Episode 259 - Navigating the New Impact Landscape: Funding, Innovation, and Technology for Resilient NGOs, with Egregor

Episode 259 - Navigating the New Impact Landscape: Funding, Innovation, and Technology for Resilient NGOs, with Egregor

For episode 259 of the Crypto Altruists podcast, we’re excited to welcome Inès d'Haultfoeuille, Chief Operating Officer of Egregor, a non-profit dedicated to catalysing social and environmental transformations, playing roles that range from accelerator to venture philanthropist and strategic advisor. Their team is truly global, and their work reaches across climate, education, social justice, civic engagement, and more. If you work in the nonprofit or impact space, the last few years have been brutal. Funding is being cut. Donor priorities are shifting, sometimes overnight. Geopolitical instability is reshaping where resources flow and who gets left out. And through all of it, the needs on the ground aren't shrinking. They're growing. We've talked about this on the show before, with organizations working in Ukraine, in Afghanistan, in Tanzania, in Somaliland. The pattern keeps repeating. The people doing the most essential work are often the ones with the least support, the least stability, and the least room to breathe. Egregor was born out of a conviction that social and environmental innovators deserve better than isolation, precarious funding, and systems designed without them. And what I find compelling about their model is where they choose to focus. Rather than just writing cheques, they work to remove the structural, financial, and logistical barriers that stand between an innovator and their vision. Because so often, the bottleneck isn't the idea but everything surrounding it. In today’s discussion you’ll learn: 🌍 The biggest challenges facing NGOs and impact innovators today, including funding cuts, shifting donor priorities, and geopolitical instability 💡 Why the old playbook isn't enough anymore, and what it takes to think outside the box in a rapidly changing impact landscape 🛠️ How Egregor is breaking down the structural, financial, and logistical barriers that keep brilliant innovators from realizing their vision 🤖 The role of technology like AI and blockchain in helping impact builders work smarter, and how to separate genuine tools from the noise ‍--Key Takeaways-- 📉 The "missing middle" is where too many great organizations die: There's a dangerous gap in the impact sector that doesn't get talked about enough. Organizations that have proven their model and are ready to grow often hit a wall, caught between maintaining day-to-day operations and finding the capacity to scale. Egregor's research found this is precisely where so many promising organizations stall out or fail entirely. Very few make it through to create the systemic change they're capable of. It's not a failure of vision or commitment. It's a structural gap in how we fund and support impact, and closing it may be one of the highest-leverage things we can do for the sector. 🤝 Working with organizations, not for them, is the only approach that works: Every nonprofit is different. Every context is different. The challenges facing a climate organization in Senegal look nothing like those facing a child protection group in Germany, and a one-size-fits-all model will fail both. That's why Egregor's approach centers on genuine partnership and tailored, long-term support rather than a standardized program applied from the outside. It means listening first, respecting the expertise that already exists in these organizations, and building support around what they actually need. It's slower and harder than a template, but it's what real impact requires. ✨ This is a historic turning point, and the innovators are already here: We're at a historic turning point in philanthropy, and facing climate, democratic, and social crises all at once, the urgency to anchor our ideals in tangible realities has never been greater. What gives hope isn't a technology or a funding mechanism. It's people. The innovators doing this work are women and men who take action, and who through their daily deeds embody the possibility of a fairer world. They already exist, and they're already building. The role of everyone else, funders, supporters, and communities alike, is to give them the means to go further and faster without betraying the reason they started in the first place. --CTAs from the Episode-- 📨 Subscribe to the Crypto Altruists' Newsletter: crypto-altruists.ghost.io [https://crypto-altruists.ghost.io/] --Full shownotes with links-- www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-259-navigating-the-new-impact-landscape-funding-innovation-and-technology-for-resilient-ngos-with-egregor [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-259-navigating-the-new-impact-landscape-funding-innovation-and-technology-for-resilient-ngos-with-egregor] --Love our podcast? Consider supporting us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution!-- Learn more at https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support] --DISCLAIMER-- While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, do not take any of this as investment advice and make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More info at cryptoaltruists.com/disclaimer

Episode 258 - Football & Financial Inclusion: How Crypto, Sport, and Community Are Empowering Women & Girls in Somaliland, with All In For Sport

For episode 258 of the Crypto Altruists podcast, we’re excited to welcome Shannon Lanigan, Heenal Rajani, and Marvin Paul of All In For Sport, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) on a mission to create a “coordi-nation” to support projects that advance inclusion and empowerment through sport. This episode is part two of an ongoing conversation, so let me set the stage. In episode 245, we sat down with the team at SuperBenefit to explore their Reimagining Power series [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-245-reimagining-power-exploring-web3s-potential-for-systems-change-and-decentralized-impact-with-superbenefit]. That conversation was about the theory and the possibilities: how Web3 could be a tool for systems change, how we might redistribute power rather than concentrate it, and how we can confront the uncomfortable history of development work and philanthropy instead of repeating its mistakes in Web3. It was a rich, thought-provoking discussion. But it lived mostly in the realm of ideas. Today, we get to see those ideas put into practice with a case study, a real-world test of what we discussed in that first conversation. We highlight All In For Sport’s collaboration with Sarreya, an organization that has spent over a decade creating space for women and girls to play sport in Somaliland. The project, The Six-Month Wire Transfer (And What We're Doing About It) [https://allinforsport.org/updates/articles/the-six-month-wire-transfer-and-what/], is named after a very real experience: a routine grant payment that took six months to reach Sarreya, blocked, rerouted, and questioned every step of the way. And it grew into something much bigger than a payments experiment. It became a test of whether Web3 tools could not only move money to a community the traditional financial system overlooks, but also shift power, introducing governance structures and transparent treasury management that keep decision-making in the hands of the community itself. In today’s discussion you’ll learn: ⚽ How All In For Sport and Sarreya are leveraging crypto to support women and girls playing sport in Somaliland 💸 The story behind a routine grant payment that took six months to arrive, blocked and rerouted along the way, and what it revealed about the state of financial inclusion 🗳️ How this project went beyond moving money to introduce governance and transparent treasury management, keeping power in community hands 🌍 What it takes to get resources to communities the system has overlooked, and best practices for implementing Web3 initiatives in hard-to-reach areas ‍--Key Takeaways-- 🌍 This isn't about imposing technology. It's about working with communities and their strengths: There's a common assumption that underserved communities need to be taught or introduced to new technology. But Somaliland has had mobile money since the early 2000s, before a lot of the West had anything like it. So this was never about bringing tech to a community that lacked it. It was about working alongside Sarreya to leverage the strengths they already have, and implementing Web3 tools in a way that elevates their work rather than changing who they are. The best technology partnerships start with humility and respect, meeting communities where they are instead of assuming they need to catch up. 💸 A tangible pain point became something much bigger than a payments pilot: The project started with a very real, very concrete problem: a routine grant payment that took six months to reach Sarreya, blocked and rerouted every step of the way. It would have been easy to stop at "let's move money faster." But this became so much more than a cash transfer experiment. It grew into a test of governance, transparency, and community-led decision-making, an exploration of how Web3 can not only move resources but shift power. Sometimes the most meaningful work begins with solving one clear, painful problem, then following it to something deeper. 🤝 The goal is to provide the tools, then get out of the way. Perhaps the most powerful principle from this conversation: it's about providing communities with the tools they need, and then getting out of the way. Real empowerment isn't about outsiders staying in control or taking credit. It's about equipping people to lead their own progress and trusting them to do it. This is what it looks like to do development with a community rather than to them, and it's a lesson that applies far beyond this single project. --CTAs from the Episode-- 📨 Subscribe to the Crypto Altruists' Newsletter: crypto-altruists.ghost.io [https://crypto-altruists.ghost.io/] --Full shownotes with links-- www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-258-football-and-financial-inclusion-how-crypto-sport-and-community-are-empowering-women-and-girls-in-somaliland-with-all-in-for-sport [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-258-football-and-financial-inclusion-how-crypto-sport-and-community-are-empowering-women-and-girls-in-somaliland-with-all-in-for-sport] --Love our podcast? Consider supporting us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution!-- Learn more at https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support] --DISCLAIMER-- While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, do not take any of this as investment advice and make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More info at cryptoaltruists.com/disclaimer

Episode 257 - Technology Is Not Destiny: Building AI and Crypto for Everyone, Not Just the Powerful, with Open Frontier

For episode 257 of the Crypto Altruists podcast, we welcome Erik Balsbaugh and Carole House of Open Frontier, a non-profit advocacy organization and a leading voice on how digital currencies, Artificial Intelligence, and emerging technologies can empower underserved communities and advance the values so many of us care about: inclusion, accountability, and financial freedom. A few episodes back, I released a solo episode on AI, the hype cycle, and the principle of "do no harm." [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-255-separating-hype-from-hope-a-pragmatic-take-on-ai-crypto-and-the-cost-of-overpromising] And the response really moved me. It clearly struck a chord, because so many of you are feeling the same tension I am. We're living through a moment of extraordinary technological change, and it's not entirely clear who it's being built for. You can feel it in the pushback happening all around us. Communities are organizing against data centers. There's a growing unease about how much power is concentrating in the hands of a few enormous tech companies and the ultra-wealthy. And there's a real fear, one I think is worth taking seriously, that these powerful new technologies, AI and digital finance among them, could end up deepening the very inequities they promised to solve. Here's the thing. Technology is not destiny. It's not something that just happens to us. It's built by people, shaped by choices, and governed by rules that we get to have a say in. The question isn't whether AI and digital finance will reshape our world. They will. The question is who's at the table when those systems are designed, who benefits from them, and whether they're built with people and the planet in mind, or just as another tool for wealth creation. In today’s discussion you’ll learn: ⚖️ Why technology is not destiny, and how the future of AI and digital finance depends on who shapes it, who benefits, and what rules govern it 🌍 How values-driven communities can help build technology for everyone, rather than letting it concentrate power in the hands of the already powerful 🛡️ What "smart regulation" actually looks like, and how to strike the balance between moving fast and protecting people ✨ The most inspiring ways blockchain, digital finance, and AI are advancing inclusion, accountability, and financial freedom around the world ‍--Key Takeaways-- ⚖️ It's not about blocking technology. It's about building it wisely. The conversation we too often get stuck in, innovation versus regulation, is a false choice. The real goal is smart regulation: thoughtful guardrails that enable innovation while protecting people and the planet. Done well, regulation isn't a barrier to progress, it's what makes technology safer, more trustworthy, and more broadly beneficial. The aim is to design systems that put power in the hands of everyday people, not just a select few. That means moving fast enough to build meaningful things, but carefully enough that we don't leave people behind in the process. 🔄 We've seen this pattern before, and we need to learn from it: Crypto, AI, and frontier technologies are at risk of following the same path as the internet and Web2: starting with the promise of openness and democratization, only to be captured by corporate interests and used to consolidate power in fewer and fewer hands. This is a recurring pattern throughout the history of technology. If we're not paying attention, these powerful new tools could deepen the very inequities they promised to solve. The good news is that patterns can be broken, but only if we recognize them and choose to act differently this time. 🪑 Technology is not destiny, so we need to be at the table: Perhaps the most important idea from this conversation: technology is not something that simply happens to us. It's built by people, shaped by choices, and governed by rules we have a say in. That means the future of AI and digital finance isn't predetermined. It depends on who shows up. If values-driven communities opt out because these spaces feel too tainted, we cede the design of the next era to whoever does show up. History is clear about who that tends to be. The call to action is simple: we need to be at the table. --CTAs from the Episode-- 🧰 Check out the Web3 Impact Toolkit early access [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/toolkit] --Full shownotes with links-- www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-257-technology-is-not-destiny-building-ai-and-crypto-for-everyone-not-just-the-powerful-with-open-frontier [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-257-technology-is-not-destiny-building-ai-and-crypto-for-everyone-not-just-the-powerful-with-open-frontier] --Love our podcast? Consider supporting us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution!-- Learn more at https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support] --DISCLAIMER-- While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, do not take any of this as investment advice and make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More info at cryptoaltruists.com/disclaimer

Episode 256 - Blockchain for Good Meets Hunger Relief: Moving from Crypto Philanthropy to Sustainable Impact with WYDE

For episode 256 of the Crypto Altruists podcast, we’re excited to welcome Martin Simms and Aaron Rafferty, co-founders of WYDE, a social impact exchange built on Base, the Ethereum Layer 2, where transaction-based fees are directed into verified charitable grants for hunger relief. They call themselves an "Impact Exchange," and the model is built on a concept called "contributory consumption," where everyday financial activity like crypto trades or even debit card purchases generate charitable impact by design, rather than relying on one-off acts of generosity. At the core of it is the $EAT token. When someone buys, sells, or transfers it, a portion of every transaction flows toward funding meals. And it's all recorded on the blockchain for public verification, so you can actually see the impact happening in real time. WYDE recently announced an exclusive national partnership with Feed the Children, an organization that reached nearly 15 million people last year, and they have big hopes of growing that number. They've already helped fund tens of thousands of meals. They've run their first "Trade-to-Feed-athon," a trading competition that generates funding for meals. And this month, they announced the $EAT debit card, extending the model from crypto into everyday spending. In today’s discussion you’ll learn: 🍽️ How WYDE is turning everyday financial activity into thousands of meals for those in need 🪙 The mechanics of the $EAT token, where a portion of every trade flows directly to hunger relief with no extra donation required 🤝 How an exclusive national partnership with Feed the Children is helping turn cryptocurrency transactions into real charitable impact 🌍And How WYDE is reimagining crypto philanthropy, moving beyond one-off donations to a sustainable model where every transaction funds hunger relief automatically ‍--Key Takeaways-- 🍽️ Impact built in by design beats impact as an afterthought: For too long, giving has been treated as a separate act, something you do on top of everything else. WYDE flips that with a model they call "contributory consumption," where everyday financial activity generates charitable impact automatically. When someone trades or spends, a portion flows to hunger relief without requiring a separate donation. By building generosity directly into the mechanics of money, WYDE makes impact something that happens by default, not by willpower. 🤝 Sustainability is what separates real impact from the screenshot: Martin put it bluntly: most crypto philanthropy is a founder writing a check after a token rally and posting the screenshot. It's a one-time moment of generosity that doesn't last. WYDE is structured to avoid that trap. By tying funding to ongoing transaction activity and grounding it in a verified partnership with Feed the Children, they've built something that keeps generating impact over time, not just in a single viral moment. And because every grant is recorded onchain, the trust is built right in. 🚀 Markets themselves can be a force for good: The big, audacious idea at the heart of WYDE is that the systems we use every day, trading, spending, transacting, can be redesigned to do good at scale. With a vision of "smart currency" and a goal of funding a billion meals, WYDE is making the case that impact doesn't have to compete with financial activity, it can be embedded within it. If they succeed, they'll have proven that the act of participating in markets can feed millions, turning everyday transactions into a powerful engine for good. --CTAs from the Episode-- 💚 Support Crypto Altruists in Octant Epoch 12 [https://epoch.octant.app/rounds/0xf9de7a09aebbbacba9a9f4a32874463b2ddc1b8e6b4f6b65014febacbfff13f5/project/13] 🧰 Check out the Web3 Impact Toolkit early access [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/toolkit] --Full shownotes with links-- https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-256-blockchain-for-good-meets-hunger-relief-moving-from-crypto-philanthropy-to-sustainable-impact-with-wyde [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-256-blockchain-for-good-meets-hunger-relief-moving-from-crypto-philanthropy-to-sustainable-impact-with-wyde] --Love our podcast? Consider supporting us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution!-- Learn more at https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support] --DISCLAIMER-- While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, do not take any of this as investment advice and make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More info at cryptoaltruists.com/disclaimer

Building for Good with G$ Episode 1 - A Blueprint for Ecosystem Funding: GoodBuilders, FlowState, and the Power of Streaming Funds

Today we’re excited to kick off a brand new series: Building for Good with G$, where we will explore the people, projects, and communities powering the GoodDollar Ecosystem. We’re thankful to our friends at GoodDollar for partnering on this series, and in the coming episodes, we’re going to take you deep inside one of the most interesting ecosystems in the Web3 for good space, exploring everything from universal basic income to public goods funding, and the builders and communities creating real value on the ground. So let me start with a quick introduction for anyone who's new to GoodDollar. It is a protocol delivering digital universal basic income to people all over the world. Since launching, it's distributed its G$ token to about 1M people across the globe, many of them in underserved and emerging markets, simply for being part of the network. The vision has always been about using crypto to redistribute opportunity and give people access to the financial system. GoodDollar is also in the middle of an evolution. What started purely as a UBI project is growing into something bigger: a full ecosystem where G$ doesn't just get distributed, it circulates. It flows through builders, communities, and public goods, creating value and opportunity along the way. It's a shift from simply giving people a token, to building an entire economy around it. At the heart of that shift is a program called GoodBuilders, which funds the builders expanding the GoodDollar ecosystem. What's particularly interesting is how GoodBuilders is funded. Rather than the traditional grant model, where you apply, wait, and hope for a one-time check, GoodBuilders uses streaming funding through a platform called FlowState, where money flows to builders continuously over time. For Episode 1 in this new series, I'm super excited to be joined by Meri Fernández Sancho and Rael Kilonzo of  GoodDollar, and Graven Prest of FlowState to introduce the partnership, walk through the outcomes of GoodBuilders Season 3, highlight some of the most exciting projects in the ecosystem, and explore why this streaming funding model can be a blueprint that other ecosystems and communities adopt for themselves. In today’s discussion you’ll discover 🌱 An intro to our brand new series with GoodDollar, exploring how a project that started with universal basic income is growing into a thriving ecosystem 💸 How GoodBuilders and FlowState are pioneering streaming-based funding, where money flows to builders continuously instead of in one-off grants 📊 The outcomes and standout stories from GoodBuilders Season 3, a real-world case study of this model 🔁 And how any ecosystem or community could run their own streaming funding rounds with G$ ‍ ‍--Key Takeaways-- 🌱 GoodDollar is more than UBI. It's a growing ecosystem: While GoodDollar started with a powerful mission of delivering digital universal basic income to people around the world, it has grown into something more. Today, it's a thriving ecosystem where G$ doesn't just get distributed, it circulates through builders, communities, and a diverse range of decentralized applications. That evolution opens up a world of opportunity, whether you're a developer looking to build something new, a community wanting to put G$ to work, or someone simply curious about what a token-powered economy can look like. The vision has expanded from giving people a token to building an entire economy around it. 💸 Streaming funds are a more sustainable and engaging way to fund impact: The traditional grant model has real limitations: you apply, you wait, you hope, you maybe get a one-time check, and then you disappear. Streaming funding flips that on its head. By having funds flow to builders continuously over time, GoodBuilders and FlowState have created a model that keeps builders engaged, accountable, and connected to the community. It transforms funding from a one-off transaction into an ongoing relationship, and it's a blueprint that other ecosystems, DAOs, and communities can experiment with themselves. 🚀 GoodBuilders Season 4 is coming, and it's a huge opportunity for builders: GoodBuilders Season 4 is coming up soon, and it offers so much more than just funding. Participants gain access to mentorship, community, and the chance to experiment with cutting-edge funding mechanisms like streaming funds. Whether you're already part of the GoodDollar ecosystem or just discovering it, Season 4 is a fantastic opportunity to build something meaningful, get supported along the way, and be part of an ecosystem that's actively reimagining how we fund public goods. --Full shownotes with links-- www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/building-for-good-with-g-dollar-episode-1-a-blueprint-for-ecosystem-funding-goodbuilders-flowstate-and-the-power-of-streaming-funds [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/building-for-good-with-g-dollar-episode-1-a-blueprint-for-ecosystem-funding-goodbuilders-flowstate-and-the-power-of-streaming-funds] --Love our podcast? Consider supporting us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution!-- Learn more at https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support [https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support] --DISCLAIMER-- While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, do not take any of this as investment advice and make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More info at cryptoaltruists.com/disclaimer