#nothingiscrazy

charity: water began almost ten years ago with a birthday party. Since then, it’s been one of the best ways for supporters (especially young ones) to help raise money for clean water.

Today, over 18,000 people have used their birthday to help serve others in need. And together they’ve raised enough to bring clean and safe drinking water to half a million people around the world.

This community is incredible, and we wanted to introduce some of them to you. Here are four young heroes who are currently sacrificing their birthday gifts to help bring clean water to families in need...

Evelyn and Madison - Age 3

(Photo courtesy of Karin Heitzman)

Meet Evelyn and Madison. Two of the cutest three-year-olds we have the pleasure of knowing. These twins both pledged their 3rd golden birthday this year to help bring clean water to people around the world after their parents heard about charity: water on the Bill Simmons podcast.

“We were blown away by all the personal stories. The different stories and statistics really pulled at our heart strings and it just happened to be that we listened to the podcast the week before the girls’ birthday.”

Inspired by the lightbulb going off that they wanted to help build the character trait of generosity in their children at a young age and get them thinking about the future of serving together as a family and living for others, Evelyn and Madison’s parents talked to the girls about giving up their birthday for charity: water.

“charity: water is the golden bullet of birthday presents. You give health, education, and time to families. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t think about how much water we use, and how I never worry about my children being sick from the water they drink.”

After flooding social media with cute pictures of the twins and spreading the message of these little girls desire to help others, the donations started pouring in. Many people who don’t even know the Wever family have been donating to the girls’ campaign and even going beyond the $6.

Evelyn and Madison have been thrilled to see the success of their campaign and even more thrilled to know that they’re helping change the lives of kids all around the world.

“Momma gives us clean water, other mommas should have clean water to give to their kids too.”

Dylan - Age 8

Ever since he was 4, Dylan has chosen to support a charity on his birthday. Two years ago, he heard that professional skateboarder Tony Hawk pledged his birthday for charity: water and he was so inspired, he decided to pledge his birthday too.

This is Dylan’s second birthday campaign for charity: water and he’s already on a roll. He’s hosted lemonade and art stands to raise money and even hosted a birthday party where he asked for cash gifts instead of presents.

Thanks so much for your support, Dylan! We can’t wait to see the impact your birthday has on the lives of people all around the world!

Sydney - Age 15

Sydney first heard about charity: water when she was 9 years old and a girl from her church started fundraising for the organization. A girl that we all have come to know and love over the years: Rachel Beckwith.

After hearing Rachel’s story, Sydney was inspired and knew that anyone, no matter what age they were, could make a difference.

When Sydney first started her campaign, she reached her fundraising goal of $450 within three hours! Since then, she has posted about her campaign on social media and even had a birthday party where she asked her friends to donate to her campaign instead of bringing her gifts.

So far Sydney has raised over $1,200 and we can’t wait to see what else she has in store.

Gabriel - Age 6

Six-year-old Gabriel Torres first heard about charity: water when his mom showed him videos of families and kids from around the world working hard to gather water that wasn’t even clean.

“I never knew so many people didn’t have clean water,” he said. “When I saw how hard these families worked to get water from open wells that they could get hurt using, and how they walked for so long to get there just to bring home brown water to their children and families, I wanted to help.”

This is Gabriel’s first birthday campaign for charity: water and he’s already raised over 3 times his initial goal! He raised his first $130 in a matter of minutes just by talking to his dad’s friends about what he was planning on doing for his birthday. And for his birthday party, he even created his own Jerry Can to collect donations.

“Many people are very happy when they see how much I care. They think it’s pretty cool that I decided I didn’t want toys for my birthday or any gifts. Instead I wanted $6 to change lives and give people clean water that don’t have it today. I know that I have clean water and I never knew how lucky I was. I think everyone should be able to have clean water like we do.”

Over the years, thousands of people have started their own fundraising campaigns for charity: water. People have biked, swam, hosted concerts, run marathons, given up their birthdays, and more -- all to help us bring clean water to people in need.

You would think we have seen it all. But time and time again, we are constantly blown away by the support of our fundraisers.

Especially when those fundraisers are half our size.

Who would have thought the smallest kids could have the biggest hearts. Here are five of our favorite world-changers fundraising for clean water today.

1. Cosette’s Paintings with a Purpose

One of our favorite fundraisers joined the charity: water family before most kids can even talk. Cosette Swart was only 3 years old when she learned that many people don’t have enough food or water to live. Wanting to do something about this, she started selling her paintings to raise money.

Cosette is now 5 years old and has raised over $6,000 for charity: water through paintings alone! She’s currently running her third fundraising campaign and is still going strong.

Check out Cosette’s Fundraising Campaign

2. Two Youth Groups in Fairport and Penfield 

Two Youth Groups from St. Joseph’s Church in Penfield and Fairport United Methodist Church have combined forces once again this year for their second fundraising campaign for clean water.

They’ve hosted multiple events to raise awareness about the global water crisis over the past few years. So far, they’ve brought clean water to nearly 100 people in need! And they’re just getting started.

Check out Fairport & Penfield for Clean Water

3. Arav’s Water Works

Arav is one of the most dedicated and passionate kids we’ve ever met. He first gave up his 6th birthday two years ago and raised over $3,000 to bring clean water to over 100 people.

He’s given up his birthday every year since then, and today, he’s raised over $8,000 for clean water.

That’s more than 260 people who no longer have to worry about getting sick from drinking dirty water -- thanks to the big heart of small 8-year-old boy.

Way to go, Arav!

Check out Arav’s Water Works

4. Students4H2O

Three teenagers from Martin County, Florida (collectively known as Students4H2O) are on a mission to trade Jerry Cans for backpacks.

They want to fund an entire water project for a community in need so that kids no longer have to spend their days walking for water, but can instead get an education at school.

So far, they’ve led a number of initiatives to raise awareness and funds for clean water, including their very own Water Fest -- featuring music, contests, face paintings, and a bounce house.

They’re currently only $1,500 away from their goal of $10,000, and we can’t wait to see them reach it!

Check out Students4H2O

5. Anna & Liv

After reaching their goal of $10,000 in just one night after asking for donations instead of gifts at her Bat Mitzvah, Anna and her friend Liv (who also gave up her birthday for clean water), have decided to raise their fundraising goal to $20,000!

They did their own research on the water crisis, chose to support charity: water, and started a club at school.

“We are the only two members of our club -- we’re the Co-Founders and CEOs. But we don’t necessarily need any more members - too many people can mean too many opinions.”

Spoken like a true entrepreneur!

Whether you’re giving up your birthday, offering to shave your head or calling upon your TV fan base to raise money for clean water, we want to help! Here are 8 tips from our team that will make your campaign more successful (and guarantee that you have a whole lot more fun)!

1. Make It Your Own

The best piece of advice we can give you is to make it personal. Add your own photo to your campaign page. Make a 1-minute video! Tell everyone why YOU are fundraising. The people who are donating to your campaign are often supporting you just as much as they’re supporting the cause. Give them a reason to help you get there. Nothing beats hearing it come from you.

2. Spread the Word

You have to let people know about your campaign! Social media is a great place to rally a community, but don’t forget to email your friends and family. We know for a fact that emailing people directly is one of the best ways to inspire them to give. Make your loved ones a part of what you’re doing. And be sure to tell us too! We love to know and share what our supporters are up to.

3. Find Other Ways to Say It

Get some swag. Or make your own! Be creative. Wearing your heart on your sleeve (or on the signage in your store or on your Instagram feed) inspires conversations. Create your own art, hand out stickers, make a t-shirt or shoot a video that educates people about the water crisis. You can do anything to get people talking about clean water!

4. Make a Scene

Take it to the streets. Make it public! We’ve seen campaigners host lemonade stands, carry Jerry Cans across campuses and throw giant parties. Did you know charity: water started with a party?! The point is, you don’t have to hire a skywriter (I mean…not a bad idea), but do something fun that gets attention and makes people feel like they’re a part of what you’re doing.

5. Show People That You Mean Business

You can show your commitment in a social setting by giving up something you love (like coffee, wine or dessert). Or refusing to shave a mustache. Believe me, people are going to ask you about that. Let it become a topic of conversation! Or promise your donors something if they donate. Think about how excited people would be if you offered to upload an embarrassing photo of yourself every time you received a donation!

6. Provide Updates

A lot of people probably intend to give to your campaign. They really do. But they forget. Maybe they’re at work and want to wait until they get home. Maybe they want to wait until they get their next paycheck. Campaign updates are a great way to remind people about the thing they intended to do anyway. And once your friends have already given, updates help keep them in the loop.

7. Say Thank You

One more piece of advice: thank everyone who gives to your campaign. Make those people feel like heroes, because they are. Shout it from the rooftops! Generosity inspires generosity… someone might see your thank you and feel inspired to join in on the fun.

8. Enjoy It

You’re doing a really incredible thing, and you can’t do it wrong. Know that every $30 you raise is going to bring clean water to someone who really needs it. You’re bringing better health to families, giving women more time to earn an income and ensuring that kids get to go to school. You’re changing lives and futures. Have fun!

You too can start a fundraising campaign and bring clean drinking water to people in need around the world. 100% of the money you raise builds water projects, and every single dollar is tracked using photos and GPS coordinates so you can see your impact. Come join us!

Tariku is a 9 year old stud who has been supporting charity: water for more than half of his life. He gave up his 5th, 7th and 9th birthdays to help fund water projects for people in need and has raised more than $20,000 so far.

His story is different than most. Tariku spent the first four years of his life in Ethiopia. He experienced firsthand what it’s like to walk for and collect dirty water, and he saw waterborne diseases from that dirty water claim the life of his younger brother. When he was adopted by his incredible parents in 2010, he had parasites in his blood, too. But clean water and access to medication quickly solved that problem.

In talking to him, it’s immediately clear that the first half of his story fuels his passion to make a difference — especially for children.

“I told people it’s fun to help kids in Africa! You can see the joy in their faces. And you can see when they get happy.”

But here’s what you really need to know about Tariku: It doesn’t stop with clean water.

His desire to give and to make the world a better place knows no ends. And that’s the second half of his story. A half that I imagine is destined for an epic future.

T (as I call him now that we’re friends) recently visited our office. In sitting down with him, he talked about donating clothes to people in need, helping the poor in his community and inspiring his fellow third graders to give. It was a recurring theme… again and again he stated, “It’s fun to give!”

When I asked why he thinks giving is important, he very simply said:

“It’s important to give money! If I had a million dollars, I’d give it to the poor people that live close to downtown. One day, my mom and dad and me took sandwiches to people and gave them to them, and they were happy.“

Soft-spoken and always smiling, he’s just one of the kindest and most impressive kids we know. It’s hard to believe a heart so big can live in that little body. T has inspired all of us at charity: water, and we hope he inspires you too.

“It’s fun to give away stuff you have a lot of.”

-Tariku Savage, age 9

Every September, we celebrate charity: water’s birthday month by rallying our supporters around a specific country or partner. Over the past decade, we’ve used clean water to restore dignity in India, reduce disease in Central African Republic and create new opportunities for families in Rwanda. We’ve funded drilling rigs in Ethiopia and brought clean water to the desert in Mali & Niger. And every year, we’ve done it with the help of thousands of fundraisers.

This incredibly inspiring community has done ALL KINDS OF THINGS to raise money for clean water. Grown men have run marathons in speedos. Couples have traded their wedding gifts for donations. Kids have sold lemonade, sold their artwork and even sold their toys.

And this year, we want to celebrate that.

As much as our September Campaign is about impact, it’s also about the opportunity to come together with a group of strangers and do something bigger than you could ever do by yourself.

You don’t have to be rich. You don’t have to be famous. This is about being part of a team! And every contribution matters. In fact, all of those little bits add up to a whole lot.

And here’s the best part… you can do anything to help.

That’s the message this year: #nothingiscrazy. You can summit a mountain, eat strange food for a month or grow a mustache. Swim, sing, dance, doodle, donate!

You can do anything you know how to do to help change the lives of people in need. The craziest thing we can do is nothing.

This September Campaign is about passionate, creative and goofy fundraisers doing everything they can to bring clean water to 50,000 people in need… and you better believe that the charity: water team is getting in on the action.

This month, our staff and interns are walking the #nothingiscrazy talk and doing everything they can to raise money for clean water. Walking to work with Jerry Cans, taking pies to the face, dancing on the subway, skiing in bikinis… the list goes on.

And it gets better.

We’ve set our own goal: to raise $200,000 (with the match!) and bring clean water to more than 6,600 people. But some of our braver staff have also agreed to randomly draw challenges from a hat. So if we reach our $200,000 goal, the following people will be doing the following crazy things:

Kaitlyn S: 24 hours of reggae dancing Kathleen: eat at every $1 pizza place in Manhattan Sarah: propose to strangers on the street with balloons Christina: cook dinner for the staff Makena: play mixologist at an office party Jordan: come to work in the summer wearing winter clothing Sabrina: sky dive Nitya: travel only by bike for a week Gumbley: one day in a banana suit Broc: host a party with free foot rubs Tyler: run to work in undies Lauren: shave part of head Vik: get a charity: water tattoo Carlos: toga for a week Dan: run a marathon

You can help us hit our goal and witness our staff embarrassing themselves in a follow-up blog post! Donate to our group or individual fundraising campaigns right now.

Every $30 donation will bring clean water to one person — and our staff just a little bit closer to total public humiliation.