Philanthropy is often learned from the example of one’s parents. But the next generation today has grown up in a radically different world and is used to doing things differently. Is the family link in philanthropy breaking down?

I wouldn’t say it is breaking down, but it is taking another shape. More than 50 years ago, doctors and journalists founded MSF, with speaking out as an integral component of our action. We provide medical care and give them a voice, or we speak for them when their voice doesn’t reach. That was unique then, but now, information is readily available and more accessible. The next generation has grown up with an overload of information. This is why they do not necessarily hear what we say, even if we are present online and on social media such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.

What is more, today we face an intense disinformation narrative without the tools to always counter it. Think about Elon Musk dismantling USAID and accusing people in the relief sector without being effectively challenged or called on false information.
There is a gap between donors who have grown up with us, many of whom are now in their sunset years, and younger people who might know the name MSF or the logo but not what values it stands for, or what it is we actually do.
The new generation has grown up with technology, but traditional NGOs are not necessarily associated with technological innovation. This is why we decided to launch projects out of Switzerland that leverage blockchain technology as a first step for resource mobilization. We are also looking at AI more generally and how we can apply it. We want to plug into innovation and reach new audiences.

Health is one of Verve Ventures’ main investment topics, and the entrepreneurs we finance are pushing the boundaries of what is technically possible to serve patients. While NGOs might not be the first organizations to come to mind when discussing innovation, I was still surprised by how much you are already leveraging technology. MSF uses telemedicine and 3D-printed prosthetics, collaborate with the likes of EPFL for novel technical solutions, was a founding member of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, and much more.

Yes, but when we talk to entrepreneurs, we need to remind them that our doctors in the field work in decidedly low-tech settings. We’re conducting vaccination campaigns in places without roads… A portable ultrasound machine might not be fancy, but it is an innovation we can use daily to save lives and make a real difference in our patients’ lives.

It is helpful to have a good understanding of the challenges we face. We operate in countries with often limited or no lab infrastructure and no expert staff, such as clinical microbiologists. This is why MSF, with support from Google and Google Fellows, has developed Antibiogo. It is an AI app that analyzes photos of Petri dishes to determine which antibiotics a bacterium is sensitive to or resistant to.

This being said, we would appreciate attracting more people from tech as supporters so as to learn more about aspects of technology we’re unaware of. If they understand better what we do, they could support us and even contribute to developing more ideas like the ones we mentioned. However, they must be ready to listen.

One problem with research and development at NGOs is that many donors often think, “I want as much of my donation to go to field work and as little as possible to overhead costs.” This is understandable, as no one wants to finance inefficient organizations. However, this line of thinking ignores the fact that innovation projects, which could have a significant positive impact, as your example shows, are counted as overhead costs. How can NGOs be strong and lean?

The audience of entrepreneurs is not hard to convince that there is a cost of doing business and that investments pay off. They also have a good sense of what level of overhead expenses are fine and what would be too much. At MSF, we pride ourselves on our combined overhead costs, which include administration and fundraising, of only 20% of total operating expenses. However, MSF is a large professional organization, not a small local charity run by volunteers. There are fantastic grassroots organizations woven into the local communities. They might be the better choice for people who don’t like overhead costs. I draw two crosses on a blank paper when I explain our overhead to critical people. One represents you, and the other represents the person you are trying to help. Then we start listing the challenges of getting aid to this person. The NGO is the conduit to get that help to the person who needs it. Overhead costs are a function of the difficulties of reaching the aid recipients.

Successful, busy people sometimes consider philanthropy as a “second career” after retirement. A younger generation, especially entrepreneurs, and even more so if they sit on a pile of cash after a successful exit, wants to get involved today, not tomorrow. However, as with startup investments, there is so much choice that finding out where to start can be challenging. Any advice?

I would tell them the same thing I tell people who say, “I’d love to work for a non-profit.” I would ask them what topic motivates them. Is it medical care? World hunger? Poverty alleviation? Human rights? Refugees? What interests you particularly about this topic? They usually get dizzy and say, “I never really thought about it.”

So, I think you should first find a cause you support, with values aligned with your own. With 98% of private donations, MSF is independent of state support. We open our mouths and shout when others don’t; we have a rebellious DNA. If that speaks to you, become a supporter first, and maybe a donor later. Or, if you want to co-create wealth with us through our blockchain philanthropy project, you can skip the first part and get active right now.

You recently unveiled this blockchain philanthropy project called Stake2Care. How does it work?

Holders of the cryptocurrency Ethereum can lock a part of their holdings in a vault, a process called staking. While the ETH is staked, it generates rewards that are automatically sent to MSF and used exclusively for emergency response in the heart of war zones. The users can unstake their funds at any time.

We funded this project through cryptocurrency donations and unveiled it in September 2024. It is a paradigm shift: Blockchain philanthropy can become a very capital-efficient way of fundraising. Furthermore, it offers radical transparency and traceability of the money flows. Finally, we’re tapping into new networks and communities of people that traditional fundraising doesn’t reach. It’s fun, too. Everyone can start today.

While the craze for digital collectible images, NFTs, has largely died down, MSF has also recently unveiled the first NFT art collection to support your mission. How does it work?

Artists have already sold NFTs and donated the proceeds to MSF in the past, so we wanted to explore this topic as well. Again, the goal is to build a movement of supporters who think in non-traditional ways. Geneva-based artist RVig, winner of the Arab Bank Switzerland (ABS) digital art prize 2024, created the first collection of the Art4care project. We unveiled the project in June 2025 at the NF Conference in Lisbon. 60% of the proceeds of every sale are donated to MSF.

RVig’s art visualizes the data of MSF’s operations cleverly. Whenever an edition is minted, an algorithm taps into our database, pulls the number of interventions, such as consultations or vaccinations, in a specific country, and represents them as small circles in the digital image. We are hoping to work with more artists in the future and offer a novel way for collectors of digital art to satisfy their interests and help a good cause at the same time.

Large organizations are inherently conservative. How difficult was it for you to push these non-traditional projects over the finishing line?

It wasn’t difficult; but it was painful at times. For an outsider, it would have been impossible. I have been with MSF for many years and held different roles including senior ones. This earned me the trust of decision-makers. I also knew many individuals who needed to be federated around these projects internally. Nonetheless, the prerequisite for these projects was a thorough risk assessment of many different aspects. They range from reputational risks, such as the reaction of our traditional audience, to guaranteeing that financial regulations are respected. A significant advantage is that the blockchain ecosystem in Switzerland was helpful, and in Geneva specifically, with the likes of the Good Token Society for instance providing us with a great platform to be known and showcase our initiatives. I am not a tech person, just a glorified end user. Many people contributed in different ways, be it with money, time, expertise, or ideas on how to make it work. They were motivated by the right reason, meaning we shared a common cause. Arab Bank Switzerland’s support was instrumental in the Stake2Care project first and now in Art4Care as well.

For innovation to happen in an organization, you must create sufficient internal excitement. People don’t buy a project; they buy a strategy. Our goal is to preserve our financial independence in the future. It is a logical step to build a bridge between a good cause, such as MSF, and the enthusiasts, the web3 community at large, and investors of decentralized finance. They want to give back a part of the wealth they have created. This motivation is as old as humanity and will not go away. However, as an NGO, we must match these people’s aspirations and interests to make them our allies.