A New Zealand charity focussed on protecting one of Aotearoa’s most vulnerable birds can assist their feathered friends further now thanks to a $50,000 donation – from an NFT project.

According to an article published on Scoop.co.nz Christchurch-based user experience (UX) designer Christian Dixon-McIver and developer Josh Smith confirmed the donation to Kiwi for kiwis during a Twitch livestream.

The pair created 5,000 unique video game-style 8-bit kiwi that were sold on the Cardano blockchain as non-fungible tokens.

Dixon-McIver said the project showed there were different ways of raising money for charities, by thinking outside the box.

“Door-knocking, cold-calling, and shaking buckets on the street work, but people are always looking for new ways to donate,” he said.

“NFTs are a new channel that reaches a wider audience across the world. Buyers of these limited-edition kiwi NFTs can feel like they’re contributing to a worthy cause by doing something a bit different.”

Kiwi for kiwis’ executive director Michelle Impey said that when she was approached about the donation she didn’t know what to think.

“I have to be honest, when the initial email came in proposing this as a fundraiser, we weren’t sure,” Ms Impey said. “We know NFTs are a ‘hot item’ at the moment, but we didn’t know if it was legitimate, how it would work, or if it would be successful.

“This just shows that charities need to start looking outside the square for funding opportunities, because there are plenty of people out there who want to contribute beyond our traditional target audiences and methods.”

Kiwi for kiwis is the national charity for New Zealand’s national bird, and in partnership with the Department of Conservation it works alongside community-led conservation projects all over the country to try and reverse the two per cent decline (about 20 birds a week) in the bird’s population annually.

If you’d like to make a donation to a charity in New Zealand or in Australia, you can do so with the everyday digital currency, Qoin. Download a wallet on the App Store or through Google Play today.