How fundraising crypto donations helps Mental Health America steward ‘digital native’ donors

By fundraising with The Giving Block, this leading organization has expanded its reach and connected with a new donor demographic that’s both young and generous.

Mission

Mental Health America (MHA) is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of people who live with mental illness and promoting mental health as an essential aspect to overall wellness. It focuses on prevention services, early identification and intervention, integrated care, and recovery as the ultimate goal.

Since 1909, Mental Health America (MHA) has been dedicated to addressing the needs of people who live with mental illness. The organization also promotes mental health as an aspect to wellness overall and focuses on early prevention strategies so mental health is a reality for everyone.

Commonly, mental health conditions are left untreated for years and only addressed once they reach critical stages. Like any other type of disease, symptoms of mental health conditions should be identified and addressed early on so that people can have a clear course of action to follow for improvement.

Why new giving methods matter

Nonprofit organizations embrace technology in a variety of ways, but leveraging new tools in fundraising is sometimes an afterthought. The team at Mental Health America realized that digital-native donors wanted to make a greater difference, so they took steps to increase the possible impact of this demographic.

By accepting crypto donations, Mental Health America’s donors can make highly tax-efficient charitable donations using Bitcoin, Ether, and other crypto assets they invest in. (Because of how the IRS treats cryptocurrencies, giving crypto has the same benefits to donors as giving stock.)

How crypto donors support Mental Health America’s mission

Gifts in cryptocurrency help MHA fund mental health screenings as well as conduct further research and education so that mental health is a reality for everyone.

Crypto donations also have helped the organization expand its reach and connect with a new donor demographic that tends to be young, affluent, and passionate about the causes they believe in.

In 2021, MHA received the proceeds from some NFT philanthropy projects totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. Blazed Cats, a charitable NFT project, donated 100% of its profits to Mental Health America. MHA also received a donation from BlankFace, an NFT project that focuses on mental health awareness, as well as from other NFT philanthropy endeavors.

“It’s important to know that the average delay between mental health symptom onset and treatment is 11 years, meaning a lot of people spend a long time facing challenges before getting a diagnosis. Intervening early, by taking a mental health screen when you first experience symptoms, can save lives. A donation of .25 ETH helps Mental Health America provide approximately 500 mental health screenings to those struggling.”

Jillian Hughes, Executive Vice President of Communications, Mental Health America

A fundraising vision that’s built for the future

As an organization that has been established for more than 100 years, MHA is constantly seeking ways to further promote mental health and influence the general attitude toward mental health conditions.

Connecting with the “digital native” demographic—particularly cryptocurrency donors—has opened doors for MHA to further expand its reach and ensure that even more people are able to understand how essential mental health is to overall wellness. That helps MHA’s fundraising team steward younger donors over a long term and help them maximize the positive impact they can make.

Get started with The Giving Block

To learn how your organization can fundraise with a new donor demographic through crypto philanthropy, connect with our team today. Complete the form to get started now.