Scott Harrison (charity founder)

Scott Harrison (born September 7, 1975) is the founder and current CEO of the non-profit charity: water. Harrison is the author of Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World.

Early life and career
Scott Harrison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. His father was a businessman, and his mother had been suffering almost constantly from a number of debilitating illnesses since he was four. The family adhered to Christian values. At the age of 18, Harrison left to study design and communication at New York University. Soon, he became involved in organizing parties and eventually worked as a promoter in Manhattan. He spent the next 10 years organizing parties for the likes of MTV, VH1, Bacardi and Elle.

In 2004, Harrison took a trip to Uruguay. During his visit, he had a "life-changing experience" (a shooting at a nightclub) and suddenly realized that he needed a "change in life." He was inspired to do so by his father’s gift of A.W. Tozer’s book, The Pursuit of God.

Soon, Harrison quit his job and started volunteering as a photojournalist for the Christian charity Mercy Ships, which operates a fleet of hospital ships offering free healthcare to the developing world. He had to pay around $500 a month to cover living expenses. Despite having a high salary in the past, Harrison was almost broke at that stage. According to him, 'Nightclub promoters are terrible at saving money, but great at spending it.' Some of his friends financially supported him during this period.

Charity: water
During the time spent at Mercy Ships, Harrison shipped to Benin and Liberia. He was exposed to the conditions of the impoverished in Liberia. During his volunteering time, Harrison realized that he could leverage his social networks and connections in New York to raise money for local communities deprived of access to fresh water. In 2006, Harrison organized a party in one of Manhattan's clubs, charging $20 (£12) for entry, with the promise that all the money raised would go toward drilling wells in Africa. The event successfully raised $15,000. That marked the official beginning of Charity: water, a non-profit organization with the mission of providing clean water to people in developing nations through public donations. These donations directly fund water projects, including the construction of wells and sanitation facilities.

Charity: water quickly gained popularity among the New York elite, both due to Harrison's personal connections and its use of social networks and digital tools. The organization ensured transparency by directly linking donations to specific projects and adopted innovative data-driven approaches to effectively engage donors, showcasing impressive design and branding. Charity: water claims to spend 100% of its funding on program costs. At the same time, to support the work of the charity's staff, Harrison established a separate fund for donations. In 2017 alone, he received $325,278 as compensation for his work. As of 2023, funded over 138,000 projects in 29 countries.

Personal life
Harrison is married to Viktoria Harrison, who was previously involved in design and branding for charity: water. They have two children: a son named Jackson and a daughter named Emma. Harrison is a Christian.

After Harrison exited his job as a club promoter, he also returned to Christianity. At the same time, he claims that the work of his organization does not adhere to any religious or ideological principles.

As of 2013, Scott was recognized in Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 list, the Forbes Magazine Impact 30 list and was recently #10 in Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business Issue.

In 2018, Harrison published a memoir titled 'Thirst.' The book became a New York Times bestseller.