On September 1, Water For People, an international nonprofit organization that aims to create a world where everyone has access to safe drinking water and sanitation, launched a Crowdrise.com campaign in an effort to raise $2 million through the crowd-sourced, online fundraising platform.
Instead of just donating their money, a generous group of Water For People donors are modernizing their philanthropy, leveraging their $1 million pledge by also challenging supporters to raise another $1 million. This way, contributions double the impact with every dollar donated, with $25 having the power of $50 and $100 having the power of $200.
The two-month campaign, “Donate to Drink,” which will run through October 31, 2011, kicks off with a $150,000 donation from CH2M HILL, a global, full-service consulting, design, construction, and operations firm and long-time supporter of Water For People.
Funds raised through the campaign will benefit the areas in which Water For People currently works—Africa, Asia, Central America, and South America—and aid the organization’s mission to ensure no one suffers or dies from a water- or sanitation-related disease.
“The scale of the global water crisis is massive, and perhaps something that those who have unlimited access to clean water do not fully understand. The reality is that more than 884 million people do not have access to safe drinking water,” said Ned Breslin, Water For People’s CEO. “If we all take the time to donate to drink, we have tremendous potential to solve this global crisis.”
"Donate to Drink is an awesome campaign, and we're super excited to be involved," said Robert Wolfe, who co-founded Crowdrise with Edward Norton. "The idea is that if someone in Central America can't drink, then neither can you... until you donate. Water For People is asking people to step up and take on the problem. I think that if we're all a little less anonymous we can actually create a movement around a crazy problem. That's how to really build a community and make a crazy difference."
Water For People has partnered with Crowdrise, Eagle Creek, AOL, Marmot and CH2M HILL, and as part of the campaign, Water For People is offering everyone who donates between $25 and $99 a hand-made bracelet from Rwanda. People who donate $100 dollars or more will receive a stainless-steel water bottle from Marmot. There will be challenges throughout the two-month campaign with a variety of other prizes being offered by Marmot, Eagle Creek, OK Go and much more.
People who create fundraising pages on Crowdrise.com at www.crowdrise.com/
-
ABOUT WATER FOR PEOPLE
Water For People is a non-profit international development organization dedicated to helping people in developing countries gain access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation. Water For People’s entrepreneurial approach establishes partnerships between local and national governments, nongovernment organizations, private enterprise, and entrepreneurs to create self-managed safe water and sanitation services that last over time. Water For People works to reach everyone with sustainable services in the areas where it operates and monitors development for at least 10 years post project completion. To learn more, visit www.waterforpeople.org or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
ABOUT CROWDRISE.COM
Crowdrise.com is a website dedicated to online fundraising, event fundraising, volunteering, and having the most fun in the world while doing it. In 2009, Edward Norton, Shauna Robertson and Robert and Jeff Wolfe created Crowdrise.com after an experiment with what turned out to be super unique and successful campaign to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust during the New York City Marathon. They raised $1.2 million in less than 8 weeks, much of it from small donors who gave more than once, making it one of the top fundraising success stories of the marathon. Crowdrise.com takes that experiment to a whole new level: an innovative web platform where millions of individuals use the best tools and technology to raise money for over a million different charities, while competing in fun and quirky challenges with unique incentives and prizes. Thousands of charitable organizations make Crowdrise.com their home for starting events, team fundraisers, and turning their base of grassroots supporters into a base of grassroots fundraisers.
