Thinking about lowering your crypto tax bill this year? Here’s a smart way to do good while doing well: donate crypto to Save the Children. For a century, this incredible charity has been on the front lines, providing crucial help to vulnerable children and families facing poverty and displacement. And guess what? When you donate crypto, you can also unlock some appealing tax benefits in many places, including right here in the US.

As Antonia Roupell, Partnership and Innovation Lead at Save the Children, points out, “Save the Children is the world’s largest independent organization dedicated to children’s rights.” Their reach is truly global, working in over 100 countries to make a difference. Interestingly, Save the Children was a pioneer in crypto giving, becoming the first international NGO to accept Bitcoin donations way back in 2013, when a typhoon devastated the Philippines.

Now, fast forward over a decade, and crypto donations have become quite common! Most of the major charities in the US now welcome crypto, and a recent 2024 report from The Giving Block highlights just how big this has become – over $2 billion has been donated to charities through crypto in the last five years alone! These organizations understand that making giving easy is key. Save the Children gets it – they even accept anonymous crypto donations, skipping those sometimes annoying KYC and AML checks. Antonia emphasizes, “Donating crypto takes less than 30 seconds.”

“And for US taxpayers, there’s a significant tax perk: donating crypto can actually reduce what you owe in capital gains taxes.”

Save the Children isn’t stuck in the past either. They’ve moved with the times, embracing the exciting world of DeFi tokens, meme coins, fan tokens, and more. Antonia assures crypto donors, “If Gemini exchange accepts your crypto, Save the Children will happily accept it and put it to good use.”

Their dedicated crypto donation campaign, HODLhope, launched back in 2021 and has already raised over $8 million! The majority of donations have been in Bitcoin, Ether, and stablecoins, but they’ve also seen contributions in DOGE, SHIB, and other altcoins.

“Keep in mind, Save the Children also welcomes donations of stock and DAF donations. We’re open to receiving whatever form your donation takes because we convert everything directly into positive change for children.”

Save the Children Beyond Crypto Donations

Thanks to crypto and other generous donations, Save the Children makes a real impact on millions of children every year. They provide vital services like safe havens in war zones, education, healthcare, mental health support, and psychosocial care. But their work goes beyond emergency response; they’re also deeply committed to economic empowerment around the world.

“From helping communities establish their own banking systems to providing emergency financial aid, a major focus for Save the Children is empowering families through quick grants. This means giving parents the funds they urgently need to support their families, whether they’re refugees from Ukraine or Sudan, or simply living in a remote area of Egypt without easy access to traditional banking.”

Antonia explains further, “We realize that to help more families effectively and sustainably, we need to be innovative and embrace new technologies. Bitcoin, in particular, is proving to be a technology that humanitarians and human rights advocates cannot afford to ignore.”

Empowering People to Become Self-Sufficient

“In the context of humanitarian work, we’re not focused on Bitcoin as just an asset, an inflation hedge, or a store of value. We see the real power in Bitcoin – the technology itself. It’s a medium of exchange, a completely decentralized, peer-to-peer way to transfer value. The people Save the Children helps often don’t have bank accounts. They can’t afford hefty transfer fees or wait for approvals from intermediaries to get their hands on funds in emergencies. In many ways, they understand the true value of this technology better than most, because it directly addresses some of their biggest challenges.”

Save the Children isn’t expecting everyone they help to become Bitcoin experts or hold onto their funds in Bitcoin. The crucial thing is being able to quickly convert crypto into local currency. “Our goal is to get people the help they need faster and more efficiently, so they can build financial independence.”

The charity is actively exploring Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions and recently announced a collaboration with Fedi in 2024 to test using Bitcoin and Lightning for direct cash assistance to community wallets. “We’re still in the early stages, but we’re experimenting with community custody,” Antonia says. “It holds incredible potential in close-knit communities where there’s a strong sense of trust.” And why Bitcoin specifically?

“One key reason is the existing liquidity in the market compared to other cryptocurrencies. Plus, it’s open-source and secured by the most robust blockchain. Fedi’s technology is also designed to work with other systems, so if people want to use mobile money services like M-Pesa in Kenya, they can.”

Antonia continues, “Education is still a major hurdle for adoption. At Save the Children, we believe financial literacy is essential, especially in the digital world where scams are unfortunately common. Save the Children sees enormous potential for Bitcoin to be a force for good and advance financial inclusion.”

“We can’t solve today’s and tomorrow’s problems with yesterday’s solutions. The old financial systems simply aren’t built for financial inclusion, especially for people facing crises and emergencies.”

Ready to make a difference? You can easily donate crypto to Save the Children. Your contribution brings essential support, education, and hope to those who need it most, quickly and efficiently. To connect with Antonia’s team, you can reach out via email at [email protected].