Bitcoin Charity Token Raffle

The Black History Foundation Proudly Accepts Bitcoin
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Charity Coin – A Bitcoin Raffle Platform for Good

Inspiration

The inspiration came from seeing how hard it is for nonprofits—especially small, community-rooted ones—to tap into Bitcoin in a meaningful way. I kept asking, "Why can’t we use Bitcoin for more than just holding or trading?"

As someone leading a nonprofit focused on Black history and preservation amidst grant cuts, I wanted a way to raise funds that was transparent, decentralized, and aligned with our values. That’s where the idea from of Board of Directors of turning community raffles into a Bitcoin-powered experience came from.

What it does

The Bitcoin Charity Coin Raffle allows people to support nonprofit causes through Bitcoin-based raffles.

Connect your wallet (BTC only)
Select a raffle tied to a verified nonprofit cause
Enter with a BTC transaction
A winner is chosen via verifiable randomness
Prizes are distributed, and most funds go directly to the nonprofit

Everything is on-chain. Everything is transparent.

How we built it

Designed the full experience in Figma with a focus on clarity and simplicity
Simulated wallet integration and transaction flow using mock data
Implemented a randomness selection model using Bitcoin block hashes, however it didn't make the hackathon submission as we are continuing to work on it.
Structured the project on GitHub for modularity and open collaboration

We built the foundation for a tool that could be used far beyond just our organization.

Challenges we ran into

Our expert web2 UI/UX Art Director had her first experience in web3 UI/UX design so there was a learning curve that with the hackathon timeline didn't allow for collaboration handshakes between design and tech development for the two to be integrated by the deadline.
- Bitcoin’s lack of native smart contracts required custom randomness handling
Communicating trustless transparency to non-technical users was difficult
Simulating a frictionless BTC donation flow without custodians was complex. We already had a donation relationship with platforms like Zeffy, Engiven, and Givebutter to handle compliance of crypto donations and fiat donations but they did not offer an API so we could integrate it into the platform for KYC, Donor Tax, and AML compliance. The others like The Giving Block that offers an API only works with large nonprofits with a previous revenue over $250,000, which we don't qualify for. We eventually found a solution that does and will use it for future builds but we didn't have time for this hackathon. The challenge was to deliver something secure with bitcoin, compliant with USA IRS and SEC rules, and that is fundable for VCs to help make the buildout of the project possible, so this is more than a hackathon project but a tool to be used for good moving forward.
Balancing tech dev with nonprofit storytelling was an ongoing challenge

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Created a fully scoped, visually rich prototype that merges culture and code
Developed a solution for nonprofits to accept cryptocurrency in a fun, gamified way using an old method of fundraising, raffles. We bridged the old with the new. Our US attorney and accountant approved
Stayed aligned with our values of transparency and autonomy
Made something other nonprofits can fork or build on
Kept the mission at the center throughout the design and development process