Charity: water may be setting a new standard for nonprofit organizations. It functions like a stripped-down, high tech start-up in its attempts to bring safe drinking water to developing nations. Everyone on its small staff wears several hats, and all of them function as communicators—particularly in the realm of social media, and on Facebook in particular.
Charity: water prides itself on being a truly transparent organization, both externally and internally. “Each employee is a key stakeholder in making the organization a better place and we have open dialogues about our progress and vision for the future,” says Sarah Cohen, communications and development manager, charity: water. From the beginning, growth at charity: water has been very organic. “It started with our founder, Scott Harrison, working out of his apartment with two staffers and an army of volunteers.”
The entrepreneurial spirit is reinforced by more than just the ping-pong table its Manhattan office or the “endlessly flowing” coffee. Staffers receive unlimited Metrocards for the New York subway and are compensated when they ride their bikes to work. Taking a page from Google and Twitter, the organization hosts a beer & pizza meeting every Friday at 5 p.m. “It allows us to come together at the end of the week and encourages people to take off early for the weekend,” Cohen says. “More importantly, it’s an opportunity for creative brainstorms, guest speakers and screenings.”
For its fifth anniversary in September 2011, the staff worked overtime and on weekends to record 250 thank you videos for its supporters. “We spent the entire day e-mailing, calling and writing to our donors to show our appreciation,” Cohen says. “It was an amazing moment to see everyone come together and honor the people that have helped us get to where we are today.” (View the video here)