6 Creators Who Give Back By Selling NFTs
With wealth and fame comes great responsibility. This means having the power to positively impact the lives of millions and make the world a better place by supporting projects with a higher purpose. As the NFT space continues to grow, high profile creators, celebrities and prominent organizations are driving the “Giving” movement forward.
Here’s how some artists and celebrities have exhibited their giving nature by leveraging the NFT movement.
Undoubtedly the most famous digital artist on the planet, Beeple made the news when his masterpiece, a collage of 5,000 daily creations, sold for a record $69M at a Christie’s auction (which also happened to be their very first foray into NFTs).
Using his fame and clout, Beeple later participated in The Carbon Drop with seven other creators to produce carbon negative NFTs in support of the environment. They collected $6M for the cause.
Fun fact: DoinGud co-founder Kyle Gordon was one of the creators involved in The Carbon Drop.
Edward Snowden is best known as the NSA whistleblower who fiercely supported privacy and media autonomy. Recently he has used the NFT space to raise money for related causes.
His NFT, “Stay Free,” sold for $5.4M, with all of the proceeds going to the Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which Snowden is the president. Speaking about the sale, Snowden said, “Emerging applications of cryptography can play an important role in supporting our rights.”
Earlier this year, Justin Roiland raised a whopping $1.69M through the sale of his “Smintons” collection of drawings. All proceeds went to the homeless shelters in Los Angeles.
Roiland is the co-creator Rick & Morty, an animated television show in which he also voices both main characters. He is also the founder of Squanch Games, a game studio that develops fun, new and hilarious experiences.
Itzel Yard created Tor Project’s first NFT. The platform’s mission is to advance human rights and freedoms for a work called “Dreaming at Dusk.”
Proceeds from that project, which fetched $2M, contributed towards grassroots work in privacy training, while also benefiting organizations that address climate change and advance online privacy.
Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the modern Internet, reportedly sold the source code of the world wide web as an NFT. “I’m not even selling the source code,” he told the Guardian. “I’m selling a picture that I made, with a Python programme that I wrote myself, of what the source code would look like if it was stuck on the wall and signed by me.”
Berners-Lee’s NFT sold for $5.4M in a Sotheby’s online auction, with the proceeds expected to be donated to as-of-yet unspecified charitable causes. Luckily, it’s still pretty safe to say no one will mess with the internet source code, as it was released to the public domain in 1993.
NBA player Spencer Dinwiddie launched a K8IROS “crypto sneaker” as his first NFT to benefit the Dinwiddie Family Foundation, an organization that empowers underserved youth through fitness and educational programs.
The winner of the auction will be able to redeem the NFT and have the physical pair of signed Crypto K8IROS sneakers shipped to them. They could also choose to sell the NFT on the marketplace, passing the one-time physical redemption rights on to the next buyer.
The auction is still pending, but with a bid for each pair of sneakers starting at $2,000, it promises to be another super NFT sale.
We’ve already begun to see an increase in creators, celebrities, and organizations supporting missions or causes they believe in. With NFTs, this trend will continue growing. This association not only benefits the cause, but also builds and nurtures brand image, purpose, and reputation. It also attracts new audiences and fans to individuals who stand united through shared values.
This is a clear win-win-win situation where creators, social impact organizations and humanity mutually benefit from giving and attaching additional meaning and narratives to the act of creation.
About DoinGud
DoinGud is an NFT ecosystem focused on inspiring creativity and positive social impact. We pride ourselves on accessibility and sustainability, providing next-gen Web3 tools to empower our community to create, curate, collaborate, and connect with one another in the digital space.
Thank you so much for being part of this amazing journey with us.
Article written by Brigitte Fontaine and edited by Adrien Berthou and Manu Alzuru.
