Who: BGC Canada (formerly Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada) with Sid Lee.
What: “Non-Fungible Donations,” a fundraising effort that sees young people’s art auctioned off as NFTs—blockchain-based collectibles typically sold using cryptocurrency.
Why: Like a lot of charities and non-profits, BGC has seen an increased need for its services during the pandemic, and needs donations to support its various programs—including those for youth employment education and training, as well as providing shelter and food for those in need.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has been very difficult for young people and their families, and our Clubs have seen a huge increase in demand for our services,” said BGC Canada president and CEO Owen Charters.
At the same time, NFTs got incredibly hot as a tech-based consumer trend during the pandemic, with collectors paying extraordinary amounts for the digital artwork. Not surprisingly, a number of brands and their agencies have tried to capture some of the hype (such as here and, more recently, here.)
BGC and Sid Lee are hoping some of that NFT spending can be redirected to BGC by turning IRL artwork into NFTs and putting it up for sale.
How: Nine pieces of artwork by nine different children have been converted into NFTs and posted to the Opensea NFT marketplace. BGC is calling this “One-of-a-kind artwork by one-of-a-kind kids.” The auction started this week with opening bids set at 0.1 ethereum, or just under $400.
While BGC will certainly be interested in whatever money it can generate from sales of the art, like the other NFT-based ideas in recent months, it’s a way of connecting the organization to a buzzy topic a lot of people are talking about at very little cost.
“By repurposing NFTs and taking advantage of the attention that they receive, we are able to direct that awareness to a cause that counts.” said Matt Fraracci, creative director at Sid Lee. The agency also created a video to introduce BGC’s “Non-Fungible Donations” initiative.
And we quote: “Combining the creativity of our Club youth with a cutting edge donation campaign that will reach new audiences is the type of thinking we need to help us recover from the pandemic and strive to meet more community needs.” — Owen Charters, president and CEO, BGC Canada.
