Scott Harrison’s riveting story begins like a satire from The Onion: “Former bad-boy nightclub promoter, thousands of dollars in debt, starts charity from friend’s drug den.” Now, with THIRST: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World (Currency, October 2, 2018), Harrison shares his remarkable journey and reveals how his fledgling operation grew into a world-renowned organization that has disrupted the traditional philanthropy model and inspired a new breed of social entrepreneur.
At 28, Harrison was a superstar promoter at high-end New York City nightclubs, partying with models, celebrities, and fashionistas who thought nothing of spending $1,000 on a single bottle of champagne. But after a decade of submitting to his darkest vices—smoking, drinking, drugs, gambling, porn, strip clubs, you name it—he was spiritually, emotionally, and morally bankrupt.
In an act of desperation, Harrison vowed to make a 180-degree turn and spend a year in service to others. At first, he was turned down by every charity he applied to. But then he got a surprise call from Mercy Ships, a floating hospital clinic, which sent him on a photojournalist assignment in West Africa. The experience changed his life, and ultimately, the lives of millions of others. During his two Mercy Ships tours, Harrison came to discover the global dirty-water crisis. At the time, over 1 billion people lacked access to clean water and were forced to drink from rivers, swamps, and mud puddles filled with parasites and bacteria. The result: half a million deaths a year from cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and other diseases; 4,500 children dying daily; and severely diminished quality of life for the women and girls who spend hours every day walking to collect filthy water.
In 2006, Harrison launched charity: water the best way he knew how—he threw a party in New York City. It was his 31st birthday, but instead of gifts, he asked friends to give a $20 donation at the door. With the help of celebrities like Mark Ruffalo and Joaquin Phoenix, they raised $15,000 in one night and funded charity: water’s first projects, six desperately needed wells at a refugee camp in Uganda.
In THIRST, Harrison recounts the twists and turns that built charity: water into one of the most admired nonprofits in the world. Knowing that one in three Americans say they have no confidence in charities, Harrison vowed to earn back the public’s trust by hewing to a 100% model—meaning every single dollar from the public goes toward building water projects in the field. The 100% model almost tanked his fledging charity. But with Harrison leading the charge, and through charity: water’s dedication to “action, not words,” its bold transparency in showing donors exactly where and how their money is spent, and its imaginative branding and storytelling, they have disrupted how social entrepreneurs work, inspired millions of people everywhere to give selflessly, and helped reestablish the public’s trust in charity.
Scott Harrison is the founder and CEO of charity: water, a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. The largest water nonprofit in the United States, charity: water has funded more than 28,300 water projects for 8.2 million people in 26 countries. It has been name-checked by President Obama; garnered support from the founders of Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify; and Bill Gates has called charity: water an “innovative and transparent organization making a huge impact.” Harrison has been recognized on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list, Forbes’s Impact 30 list, and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business. In the last 12 years, charity: water originated a social fundraising website model and raised over $300 million from more than 1 million donors. With more than 2 million social media followers combined, charity: water channels 100% of all public donations toward water project costs.