Scott Harrison, Founder of charity: water, shares his journey from a nightclub promoter to launching a charity. Topics include his life-changing experience on a hospital ship, the importance of clean water access, bringing storytelling to charity, his leadership lessons, and the power of small donations for greater impact.
Charity Water's success is attributed to their focus on transparency, technology, and inspiring branding.
Overcoming skepticism and cynicism towards charities is a challenge that Charity Water addresses through financial transparency and showing the impact of donations.
Charity Water utilizes storytelling to create personal connections between donors and the communities they help, inspiring ongoing support.
Deep dives
The Founding of Charity Water
Charity Water was founded by an individual with no prior charity experience, who wanted to solve the global water crisis. They focused on three pillars: transparency, with 100% of public donations going directly to water projects; technology, using tools like Google Earth to show donors where their money went; and a beautiful brand that inspired and uplifted people. They worked with locals in each country to ensure cultural appropriateness and sustainability. The initial fundraising efforts included a party where attendees donated $20 to attend and see the impact of their donation in action.
The Growth of Charity Water
Over the past 17 years, Charity Water has raised almost a billion dollars from individuals around the world. They have helped 17.5 million people gain access to clean water in 140,000+ villages across 29 countries. They focus on grassroots fundraising and have built a movement of donors who believe in their mission. Their goal is to continue growing the movement, raising more funds, and expanding their reach to help the remaining 700 million people without access to clean water.
Challenges Faced by Charity Water
One of the main challenges faced by Charity Water is overcoming the global skepticism and cynicism towards charities. Many people do not trust that their donations will be used effectively and have had negative experiences with other organizations. Charity Water addresses this by being transparent about their financials and showing donors the impact of their contributions. Another challenge is the need for more funding to scale their operations and build out the necessary infrastructure to deliver water projects efficiently. They rely on increasing funding and growing the movement to accomplish their ambitious mission.
Storytelling and Impact
Charity Water understands the power of storytelling in connecting with donors. They focus on sharing the stories of the people impacted by their work and how clean water has transformed their lives. By sharing visual stories through photos, videos, and GPS coordinates, they create a personal connection between donors and the communities they are helping. This approach allows people to see the direct impact of their contributions and inspires ongoing support for the cause.
Importance of Sharing True Stories
Telling true stories has been instrumental in raising funds and generating support for water projects. By sharing real stories of people affected by the lack of clean water, the organization has been able to engage donors and inspire them to take action. One powerful story was that of a 13-year-old girl in Ethiopia who took her own life out of despair after spilling the water she had walked eight hours to fetch. The organization aims to create awareness and empathy by allowing people to experience the realities and impact of water scarcity firsthand.
Leadership Lessons and Future Outlook
The founder of the organization emphasizes the importance of hiring smart and capable people to fill vital roles within the organization. By delegating responsibilities to experts and allowing them autonomy, the organization can focus on its core strengths, like storytelling and fundraising. The founder also believes in the power of long-term growth and learning from past mistakes. The organization is continually evolving and developing new products to engage donors and sustain its impact. The ultimate goal is to cultivate a community addicted to generosity and create a lasting culture of radical giving.
Scott Harrison is the founder of charity: water, one of the world’s most impactful and highly-rated charities.
In this episode, you’ll learn how Scott walked away from his “degenerate” life as a nightclub promoter; how volunteering on a hospital ship inspired him to launch a charity despite having no money and no experience; and the life and business lessons he’s learned while raising nearly $1 billion without any government involvement.
Scott also talks about: - His “Prodigal Son” journey away from faith and virtue and back - How and why he finally walked away from a superficial life of drugs, gambling, “bottles and models” - His life-changing experience on a hospital ship in Liberia - Advice for taking a daunting challenge, step-by-step - Why access to clean water is ultimately a money problem - Bringing storytelling and Nike-inspired marketing principles to the world of charity - What he’s learned about hiring, delegating, and leading teams - Why he still doesn’t think big enough at times
Scott’s charitable cause: - Donate directly to charity: water here - The Spring membership - 100% of net proceeds from Scott’s book go to charity: water projects around the world
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