Listen to The Giving Block’s Twitter Space, “Giving Back in Web3 with Hackatao and Outright International.”
As part of a wider collaboration, the crypto artist duo Hackatao made a generous donation of 39 ETH (worth about $50,000 as of October 2022, the time of donation) to Outright International, a nonprofit organization that advocates for inclusion and equality worldwide and strives to “strengthen the capacity of the LGBTIQ movement.”
Hackatao and Outright’s collaboration exemplifies the types of innovative fundraising methods that nonprofits can pursue by building relationships with NFT creators and others in the crypto space. It also showcases the potential for web3 artists to give back and support causes they’re passionate about.
Read on to learn all about Hackatao’s impactful and ongoing activations with Outright International.
Hackatao: OG Crypto Artists
Hackatao is one of the OG artistic teams in the crypto space and considered a pioneer of the global Crypto Art movement. Operating as anonymous Italian artists working together, Hackatao has had their digital work featured in international galleries since 2007.
In 2018, Hackatao tokenized their first work of crypto art by minting it on the blockchain. Since then, Hackatao has been actively participating in the fast-growing construction of the NFT creative space. (Globally, NFT sales surpassed $17 billion in 2021.)
Hackatao is known for its “hackable” PFP (profile picture) avatars, which have traits that can be minted as NFTs and interchanged, making the avatars customizable. Hackatao aims to push the limits of PFP while supporting values of both the crypto world and the LGBTQIA+ community, since avatars are often a type of alter ego for users in the crypto space.
Since December 2021, 6,900 avatars have been minted in Hackatao’s Queens + Kings, a collection of traits and avatars that are gender fluid. Collectors can change their avatars so they are represented as they want, and are able to express themselves freely.
“The Queens + Kings Project is gender fluid at its core,” Sandie, a Hackatao spokesperson, said. “It’s an artistic investigation of the concept of identity and gender expression, and was the perfect project to support this kind of charity.”
How Hackatao’s Values Aligned with Outright International
Outright International works to combat the systemic violence, persecution, and discrimination that LGBTQIA+ individuals face around the world. It has helped to create lasting legal and social change since 1990 and is the only LGBTQIA+ organization with consultative status.
In the last few years, Outright has regularly collaborated with NFT projects and creators who have become advocates for the organization’s mission to enact global change. The organization is also participating in The Giving Block’s LGBTQIA+ Impact Index Fund, in which every donation is distributed equally to multiple nonprofits with a similar mission.
“Hackatao is one of the most exciting partners that we’ve had the honor of working with,” said Katie Hultquist, Director of Leadership Giving for Outright International. “When I heard about the Queens + Kings line in particular, it just immediately struck a chord. The commitment to innovation and creativity, the acknowledgement of the spectrum of gender and identity expression… we realized our values aligned 100%.”
Related: Make a crypto donation to support nonprofits participating in The Giving Block’s LGBTQIA+ Impact Index Fund.
Starting in the spring of 2022, Outright collaborated with Hackatao for multiple activations and events that Outright was the beneficiary of, including:
- Creating a line of rainbow/Pride traits for the Queens + Kings collection that were exclusively sold during Pride Month in June, with all proceeds donated to OutRight.
- Donating a percentage of the secondary market royalties to Outright.
- Hosting a contest in which Queens + Kings collectors hacked their avatars and a jury selected the top ones to be displayed at an exhibition. The #1 avatar will become the image for Outright’s year-end crypto giving campaign.
- During an auction with MetaPride Land and OpenSea to benefit Outright and other LGBTQIA+ charities, Hackatao contributed one of their own personal avatars for auction.
Overall, Hackatao’s generosity has made a tremendous impact on Outright’s ability to fuel its global work. In addition to much-needed financial support, Outright has benefited from increased visibility and connections to new allies and supporters of LGBTIQ equality. The project plans to continue collaborating with Outright to support the global LGBTQIA+ community.
The Potential of NFT Projects to Support Social Good
Crypto and web3 are unique when it comes to supporting charitable causes and making a positive impact. Through blockchain technology, NFT artists and collectors—as well as the nonprofit organizations they support—are able to reach a wider and more diverse audience.
By accepting cryptocurrency donations, nonprofits are able to collaborate with NFT projects and connect with even more supporters for their cause.
Hackatao’s multiple activations with OutRight Action International highlight the innovative possibilities for nonprofits that engage with this fast-growing crypto community, which now boasts 300 million users worldwide.
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