How cryptocurrency is helping to save animals

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By Julie Castle

Here at Best Friends, we are passionate about innovation and technology, constantly looking for ways to think outside of the box. From our first website decades ago to our recognition from Fast Company as one of the most innovative companies of 2021 (thanks to our pet lifesaving dashboard), we know that technology enables us to save more lives and connect with more people faster, changing the world together.

And if we didn’t know all that before, we see it everywhere now. The acceleration of change in the past year and a half has been unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes. Our behavior has changed at a lightning pace and this new era of digital transformation has disrupted industries, the ways we work and learn, and the ways we connect with the world around us.

Almost every company in every industry has had to innovate in one way or another. QR codes became standard to read a menu or show a touchless ticket for an outdoor event. Telemedicine and mental health assistance moved online. Schools and workplaces digitized. There have been some bumps, but it’s mind-boggling to consider how much change has happened in the past two years.

As more people have gone online to connect, we’ve been embracing ways to connect with them. One of those ways, which we’ve just announced, is accepting donations in cryptocurrency.

Cryptocurrency is still shrouded in mystery for a lot of people, but it’s becoming increasingly mainstream. From Bitcoin’s early development in 2009 to today, cryptocurrency has become more and more commonplace as a way for people to invest their money. In fact, in a recent CNBC survey, 1 in 10 people reported that they were investing in cryptocurrency because of how easy it is to make transactions. And another study from this year showed that 80% of millennials want to learn more about cryptocurrency.

If it’s new to you, too, cryptocurrency is a digital currency that can be used to buy goods and services using an online ledger with strong cryptography to secure online transactions. There are many types of cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum, Doge Coin, Baby Doge Coin) and each one uses a different type of coin or technology.

International causes are starting to find that it enables them to move currency easily in areas of the world where speed is a factor. And more tech companies are working to enable people to easily donate the myriad types of currencies out there. You can now donate many of the most popular cryptocurrencies to Best Friends on our website.

When you think about the power of easily moving money to make more impact in the world, it’s exciting to think of the potential. Using one of the world’s most innovative currencies to save lives is something that we expect to evolve more over the coming months and years. Joining with the communities of people who are passionate about this technology is another great opportunity for us to work together to Save Them All.

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Donor Stories

Julie Castle

CEO

Best Friends Animal Society

@BFAS_Julie