The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
First Time Founders with Ed Elson – This Nonprofit Raised $1B to Bring Clean Water to the World
06 Apr 2025
Ed speaks with Scott Harrison, the founder and CEO of Charity: Water. They discuss his journey from nightclub promoter to non-profit founder, how his organization leverages technology to enhance its transparency, and the key strategies behind his fundraising success. Learn more about Charity: Water Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Full Episode
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Scott, we talk a lot about how to make money on this podcast. We talk less about how to give money away. What are your thoughts on philanthropy and how do you decide where to donate your money?
So just to be clear, I've been extraordinarily unphilanthropic the majority of my life. And the only time I ever gave money before the age of 40 was so I could go to some cool party and hang out with cool people and pretend I was being philanthropic. So I wouldn't describe myself as unphilanthropic.
I'm trying to catch up and invest in nonprofits that are really well run, where I believe that I'll get a great return on investment, and that is they'll have a big impact. And the two areas I'm focused on are mostly our teen suicide prevention and vocational programming for young men.
You actually donated to our Next Founders nonprofit. What made you want to get involved with this charity?
Simply put, Scott is just an inspiration. I've said that in 100 years, there's a few people I know that I think will be remembered, but I think Scott is right up there. He's brought incredible inspiration vision, innovation, design, technology to the world of nonprofit.
And I'm not, I want to be clear, I'm not passionate about potable water in Sub-Saharan Africa, but Scott is just such a visionary that, you know, he'll be a great fiduciary for your money. And just personally, I just think a great deal of him and the transformation he's gone through. So it's, I mean, I just think about it. It really is an inspiring story.
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