Catalyst 2011: Scott Harrison

Scott Harrison, founder of charity:water

Former night club promoter, drunk, wasted, morally bankrupt

Started reading A.W. Tozer's "Pursuit of God"

Signed up as a volunteer photographer with Mercy Ship to Liberia

Job was to take pictures of people with facial deformities as an advance team for surgeons

Couldn't get enough--volunteered for another tour/year

Water changes everything.

Reinvent charity.

It all started with a birthday party in 2006.

Four and a half years later: $37M, 19 countries, 3962 wells

Lessons learned:

- opportunity vs. guilt

- - self-righteousness would get him nowhere

- - start selling $20 bottles of water

- get off the couch

- kill stuff

- - stopped selling bottled water because of impact on environment

- - even though a profit maker

- if you are wrong, admit it

- - openly communicated the unfounded nature of a statement

- broadcast your failures

- - failed with a well

- get a mean coach (really)

- - don't be afraid of negativity and being told you're lousy

- marry the brand

- don't run out of money (if you do, don't compromise)

- find your big idea

- give up your birthday

- mycharity: water (their story)

- think really, really, really big (then execute)

charitywater.org/catalyst

If not us, who?

If not now, when?