In late 2021, the fundraising team at the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF) was excited to begin accepting cryptocurrency donations. But they weren’t certain how quickly the crypto community would begin to support its mission. It was already toward the end of the calendar year, a time when many fundraisers ask for an annual gift from their existing donor community.
To their surprise, a cryptocurrency donation came in just days after they finished their setup process with The Giving Block. Since then, the momentum around crypto fundraising has been gaining steadily. In 2023, the organizations received numerous crypto donations, totaling nearly $200,000 in value.
For small-to-mid-sized charitable organizations like PCRF, every single donation makes a tangible difference in achieving their goals. For PCRF, that goal is to advance scientific knowledge around children’s cancers.
The generosity of individual crypto donors and several crypto, NFT and Web3 projects has elevated crypto philanthropy from something new and novel into a core pillar of PCRF’s overall fundraising strategy.
“Our Foundation is steeped in advancing innovation and pioneering new ideas that have a high potential for creating meaningful impact. That applies to the science we invest in and the philanthropic channels we pursue. We have been delighted by the financial support the cryptocurrency community has demonstrated for our research, as exemplified by generous contributions from projects including NodeMonkes NFT.”
What kinds of crypto donors have supported PCRF?
One of the most exciting aspects of crypto philanthropy is its focus on community-led charitable efforts. PCRF has benefited from crypto-based giving initiatives devised by several NFT project creators as well as memecoin communities. Notable examples include:
- The NodeMonkes community contributed 2.1 BTC, an equivalent of $120,000, to PCRF. This monumental gift pays the administrative costs of allowing five children to participate in a pivotal clinical trial for an entire year and could pave the way for future breakthroughs in pediatric cancer treatment.
- Creators of the token Shiba DOGE made a donation valued at $50,000. This donation enables PCRF to award the money needed for one of our doctors to bring on board an additional postdoctoral fellow to help advance their lab’s research. In a world where lives literally depend on quickening the pace of knowledge acquisition about treating these devastating diseases, such support is not just funding—it’s the gift of time and progress.
- Happy Bear’s donation of $30,000 and Munch’s donation of $5,000 translated into 700 invaluable hours of research. Every moment spent in the lab brings PCRF’s doctors and researchers closer to finding cures, underscoring the importance of every contribution, big and small.
Families in the pediatric cancer community understand the significance of these donations, particularly since pediatric cancer research has been underfunded for so long.
Kim Rowe, whose son Gavin overcame cancer in large part because of research PCRF helped advance, shared Gavin’s story:
“Traditional cancer treatment got Gavin into remission twice, but those remissions did not last. It was only through cutting-edge research and treatment that Gavin attained a lasting cure. He spent seven years battling three cancer occurrences. Thanks to breakthrough developments in leukemia treatment, he has been cancer-free for six years and is about to graduate from high school.”
How does PCRF position its mission to the crypto community?
A specific crypto giving page is a must-have foundational element of any nonprofit’s crypto fundraising efforts, as is regularly mentioning its crypto acceptance on social media and in email communications.
Supporters of the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation can also measure the impact of the gifts they make, whether they’re made using traditional means of giving (e.g., credit cards or checks) or with cryptocurrency. For example:
- $50 or 0.00078 BTC funds one hour of research
- $1,000 or 0.016 BTC supports lab supplies
- $25,000 or 0.39 BTC enrolls one child in a clinical trial
- $60,000 or 0.93 BTC supports an Emerging Science Grant
- $100,000 or 1.56 BTC funds a Translational Science Research Grant*
*Bitcoin’s price is subject to market value. This data is accurate as of April 19, 2024.
PCRF’s fundraising team has taken advantage of resources and opportunities provided by The Giving Block, including year-end campaigns like Crypto Giving Tuesday, which have enabled it to increase its visibility among potential crypto donors.
“The Giving Block has been an excellent partner, making it easy to connect with crypto-savvy donors who want to help accelerate the discovery of new and better cures for children’s cancers,” said Fragalla.
(Anyone who is interested can make a tax-deductible cryptocurrency donation to the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation today.)
Getting started with crypto philanthropy
Curiosity about crypto donations has taken hold across the nonprofit and crypto sectors.
Crypto holders, web3 projects and NFT creators should act now to discover why crypto donations are so tax-efficient and impactful.
Nonprofits can explore the details of our leading crypto fundraising solution and, when they’re ready, get in touch with our team.
