Charity, water and twitter, oh my!
Sunday, July 12th, 2009 | posted byDo Good. Share this post across the internet! Try it :) 
Charity: water uses social media to save lives
One of the biggest fundraising successes in the past few years is Charity: water, founded by 30-something Scott Harrison. In just three years his group has raised $10 million (most of that last year alone) from 50,000 individual donors, providing clean water to nearly one million people in Africa and Asia. How and why he has raised such huge sums for water, is reported by New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof in an article that will inspire anyone wondering how to make a difference in today’s world. The article focuses on three reasons for Charity: water’s success:
1) Ensure that every penny from new donors will go to projects in the field. While Charity: water outsources the funds raised to NPOs who are already in the field, Scott covers all of his group’s administrative costs (including 11 employees) through earmarked funding from his 500 most committed donors.
2) Show donors the specific impact of their contributions. Charity: water grants naming rights to wells. Scott posts photos and G.P.S. coordinates so donors can look up their wells on Google Earth. And in September, Scott we launch a new website that will match even the smallest donation to a particular project that can be tracked online.
3) Leap into new media and social networks. In 2008, Charity:water raised $965,000 by asking people with September birthdays to forgo presents and instead solicit cash to build wells in Ethiopia. The campaign went viral on the Web, in a series of clever videos.
This spring, they raised $250,000 through a “Twestival” — around 180 events around the year focusing on Twitter users. The Jerusalem Twestival, for instance, was hosted by the JVP Media Center and brought together organizations including Jewish Climate Initiative, Green Any Site, PresenTense and GreenProphet. It raised 2,000 shekels but also brought a huge amount of publicity about Charity: water to Israel.
So get creative and think how you can help support your cause, and let us know your great ideas.
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One Response to “Charity, water and twitter, oh my!”
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