with which the state was handling the situation. During the debacle, a fundraiser was started on GoFundMe that raised an estimated C$10million for the protest.
On February 4, however, GoFundMe announced via Twitter that it would stop the fundraiser and reimburse the donors automatically:
We want to thank @gofundme for listening to our concerns as a City and a police service. The decision to withhold funding for these unlawful demonstrations is an important step and we call on all crowdfunding sites to follow.
According to a BBC report, GoFundMe shut down the fundraiser because the protest was deemed no longer peaceful, stating that “we now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity”. As a result, the company stopped the fundraiser since it was in violation of its terms.
However, truckers insist the protests have been peaceful but that the state is looking for a way to curb the protest due to its ramifications for the city:
Take a second look at this beautiful moment of unity and peace. Take as much time as you need. How often do you see something like this? Now realize exactly how evil it is for @JustinTrudeau and @gofundme to want to try and destroy it. Pure evil pic.twitter.com/ubeczVXLp2
How Decentralised Donations Could Solve the Problem
Today's move by GoFundMe and the Canadian government is an incredible endorsement of Bitcoin and its reason for being. Eliminate trusted third parties and let freedom ring. https://t.co/vbEbNfylSc
With GoFundMe deciding to scrap the fundraiser, others in the decentralised community have stepped up to create a fund that can’t be blocked by authorities. One such instance is HonkHonk Hodl, which uses the Lightning Network to donate satoshis (fractions of bitcoin) to the Freedom Convoy.
The Canadian Bitcoin community would like to have a second financial access point for #FreedomConvoy2022. Legacy financial infrastructure can sometimes be politicised and clamped down upon, whereas Bitcoin is a truly censorship-resistant method of communicating value. Don’t allow your voices to be silenced, and don’t allow your financial sovereignty to be trampled upon.
HonkHonk Hodl
HonkHonk Hodl has at this stage reached its goal of 600,000 satoshis, and is in fact well beyond with over 9 BTC (900,000,000 satoshis). Big names in the industry have joined the cause, with KrakenFX CEO and co-founder Jesse Powell, for example, making a donation:
More than US$69 million worth of cryptocurrency was donated in 2021, a 1,558 percent increase on the US$4.2 million figure in 2020. The data was released by The Giving Block, a platform that allows donations in cryptocurrency for non-profit organisations and individuals.
2021: The Year of Crypto Philanthropy
A total of 70 cryptocurrencies were donated, and for the first time Ether (ETH) surpassed Bitcoin (BTC) as the most donated cryptocurrency with US$30.79 million worth of ETH transferred to the The Giving Block.
More than 295 million crypto users globally donated using their preferred cryptocurrency. The Giving Block attributes the increase to the bull market and the growing adoption of crypto assets during 2021, but what’s interesting is that the volume of donations didn’t drop during market crashes – rather, it increased with each month.
At the close of the first quarter of 2021, the total donation volume was around US$1.69 million – by the end of Q4, it was $43.1 million.
Various NFT (non-fungible token) projects also contributed to The Giving Block with donations of more than US$12.3 million. These included Yuga Labs – creators of Bored Ape Yacht Club – who donated 66.45 ETH to the organisation.
This data reflects the growing popularity of digital assets among activist, nonprofits, and the general public throughout 2021, especially as it’s easier to donate using cryptocurrencies.
As an emerging source of fundraising, individuals from all corners of the crypto community – from anonymous donors to industry leaders to NFT artists – have shown an eagerness to embrace their capacity as supporters of important causes, from animal rights and disaster relief to mental health awareness and cancer research.
In an effort to raise funds and create greater awareness for the plight of South Africa’s endangered rhino, one progressive conservationist has capitalised on NFT fever by auctioning off the world’s first rhino horn NFT.
A digital replica of a rhino horn has been sold at an auction in South Africa, as conservationists tap into the craze for NFTs to raise money to protect real rhinos.
Rhino poaching wasn’t always a major conservation issue requiring significant resources and creative fund-raising efforts.
Historically, demand for rhino products was relatively stable until the rapid growth of nouveau riche Vietnamese and Chinese saw demand soar. These days, while demand remains somewhat lower, much of the reduction can be attributed to highly effective anti-poaching efforts.
Rhino poaching incidents vs rhinos poached. Source: Helping Rhinos
Despite the success of anti-poaching, which has shifted from conservationist to military-style special forces, rhinos remain critically endangered in Africa and even more so in Asia.
Global rhino population. Source: Save the Rhino International
NFTs and Conservation
An auction was held last week to raise money to protect South African rhinos. The winning bidder, Charl Jacobs, paid R105,000 (approximately US$7,000) for a rhino horn NFT which he planned to place in trust for his children. The real horn would be locked away for safekeeping.
If [in a] worst-case scenario rhinos go into complete disarray, then I would still own a rhino horn, because the NFT is a token of the physical rhino horn.
Charl Jacobs
Proceeds from the sale will go to the private Black Rock Rhino conservancy, home to 200 rhinos that are able to breed while protected from poachers. Conservationist Derek Lewitton noted that the conservancy was doubling the population of rhinos every four years, so conservation remained critical.
But it costs a fortune. If you don’t want to get poached, you have to spend a ton in terms of manpower and security infrastructure, and this a way to help us fund that.
Four non-fungible token (NFT) artworks inspired by Freddie Mercury are to be auctioned off for charity to mark what would have been the late Queen singer’s 75th birthday.
The quartet of works by transatlantic artists Blake Kathryn, Chad Knight (US), Mat Maitland and MBSJQ (UK) will be sold in a timed auction on digital art marketplace SuperRare over 75 hours from September 20, according to the organisers.
Three are portraits of Mercury while the fourth is a dreamlike depiction of a white grand piano with a crown on its stool, surrounded by a pond of swimming goldfish (see video below).
Proceeds will go the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an AIDS charity established by Queen founding members Brian May and Roger Taylor and band manager Jim Beach in the singer’s memory.
The collection is curated by LA-based 6 Agency, whose co-founder Georgio Constantinou commented:
Six was honoured to curate an incredible collection of artists to celebrate the life and impact of Freddie Mercury. After meeting with the Mercury Phoenix Trust, we knew that if Freddie were alive today, he would be excited about the creative potential of the NFT space.
Georgio Constantinou, co-founder, Six Agency
Mercury, who studied graphic art and design before joining Queen in 1970, would have turned 75 on September 5. He died from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991.
Mercury Was Fully Qualified When It Came to Art Appreciation
Before joining Queen, Mercury attained a degree in graphic art and design and later became an avid collector of classical and contemporary art and glass works. He was recognised as having what experts considered one of the world’s finest collections of Japanese antique woodblock prints.
The singer left a very simple creative brief to the world on his passing: “You can do whatever you want with my work, just never make me boring.” This brief was given to the four digital artists for each to create an NFT artwork inspired by different aspects of Mercury’s flamboyant persona.
Looking for a worthy charity to donate your crypto to? Here is a list of 10 charities that accept cryptocurrency donations in Australia and worldwide:
Blockchain PhilanthropyFoundation
BPF is Australia’s first cryptocurrency donation platform to help charities connect with donors in the digital age. Their motto is “Build a Better World”, and charities can partner with the platform to start accepting cryptocurrency donations for their organisation. So far they have partnered with UNICEF and Wateraid.
Backpack Bed
Backpack Bed for Homeless is an Australian charity that provides backpack beds and sleeping bags for street-sleeping people without shelter. If you want to donate, you can do so with your cryptocurrency and make a difference for homeless people sleeping on the streets and receive a possible tax receipt benefit. Backpack Bed for Homeless accepts crypto donations in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Basic Attention Token (BAT) and more.
AGAPE Outreach
Agape Outreach is another Australian homeless charity, based on the NSW north coast. Theresa Mitchell (above right) started Agape Outreach Inc 12 years ago to feed the homeless from Byron Bay to Hervey Bay, and the charity solely relies on fundraising and rescued edible food normally put into landfill. After receiving a digital donation in Qoin to the equivalent of more than A$9,000, Agape Outreach has set up an op shop to accept crypto donations as well.
Save The Children
Save the Children was one of the first global nonprofits to accept cryptocurrency. It has been accepting Bitcoin donations since 2013. Through its cryptocurrency fundraising initiative with The Giving Block and Gemini Trust Exchange (using Gemini Dollars), Save the Children accepts multiple cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and even Dogecoin (DOGE), among others.
Habitat
By donating cryptocurrency to Habitat for Humanity Australia, you will be helping families to build or improve a place they can call home. Access to safe housing provides more than a roof overhead. It means safety and security, offers children a space to study, is instrumental in improving the health and wellbeing of families, acts as a base to start a thriving home enterprise, and provides a solid foundation to break the cycle of poverty. Crypto donors can choose to remain anonymous.
Independent Reserve
Independent Reserve is donating crypto to the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF). It invites the crypto community to help in raising crypto for a very worthy cause. All crypto raised will be donated to SCHF. Visit the donatation page to get started with your
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is a multinational media organisation and associated library founded by Australian publisher Julian Assange. It specialises in the analysis and publication of large datasets of censored or otherwise restricted official materials concerned with war, spying and corruption. It has so far published more than 10 million documents and associated analyses. WikiLeaks advocates for transparency through freedom of information. It accepts donations in cryptocurrency including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero and Zcash.
Free Snowden
Edward Snowden is a former computer intelligence consultant who was compelled to leak highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) after he became highly concerned over mass data collection on everyday citizens by big tech companies such as Facebook and Google, and the government’s access and abuse of this private information. On September 2, 2020, a US federal court ruled that the mass surveillance program conducted by the US intelligence agency, which was exposed by Snowden, was illegal and possibly unconstitutional. The Free Snowden website accepts cryptocurrency donations to help fund the legal defence for whistleblower Snowden. Snowden’s official legal defence fund is raised and run by the Courage Foundation, which also organises and maintains a dedicated campaign team to publicise the issues he disclosed, and advocate across global media to build an international support network for Snowden. Snowden has been charged with breaking the Espionage Act and has yet to return to the US. He lives with his wife in exile in Russia, where he was granted asylum and is now a permanent resident.
Tokens for Humanity
Tokens for Humanity is the first blockchain-powered Australian registered charity to be recognised by the Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission. Its mission is to reinvigorate public trust in the charitable sector. TFH publishes insights and implements technologies to empower not-for-profit organisations to amplify their impact. It is the first Australian charity to issue NFT collectibles and collaborate with other charitable organisations to distribute raised funds. To help support the great work of Australian animal welfare organisations, Tokens for Humanity has proudly partnered with The Lost Dogs’ Home for the release of this animal NFT collection.
CryptoSpend is a team that saw an opportunity for the crypto community to make a difference internationally. With partners RFSA and Vinnies, the website enables all crypto enthusiasts and users to donate crypto to help the victims of Australian bushfires and firefighters. The most recent round of funding has now closed, but CryptoSpend may run another fundraiser in the future.
Conclusions
There are a number of reasons why you would choose to donate your crypto to charities including: simply out of the goodness of your heart, saving on capital gains tax, giving away excess crypto profits, either way thank you!
Binance Charity, Binance Australia, and the Koala Clancy Foundation have, on Earth Day, launched a new cryptocurrency, Tree Token, in an effort to help restore the wildlife habitats impacted by the 2019 Australian Bushfires. The collaborative blockchain project aims to raise $1 million AUD worth of Tree Tokens to plant 100,000 trees in Australia.
The 2019 bushfires are being recorded as one of the worst fire seasons on record, incinerating 27 million acres of Australia and impacting almost 3 billion animals.
Koala mother with joey [Koala Clancy Foundation]
In the first phase of the joint philanthropic project, Binance Charity will commit $400,000 AUD worth of Tree Tokens, a cryptocurrency issued on Binance Smart Chain (BSC), for the specific use of supporting the environmental restoration of the disaster’s aftermath.
The Tree Token is pegged 1:1 to the Australian dollar (AUD). The initial funds will go to the Koala Clancy Foundation to plant 40,000 new trees in the You Yangs and Gippsland regions in Victoria.
The remaining $600,000 AUD will be donated in later phases of the project. The Tree Token is not for purchase to the public. Tree Tokens will enable Binance Charity to monitor and evaluate tree planting activities on the blockchain, allow donors to track the impact of their contributions and bring ownership to the philanthropic project.
Koala snoozing [Koala Clancy Foundation]
Head of Binance Charity, Helen Hai, said the pilot technology trialled with the Koala Clancy Foundation can have benefits across multiple functions in the philanthropy sector.
By issuing Tree Tokens, the process is made fully transparent to donors. This initiative’s model can be replicated and applied to revolutionise archaic practices in a variety of charity projects – helping to report progress and bring ownership to all parties.
Helen Hai, Head of Binance Charity
President of Koala Clancy Foundation, Janine Duffy, said “Cryptocurrencies seemed like they are for investments. We did not realise that they can be used for philanthropic sectors. With the Tree Tokens, we wish to give data on the restoration of koala habitat in regional Victoria to our donors transparently. Also, Koala Clancy Foundation is honoured to adopt this new technology to the system.”
A spokesperson from Binance Australia said: “The devastation of the recent bushfires will be felt for many years to come, so we’re proud to support the partnership with Koala Clancy Foundation to help restore wildlife habitats. This is an important step forward to demonstrate the exciting and impactful opportunities leveraging blockchain technology can have for the environment.”
With the rapid acceptance and growth of cryptocurrency in Australia, Binance Australia and Binance Charity stand together at the forefront of the industry showcasing how blockchain’s infrastructure can boost trust and transparency within the charity sector.
