How We Used NFTs To Raise $80,000+ For #StopAsianHate

Inside our inaugural NFT4Good campaign

On May 1, NFT4GOOD launched its first philanthropic campaign — the AAPI-88.

Powered by MerchNFT, a startup that creates digital merchandise through NFTs, we created NFT “rookie” cards of 88 influential AAPI leaders in entertainment, sports, business, technology, and community activism, such as journalist Lisa Ling and comedian Ronnie Chieng. For a week, people could purchase the rookie cards for $88 each, with the funds going to nonprofits actively advocating for #StopAsianHate and #HateIsAVirus causes. We are thrilled to announce that we raised more than $80,000 from the campaign.

The biggest challenge with this campaign was educating people about NFTs. The NFT market has exploded this year but there is still a lot of confusion around NFTs, its utility and value, and how they work. (My previous article explains more about NFTs and how they can innovate community-based philanthropy.)

To make it easier for first-time NFT buyers, we bundled each NFT digital card with a physical collectible card so that purchasers could own a physical representation of their NFT. We also incorporated our unique QR code NFT redemption system for an easy “one-click” NFT redemption process.

There are so many people who made this campaign possible. First, a huge thank you goes out to each and every one of the participants who agreed to be minted as an NFT (88 AAPI influencers + 8 allies). This campaign would not have been possible without their participation and active promotion. There is a lot of speculation and uncertainty surrounding NFTs, and yet these individuals put their time, money and reputation on the line to use this emerging technology for good. It was amazing to see this group come together in just a matter of two months and create exciting momentum for the campaign.

Second, this campaign would not have been possible without each person who opened their wallets to buy one, two… or 30(!) NFTs. We encouraged some friendly competition by incorporating a live leaderboard of the top selling NFTs. Kevin Lin, co-founder of Twitch, and Brandun Lee, professional boxer, battled for that № 1 spot, with fitness influencer Chris Holt making a strong push on the last day, but ultimately MONDOIR, an NFT artist and enthusiast, prevailed—with more than 100 MONDOIR rookie cards sold.

Finally, the MerchNFT team deserves immense credit for volunteering their time, resources, and network, to make this all possible. Thank you to Daniel Kim, Ben Chung, Paul (PK) Kim, David C. Lee, Jakob Barnett, Elijah Kim, Keith Koo, and William Tong. Special thanks to Jin Yu (aka WOLF x LION) for moderating our Clubhouse event, WhaleShark for the generous donation to kickstart the campaign, and to the Asian Pacific Community Fund for being our philanthropic partner.

Despite the fact that heartbreaking hate crimes continue to happen, we’ve been encouraged by the activation and mobilization of the AAPI community, from volunteers patrolling the streets, individuals raising funds for Uber rides for the vulnerable, and the creation of The Asian American Fund (“TAAF”) and its astonishing raise of $1 billion dollars to support AAPI communities. We are proud to have played our part by contributing to the cause by using NFTs for good.

Source: https://stopasianhate.medium.com/how-we-used-nfts-to-raise-80-000-for-stopasianhate-aa19cdab736a?source=rss——-8—————–cryptocurrency