Last week for our What’s Up Wednesday we had the pleasure to meet Paull, Catie and Sarah from charity: water; an incredible organization that is doing truly amazing things. After the groups presentation we asked them a few questions.
K: charity: water’s elevator speech.
Cw: charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. We use 100% of public donations to directly fund sustainable water solutions in areas of greatest need.
We have a digitally focused fundraising model and prove every water point we build by sending photos and GPS to donors. http://www.charitywater.org/projects/d2p/
K: Can you tell us a little about how you use social media for fundraising?
cw: charity: water has a huge social presence and we were the first non-profit to have 1 million Twitter followers, but more important than our social media is the grassroots movement we’ve sparked through our fundraising platform mycharitywater.org.
charity: water started with a birthday, and we’ve since asked thousands of people to join us in giving up a birthday and asking for donations for clean water instead of gifts. You can pledge your next birthday at http://charitywater.org/birthdays to join us.
Our focus is on brand, storytelling and beautiful design, which inspires passionate support from our audience. We also continue to embrace new channels (e.g. Instagram and Pinterest) as a means of sharing our goal of bringing clean, safe drinking water to the developing world.
K: K: How do brands benefit from non-profit partnerships? Do you have any suggestions for brands seeking partnerships with non-profits?
cw: We’re in the midst of a shift towards consumers caring much more about the brands they support having a positive impact on the world - and their dollars area following.
Brands cab benefit from :
• Consumer engagement: Allows consumers to engage with brand beyond a customary transactional purchase, e.g. when Nautica customers round up totals at register to contribute to charity: water, they’re building their relationship with Nautica’s brand and subscribing to its ethos (supporting access to clean water). (http://charitywater.org/nautica)
• Halo effect: We want to help make brands look good by doing good. Strategic partnerships with non-profits allows corporate partners to align themselves with causes that resonate not only with the brand, but also with their customers. One of the best examples we’ve seen of this was the hugely positive response from Macallan when they auctioned off the oldest whiskey in the history of the world to benefit charity: water
• Shared values and goals are key for brands seeking partnerships with non-profits. Successful partnerships are built on authenticity, which means it’s imperative that both parties are aligned in their intentions and goals.
Thanks again charity: water for a real memorable What’s Up Wednesday !
-Katie M