Creating Awareness and Fundraising with NFTs – The Black Rock Rhino Way

The NFT’s are still a new phenomenon, yet the buzz around it has reached most of us. Just as with every other industry or concept which combines money and art, it has quickly attracted the attention of many internet users and its popularity has continued to skyrocket to this day. The trend is not going to change NFT marketplaces will continue to prosper.

Now, as we all are aware, that every ill of the society to talk of, be it about the environment, wildlife, human rights or anything else, has faced a lot of hurdles primarily due to lack of funds, or too many funds on the other side. Art is something that has always played its part in standing on the right side and creating awareness about issues.

The sale of Black Rhino NFT has is an ineteresting story. The black rhinos are an endangered species, numbering just 2,500 in the 1990s. Its poaching is very lucrative, as a rhino horn can be sold for about $8,600 in the African black market and around $8,600 in the Asian black market. So with money clearly on the poachers’ side, the people trying to preserve these Rhinos also need funds and support to pursue their cause.

The Black Rock Rhino Sanctuary in South Africa, currently home to 200 rhinos, has achieved a constant growth of 20% a year. A heartening result, but it has come with a cost, including a bonus of $64,600 promised to the rangers for ensuring five poaching-free years, with four successfully gone by.

The breakthrough came when Derek Lewitton, the owner of the sanctuary, joined hands with Virtual Nation Builders, a South African Blockchain company, to create NFTs and sell them online. The Black Rock Rhino NFT’s sale for $6,782 is the first success, with hopefully many more to come.

NFT Marketplaces and their Potential

The largest NFT marketplace, Opensea, has over 1.2 million sellers and the numbers keep growing every month. The platforms is currently valued at 13.3 billion, which speaks volumes about its growing popularity. Along with Opensea, there are some more NFT marketplaces, providing a perfect platform for digital artists. The top ones include Rarible, SuperRare and Foundation.

Raising Awareness and Funds with NFTs

Coming back to where we began, the artists can now play a greater role in creating awareness and also raise the funds needed for it with NFTs. The average price of an NFT on multiple platforms was around $1,400 in April 2022, so the money is there for the taking. Moreover, by listing and advertising on NFT platforms, one can also get a greater reach for the message to be delivered.

In all of this, let’s not forget the marketing side of the game. Just like Black Rock Rhino has collaborated with Virtual Nation Builders, the digital artists and interested NGO’s around the world need to collaborate with the experts of this domain. As every industry has its own dynamics, newbies cannot find feet quickly. Each NFT marketplace has different rules and algorithms, so for a good showing, you need to invest time in understanding them or find an agency to help you out.

Moreover, for best results, you need to market your NFT’s outside these platforms as well. Every online medium has to be targeted effectively to garner the right audience and create a brand. Luckily, there are a lot of digital agencies which can help you with it.

Conclusion

There was never a doubt that art and artists can have a great impact on our society. With the advent of blockchain technology and the NFT’s, there is an opportunity to take their artwork to the next level, get the right message across, and raise funds for causes that matter for all of us.