Want to Promote Your Cause? Keep it Simple

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/12/15/Tis_the_Season_of_Giving

Scott Harrison, founder of the organization charity: water, argues that the key to a successful charity is simplicity. "You can all understand what we do up here in a sentence," he explains, adding that it's important to "show, rather than tell."

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Matthew Bishop, The Economist's New York Bureau Chief, and co-author of the highly acclaimed book Philanthrocapitalism talks with Lauren Bush, of FEED Projects, Charles Best, of DonorsChoose.org, and Scott Harrison of charity: water. The conversation aims to spark ideas on innovative ways to give this season. - JANERA

Scott Harrison spent 10 years as a New York City party promoter, throwing fashion and music events at top nightclubs for the likes of MTV, VH1, ABC TV, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Universal Records, Island Records, Bacardi, and Anheuser-Busch. In the fall of 2004, disgusted with the selfish and indulgent life he led, he returned to his childhood Christian faith and left nightlife to volunteer with a team of humanitarian doctors and surgeons onboard a hospital ship in Liberia, Africa. Armed with a pair of Nikons, Harrison spent eight months as the ship's volunteer photojournalist, documenting the incredible need he saw there.

Returning home to New York City a year later, he produced a large exhibition in Chelsea of more than 100 photographs and videos from the journey. The show gathered major media attention and brought in more than $96,000 in donations for medical procedures and freshwater well projects in Africa.

Following another six-month journey on the ship to West Africa, he returned to New York City to found the non-profit organization charity: water. Turning his full attention to the global water crisis and the 1.1 billion people without clean water to drink, he and a small team created exhibitions in galleries and outdoor parks, online campaigns, and nationally-aired public service announcements.

In three years, with the help of more than 60,000 donors from 200 countries and 300+ media mentions, charity: water has raised not only massive awareness, but more than $10 million, funding more than 1,400 water projects in 16 developing nations. Those projects will provide over 700,000 people with clean, safe drinking water.

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[CarbonSuit]

you call the masses "simple", and then promote a fluoride conspiracy? irony much?

[VoteLib3rty]

Excellent advice for targeting the great mass of the cognitively impaired.

How was that for a one line summary?

Hmmm....still needs work.... "I sell to dumb people." Yes, yes that's it!

Simple messages for simple people!

Crank up the fluoride in the water I think you're on to something!

[TheManWithTVEyes]

READ: "Along the Far Climb Down," by Richard Thripp, published by Whizzo-Fine Press and available @ Polyester Books in Melbourne, Australia

[iammatttt]

obama is taking away our guns, so when the rest of our 2nd ammendment rights are taken we won't be able to fight back, obama is the anti christ and even if he ist hes a damn n

[malcolmbryant]

I have amalgam fillings use toothpaste and take sweeteners. You've got me worried now!

[VoteLib3rty]

@CarbonSuit: Type 'fluoride alert' into Google for plenty of info. You can find plenty of "experts" on both sides of the fluoride topic, so why not just think for yourself? Search also for thimerosal which is an unnecessary mercury adjuvant in vaccines. There is no safe level of mercury.

[blackiron60]

People need empowerment, not charity. I hope that's simple enough.

[CarbonSuit]

everything is poison in high enough dosage. do you have any science behind your claims? mercury and lead are know to be extremely deadly and their levels in consumer products are regulated my the fed. could you please suggest a site that has peer reviewed analysis of fluoride toxicity?

[Mastikator]

That's a more reasonable position I can sympathize with.

I suppose I was simply bothered by your misanthropy, which even I sometimes succumb to sadly enough.

[VoteLib3rty]

@Mastikator: I agree with you that people aren't dumb. Most are mentally lazy and prefer to let others think for them. This is a problem that is compounded by drugs, mercury, fluoride, aspartame, etc. This creates a people completely malleable in the hands of the main stream media and educational system. It's not that people can't think for themselves, it's that they have been trained not to - a situation helped along by substances that attack cognitive function.

[VoteLib3rty]

@CarbonSuit : Oh the irony of your "irony much?" retort. Ever look into the effects of the many forms of flouride that are added to public water supplies? You realize that fluoride is poisonous don't you? Let's think about this: if fluoride is good for your teeth, and manufacturers put fluoride in toothpaste; why do you need it in your water? What happens to the concentration of fluoridated water when you boil it? Is the "safe" level of fluoride the same for an infant as a 200lb man? Think.