How to Donate Crypto to Charity: A Step-by-Step Guide

Before you start

You need three things:

You don’t need an account with us. You can donate as a guest; a free account only keeps your donation history and receipts in one place.

Coins and networks we accept

We accept nine cryptocurrencies. Each one is accepted on a single network, and the donation screen always names it. The start of the receiving address is a quick way to spot a mismatch.

ETH, USDC and BNB share one 0x address, and USDT and TRX share one T address. The address alone doesn’t tell your app which network to use, so you must choose it yourself.

XRP donations to our address don’t need a destination tag. If your exchange asks for one, you can leave that field empty or tick the option that says no tag is required.

Not sure which network to pick in your app? Our guide to choosing the right network shows the names exchanges use for each one.

Step by step

1. Choose a cause. Search or browse the causes on our homepage by category or country. Each cause page names the partner organization that carries out the work and when our team last verified it.
2. Choose your coin and amount. Pick the cryptocurrency you’re giving and how much. You can add the optional 5% Amplify Fund, which is pooled with other donors’ contributions and shared across every cause at the end of each month.
3. Copy our address, or scan the QR code. Copy it fresh from the donation screen every time. Don’t reuse an address from your transaction history, and compare the first and last few characters after you paste it.
4. Send from your exchange or wallet. Choose the withdrawal or send option, select the coin, then select the network shown on our screen, paste the address and enter the amount. Check all three before you confirm. For a large gift, you can send a small amount first and submit it as its own donation, then send the rest once it has arrived.
5. Copy your transaction ID and submit it. Once your exchange or wallet shows the transaction ID (sometimes called TxID or transaction hash), paste it into the confirmation step. You can add an email for your receipt and an optional message for our team. Our guide to finding your transaction ID shows where it is in each major app.
6. Wait for verification. Our team checks the transaction on the blockchain. If you gave an email, you get an acknowledgement straight away and your official receipt once the transaction is verified. Until then, the donation shows as Pending in your account.

What happens after you send

Your gift is received into Global Relief Group’s verified wallet for that coin. Once it’s confirmed, anyone can see the transaction on a public block explorer, which is why we can show you proof rather than ask you to trust a dashboard. You can check it yourself with the transaction ID; our guide to verifying a donation on a block explorer shows how.

Our team then matches the transaction to the donation record you submitted (cause, amount and transaction ID) and verifies it on-chain. Within 24 hours of confirmation, the funds for that cause are converted and sent by bank transfer to its partner organization’s registered bank account. Partners never need a crypto wallet, and causes never supply their own addresses.

What on-chain proof shows, and what it doesn’t: it proves your gift reached the address we published. It doesn’t by itself show when the grant was paid out or how the partner used it. We explain the limits of our checks on How We Vet Causes.

Fees: what you pay and what you don’t

Your donation is recorded for the amount that actually arrives on-chain. Crypto prices move, so any US dollar value we show is only an estimate. Your receipt records the coin and quantity received; for tax purposes, you determine the value of your gift.

Five mistakes to avoid

Tax receipts and US tax

If you add an email address, your official receipt arrives once the transaction is verified. It states the organization (Global Relief Group) and its EIN (27-3281810), the coin and quantity received, the date, and that no goods or services were provided in exchange for your gift.

Because Global Relief Group is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit, gifts may be tax-deductible for US taxpayers. The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, not currency, which has two practical consequences:

• If you’ve held the crypto for more than a year, your deduction is generally its fair market value on the day you give it, and you don’t pay capital gains tax on the increase in value, as you would if you sold it first.
• If you’ve held it for a year or less, your deduction is generally limited to the lower of what you paid for it and its fair market value.
• If your non-cash gifts for the year total more than $500, you file IRS Form 8283 with your return. If you claim more than $5,000 for crypto gifts in a year (similar gifts are added together), you generally also need a qualified appraisal, and the charity signs Section B of Form 8283.

Outside the US, it depends on your country’s rules. This is general information, not tax advice: check with a qualified tax adviser before relying on a deduction. Our US crypto donation tax guide covers this in more detail.

Giving anonymously or every month

We never require your name to donate. If you want a receipt, you only need to give an email address; if you’d rather stay fully anonymous, you can skip that too. Keep in mind that blockchains are public, so the transaction itself is visible to anyone, even though it isn’t linked to your name by us.

To give regularly, choose a frequency instead of a one-time gift at the confirmation step. We email you a reminder each cycle; nothing is sent automatically, so you confirm and send each gift yourself. You can stop reminders from any reminder email or from My Donations.

Common questions

Can I donate crypto straight from an exchange like Coinbase or Binance?

Yes, as long as the exchange lets you withdraw that coin to an outside address on the network we accept. Use the withdrawal option, choose the network shown on our donation screen, and paste our address. Don’t use the exchange’s option to send to another user by email, phone or user ID: that keeps the transfer inside the exchange and it won’t reach us.

Can a crypto donation be refunded or cancelled?

No. Like all blockchain transfers, a crypto donation can’t be reversed once it’s confirmed, so check the cause, network, address and amount before you send.

What if I send a different amount from what I entered?

Your donation is confirmed for the amount that actually arrives on-chain. The amount you typed is only used to show you the address and estimated value.

Does the charity receive the crypto itself?

No. Donations are received into Global Relief Group’s verified wallets, and the funds for each cause are passed to its partner organization as a grant, typically by bank transfer. Partners don’t need a crypto wallet.

How long does it take for my donation to be confirmed?

It depends on the network. TRON, Solana, the XRP Ledger and BNB Smart Chain usually confirm within seconds to a minute; Bitcoin blocks arrive about every 10 minutes on average and can take longer when the network is busy. Once the transaction confirms on-chain, our team verifies it and your donation moves from Pending to confirmed. If it has been more than a few hours, contact us with your transaction ID.