A Blockchain-Based Architecture for Verifiable Philanthropic Engagement Using Cryptographic NFT Certificates
CryptoCause is a decentralized crowdfunding platform built on the Ethereum blockchain. It allows individuals to create and support charitable campaigns using cryptocurrency (ETH). What makes CryptoCause unique is its integration of NFT-based donation certificates, which act as cryptographic proof of donation. These NFTs are verifiable on-chain and can be used for real-world applications like CSR reporting, income tax deductions (e.g., under India’s 80G), or general acknowledgment of contributions to non-profit organizations. The entire system ensures transparency, immutability, and trustless verification — all without relying on any central authority.
Users can launch their own fundraising campaigns directly on the platform. Each campaign includes the following attributes:
- Title and Description: To provide donors with context about the cause.
- Funding Goal: The amount of ETH the campaign aims to raise.
- Deadline: A UNIX timestamp indicating the end of the campaign.
- Campaign Image: Uploaded and stored via Cloudinary, then referenced in the campaign metadata.
All campaign data is stored on the Ethereum blockchain using a mapping structure inside the smart contract, ensuring transparency and immutability.
The smart contract logic strictly enforces the requirement that deadlines must be in the future. This prevents invalid or misleading campaign setups.
Once campaigns are live, users can donate ETH through their MetaMask wallet or any Web3-compatible wallet.
How it works:
- Donors connect their wallet to the dApp.
- They choose a campaign and enter the amount of ETH to donate.
- The smart contract transfers ETH directly to the campaign owner's wallet.
The platform keeps an on-chain record of:
- The total amount raised per campaign
- A list of all donors and their individual contributions
- Timestamps of donations
This data is public and queryable, ensuring complete visibility into the donation process.
All campaigns can be browsed and explored on the frontend. For each campaign, the following information is displayed:
- Campaign owner’s address
- Title, image, and detailed description
- Funding target vs. amount collected so far
- Deadline and current status (active or expired)
- List of all donors and the amount each contributed
This makes the donation process transparent and verifiable for both campaign creators and contributors.
Every successful donation triggers an automated NFT minting process through smart contract logic. This NFT is:
- Minted using ERC-721 standards
- Linked directly to the donor’s wallet address
- Represents a blockchain-verified certificate of donation
Each NFT is a permanent record of a donor’s contribution and is non-fungible, meaning each is unique and cannot be altered or replaced.
Each NFT has a tokenURI that links to an IPFS or cloud-hosted JSON file. This metadata includes:
- Donor's wallet address
- Campaign title and description
- Amount donated in ETH
- The recipient NGO or cause name
- Ethereum transaction hash
- Issuer contract address
This metadata is cryptographically verifiable and can be inspected on-chain using a block explorer or via the platform’s frontend.
These NFTs are not just decorative — they serve as legal proof of donation and can be used for:
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) documentation
- Income tax deductions under sections like 80G in India
- Acknowledgements from NGOs
- Auditable compliance reporting for ESG
Since the proof resides on the blockchain, no centralized verification is needed. Anyone can inspect the token, view the metadata, and confirm authenticity using blockchain tools.
The platform features a built-in certificate verifier page where:
- Anyone (auditor, government agency, NGO) can enter a token ID
- The system fetches the NFT metadata using the tokenURI
- It displays:
- Owner address
- Campaign details
- Ethereum transaction hash
- Contract issuer address
The frontend validates the NFT and shows a message like:
✅ Verified by CryptoCause
if everything checks out.
For easier documentation and legal filing, users can export their donation NFT as a printable PDF receipt.
The PDF includes:
- Donor's name or wallet address
- Campaign or NGO name
- Donation amount in ETH
- Date and time (converted from timestamp)
- Ethereum transaction hash
- QR code linking to the NFT on a block explorer (optional)
This enables users to attach the document to government reports or CSR filings, bridging the gap between blockchain transparency and real-world utility.
CryptoCause was built with real-world problems in mind. The lack of transparency and fraud in charitable giving, especially in large-scale donation systems, often erodes trust. CryptoCause addresses this by making every transaction traceable, verifiable, and permanent.
Use Cases:
- CSR Reporting: Corporates can publicly prove their charitable spending via NFTs.
- Tax Deduction: Individuals can submit NFTs or downloadable PDFs as valid receipts under applicable tax laws.
- NGO Compliance: NGOs can validate and report donations received through verifiable blockchain records.
- Government Audits: No need to rely on third-party records. All data is cryptographically secure and visible on the chain.
Note: Make sure metamask is installed on the browser you are running your frontend before starting the subsequent steps.
- Terminal 1:: Go to client directory
cd client
- Install Node modules
npm install
- Run the frontend
npm run dev
- Go to the smart contract directory
cd smartcontract
Note:
1. For both the terminals go to the smartcontract directory and execute the below steps
2. Also execute these in these order itself or else you will be in trouble
- Terminal 2: Run the hardhat nodes
npx hardhat node
- Terminal 3: compile the smart contract
npx hardhat compile
- After compiling copy paste the deployed contract address in the frontend .env
- Deploy the smart contract locally
npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network localhost
- Open one more tab on the browser where you are running your frontend, copy paste the below url
http://localhost:8000/index.html
- Terminal 4: is for the blockchain visualizer, go to the visualizer directory
cd Visualizer
- Run the following command
python -m http.server 8000
- Copy paste the following private keys to import accounts
Account #0: 0xf39Fd6e51aad88F6F4ce6aB8827279cffFb92266 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0xac0974bec39a17e36ba4a6b4d238ff944bacb478cbed5efcae784d7bf4f2ff80
Account #1: 0x70997970C51812dc3A010C7d01b50e0d17dc79C8 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x59c6995e998f97a5a0044966f0945389dc9e86dae88c7a8412f4603b6b78690d
Account #2: 0x3C44CdDdB6a900fa2b585dd299e03d12FA4293BC (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x5de4111afa1a4b94908f83103eb1f1706367c2e68ca870fc3fb9a804cdab365a
Account #3: 0x90F79bf6EB2c4f870365E785982E1f101E93b906 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x7c852118294e51e653712a81e05800f419141751be58f605c371e15141b007a6
Account #4: 0x15d34AAf54267DB7D7c367839AAf71A00a2C6A65 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x47e179ec197488593b187f80a00eb0da91f1b9d0b13f8733639f19c30a34926a
Account #5: 0x9965507D1a55bcC2695C58ba16FB37d819B0A4dc (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x8b3a350cf5c34c9194ca85829a2df0ec3153be0318b5e2d3348e872092edffba
Account #6: 0x976EA74026E726554dB657fA54763abd0C3a0aa9 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x92db14e403b83dfe3df233f83dfa3a0d7096f21ca9b0d6d6b8d88b2b4ec1564e
Account #7: 0x14dC79964da2C08b23698B3D3cc7Ca32193d9955 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x4bbbf85ce3377467afe5d46f804f221813b2bb87f24d81f60f1fcdbf7cbf4356
Account #8: 0x23618e81E3f5cdF7f54C3d65f7FBc0aBf5B21E8f (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0xdbda1821b80551c9d65939329250298aa3472ba22feea921c0cf5d620ea67b97
Account #9: 0xa0Ee7A142d267C1f36714E4a8F75612F20a79720 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x2a871d0798f97d79848a013d4936a73bf4cc922c825d33c1cf7073dff6d409c6
Account #10: 0xBcd4042DE499D14e55001CcbB24a551F3b954096 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0xf214f2b2cd398c806f84e317254e0f0b801d0643303237d97a22a48e01628897
Account #11: 0x71bE63f3384f5fb98995898A86B02Fb2426c5788 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x701b615bbdfb9de65240bc28bd21bbc0d996645a3dd57e7b12bc2bdf6f192c82
Account #12: 0xFABB0ac9d68B0B445fB7357272Ff202C5651694a (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0xa267530f49f8280200edf313ee7af6b827f2a8bce2897751d06a843f644967b1
Account #13: 0x1CBd3b2770909D4e10f157cABC84C7264073C9Ec (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x47c99abed3324a2707c28affff1267e45918ec8c3f20b8aa892e8b065d2942dd
Account #14: 0xdF3e18d64BC6A983f673Ab319CCaE4f1a57C7097 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0xc526ee95bf44d8fc405a158bb884d9d1238d99f0612e9f33d006bb0789009aaa
Account #15: 0xcd3B766CCDd6AE721141F452C550Ca635964ce71 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x8166f546bab6da521a8369cab06c5d2b9e46670292d85c875ee9ec20e84ffb61
Account #16: 0x2546BcD3c84621e976D8185a91A922aE77ECEc30 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0xea6c44ac03bff858b476bba40716402b03e41b8e97e276d1baec7c37d42484a0
Account #17: 0xbDA5747bFD65F08deb54cb465eB87D40e51B197E (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0x689af8efa8c651a91ad287602527f3af2fe9f6501a7ac4b061667b5a93e037fd
Account #18: 0xdD2FD4581271e230360230F9337D5c0430Bf44C0 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0xde9be858da4a475276426320d5e9262ecfc3ba460bfac56360bfa6c4c28b4ee0
Account #19: 0x8626f6940E2eb28930eFb4CeF49B2d1F2C9C1199 (10000 ETH)
Private Key: 0xdf57089febbacf7ba0bc227dafbffa9fc08a93fdc68e1e42411a14efcf23656e