1. The badge manufacturing issue and subsequent non-payment due to contract dispute.
2. The firmware author (not hired by the manufacturer) put in unauthorized 'easter egg' code that asks for money via crypto.
I am not familiar with 1 so I can't comment on a contract dispute.
But 2 is definitely over the line, and this is coming from me who is supportive of some usage of cryptocurrency. You don't put in unexpected monetization mechanisms into your volunteer work, without asking the charity organization for permission. Asking for money secretly is way different than putting in a harmless Easter egg. At that point, it's not a harmless easter egg anymore.
Maybe the money is for the manufacturer. In that case, do what a normal person would do and raise the issue on a social channel (eg. Twitter, Thread, blog).