In this article, our CEO, Skyler Badenoch, shares how crypto and blockchain technology can restore trust in philanthropy by ensuring transparency, accountability, and direct support for those most impacted by disasters.
From his experience on the ground after the 2010 Haiti earthquake to Hope for Haiti’s blockchain-based cash transfer pilot following the 2021 earthquake, Skyler has seen firsthand how innovation can transform relief efforts.
“Imagine a world where someone in Arizona can send crypto from their phone and it reaches a mother after a hurricane in Haiti or a wildfire survivor in California, instantly and transparently. That’s not a dream—it’s already happening,” he writes.
We invite you to read Skyler’s full piece on how blockchain can help fix disaster relief and why smart, responsible policy is essential to scaling this impact. Hope for Haiti gratefully accepts crypto donations here.
Disaster Relief Is Broken. Crypto and Blockchain Technology Can Help Fix It.
Op-Ed by Hope for Haiti CEO Skyler Badenoch
When wildfires swept through California earlier this year, the devastation was immediate. The charitable response, however, raised serious concerns. People gave generously to the tune of over a hundred million dollars. But from the ground, I heard a familiar question: Where did all the money go? Many survivors saw funds raised in their name, but didn’t feel the impact. People suffering the most felt like they weren’t the ones being helped. Blockchain and crypto technologies, which allow for all transactions to be shown on a public ledger, viewable by all, can enhance and even restore trust in philanthropy while directing aid where it’s needed most.
The controversy over the LA fire recovery efforts reminded me of something I saw up close in 2010, when I was working as a first responder in Haiti during the catastrophic earthquake. Billions of dollars in aid were pledged by governments, NGOs, and individual donors from around the world. But in the months and years that followed, the question that individual donors, earthquake victims, and local organizations working in Haiti kept asking was: Where did all the money go? There was no central source of truth. The aid system felt like a black box. Working on the ground, I saw how a lack of transparency eroded trust and slowed real recovery.
When I became CEO of Hope for Haiti, I made a promise to continue to build on our legacy of trust, transparency, and best-in-class governance set in place by our organization’s founder. So when another powerful earthquake struck Haiti in 2021, we tested out a new approach: direct cash transfers to people in need. Working alongside crypto companies, we used blockchain-based technology to send funds directly to individuals. They could use it for food, medicine, or other supplies their family needed. Donors, staff, and recipients could track where the money came from, where it went, and even how it was used. That level of visibility changes everything. It rebuilds faith in a system that desperately needs it.
Far too often, funds raised for disaster relief end up supporting pet projects or high administrative overhead costs instead of delivering real, timely help to those who need it most. Friends of mine working in grassroots response to the California fires were asking the same hard questions we’d faced in Haiti – where is the aid going, exactly? The issue isn’t just inefficiency; it’s misalignment, and it creates an untenable scenario where donors and victims both lose.
That’s why blockchain isn’t just a tech trend; it’s a humanitarian tool. Imagine a world where someone in Arizona can send crypto from their phone and it reaches a mother after a hurricane in Haiti or a wildfire survivor in California, instantly and transparently. In fact, Hope For Haiti was so encouraged by our 2021 blockchain pilot that we’re doing it again, partnering with the fintech company Kura and the Stellar Development Foundation to raise $250,000 to distribute directly to Haitian families struggling with the current humanitarian crisis in Haiti, openly and transparently. That’s not a dream, it’s already happening. And it’s all public, verifiable, and auditable. In a place like Haiti, where donor confidence is fragile, this kind of accountability is everything. Blockchain allows philanthropists of all sizes to see the impact, not just hope for it.
But we need policymakers to act. Crypto and blockchain technology hold tremendous potential for restoring trust in philanthropy and making disaster relief more effective, but that promise is only as strong as the market structure behind it. Clear, responsible regulations can provide the guardrails to protect donors, empower nonprofits, and unlock the full power of this technology for good. At Hope for Haiti, we’ve seen what’s possible when innovation meets impact. Now, we members of Congress, like Senator Mark Kelly, need to help build a transparent, reliable framework that helps organizations like ours scale these solutions and ensure that every dollar donated reaches the people who need it most. The Senate will soon consider the CLARITY Act, which will provide guardrails for crypto markets and allow crypto’s real-world promise, in philanthropy and beyond, to be realized.
