For over forty years, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has fulfilled life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses around the world. Now, the organization is expanding this mission into the digital age, embracing cryptocurrency philanthropy, which is an evolving movement that combines innovation, transparency, and global giving.
We sat down with April Stallings, the Charity Games and Creator Community Manager at Make-A-Wish International, to discuss how the organization began accepting cryptocurrency donations, the uniqueness of cryptocurrency donors, and how blockchain is helping to shape the future of charitable giving.
OpenSea: What prompted Make-A-Wish to start accepting cryptocurrency donations? How does this relate to the organization's broader mission?
April Stallings: The International Wish Foundation is one of the truly global charitable organizations, operating in over fifty countries. Our mission is to 'fulfill the wishes of every eligible child.' Children around the world with serious illnesses should enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that wishes bring during treatment. We need to help these children.
This means we have to think innovatively and respond flexibly to global trends to drive our mission forward. We believe cryptocurrency represents an innovative shift in how funds are held, invested, and donated for charitable purposes. Cryptocurrency philanthropy will continue to evolve and influence how nonprofits leverage donations that are crucial to our mission.
OpenSea: When did you start exploring blockchain and cryptocurrency? Why is now the best time to take action?
April Stallings: This is the fifth year we have accepted cryptocurrency donations and engaged with the blockchain and Web3 communities. I think now we see this field maturing more and needing to be taken seriously as a global financial reserve, but we know we need to raise public awareness further and let people know we are friendly towards cryptocurrency and ready to do significant and exciting things with the right partners.
OpenSea: What unique opportunities do you see in cryptocurrency philanthropy? What technical or reputational challenges must you overcome?
April Stallings: The reputation issue surrounding cryptocurrency is indeed concerning. The branding of charities is crucial, and building trust takes years; once trust is broken, rebuilding it also takes a long time, and the mission suffers. I have done a lot of internal work trying to alleviate people's concerns about cryptocurrency. Unfortunately, bad actors always receive media attention, while those trying to make an impact through cryptocurrency bear the losses.
For our cryptocurrency philanthropy, the end of the year is a critical time. Currently, BTC is outperforming traditional investments, which means we have the opportunity to provide tax benefits to major donors to alleviate their burdens, and there's not much time left to achieve this goal by 2025.
I also think gaming is a great interactive space. Around the world, children from wish foundations stay connected with friends and family through gaming while undergoing treatment. This is our fastest-growing category of wishes, so it resonates well with the blockchain gaming community.
We just had our first activation through an amazing game called (The Wildlands of Faenora), where they created a custom character named Tendybear who plays a healer in the game and tells a wonderful story about children's wishes coming true.
OpenSea: Have you noticed any differences between cryptocurrency donors and traditional donors? For example, in terms of donation motivations, demographic characteristics, or ways of participating?
April Stallings: Cryptocurrency donors are so different! Traditional donors, you have to manage them - thank them, send them updates, and ensure they know how you are using their funds. Cryptocurrency donors do a lot of research and expect a seamless online donation experience, often remain anonymous, and rarely interact with you when you email them! For experienced fundraising professionals, they can be a mystery.
You have to believe that they see your good deeds on social platforms and will come back to you when they're ready to donate to fulfill more wishes! Their demographics vary - metaphorically or literally - but they also have a lot in common. Everyone loves tax benefits, everyone wants to make an impact, and everyone wants to show the world that cryptocurrency can be a force for good.
OpenSea: How do you educate or attract potential donors who may be new to cryptocurrency, or make the donation process easy for everyone?
April Stallings: We have a lot of fame, so we usually don't need to promote our mission too much; what we need to promote is our friendly attitude towards cryptocurrency!
We strive to provide ongoing information to potential donors and even past donors who may have a friendly attitude towards cryptocurrency without our knowledge. For cryptocurrency donors, the convenience of donating is crucial.
We have a process that allows donations through The Giving Block platform, from widgets to wallets, completed in just three steps. We try to educate passively through our X account, and our X profile also provides direct cryptocurrency donation links. We also engage with the cryptocurrency world through Reddit. We are always committed to education and connection.
OpenSea: What role do you think cryptocurrency and blockchain will play in charitable donations in the coming years?
April Stallings: I personally believe that whether now or in the future, they will become one of the more stable and reliable sources of donations for charities. I think cryptocurrency-based donation funds are about to emerge.
The trade-off between returns and market volatility is always a factor to consider, but I believe we are about to see more charities holding cryptocurrency rather than converting it to fiat and using the proceeds to fund their missions. I think as long as there are the right partners, staking for charities can be very promising.
OpenSea: What is the best way for readers who hold cryptocurrency and wish to support Make-A-Wish to get started?
April Stallings: If you want to reach out to me to discuss our global projects and the impact of a wish on a child, I welcome you at any time. You can reach me via email, X, or Discord; any way is fine!
If you want to donate immediately, please visit our cryptocurrency portal for anonymous (or non-anonymous) donations. We always provide 24/7 service.
But right now, my cryptocurrency dream is to find someone with great ideas who is eager to make a huge impact. Do you want to fund 100 wishes? Do you want to help us kick off the next national alliance and benefit more children? Are you still considering grander goals? Let's work together.
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