[UPDATE: JONAH JUST DONATED $3800. I HAVE EDITED THIS POST TO REFLECT THIS. SO IF YOU WANT TO BE LIKE JONAH, YOU NEED TO GIVE $3800+]
Tomorrow I turn 38. I'm not writing to remind you (though that would be a novel move). I'm writing to tell you that I'm donating my day to charity: water, which was started by my good friend Scott Harrison to bring clean, safe drinking water to people in developing countries.
You can find out more here.
Another "friend," Jonah Peretti, pointed out to me last week that he wasn't planning on buying me a birthday present in the first place … so the fact that I was donating my birthday didn't really impact him. But he was so moved by charity: water that he did something I did not see coming.
Well, Jonah is no longer my friend (for now, though he can redeem himself).
Jonah started Huffington Post, which he sold to AOL for a bucket of cash. And his new company, BuzzFeed.com, is on top of the world, changing journalism one cat picture at a time. So you'd think HHe could afford a $38 donation, so he decided to give $3800 out of the goodness of his Mother Theresa-like heart. unlike mMy other friend Reece Pacheco, who is a poor startup CEO looking for his first exit. Reece donated $38 Friday, and is still my friend.
So the question I ask you is this ... Do you want to be my Jonah or my Reece? Your decision.
I'm asking for $38 or $380 or $3800 from everyone I know. If all 1100 of you donate the minimum amount (my birthday age, $38), we'll raise $42K! And every penny of the money raised will go directly to fund clean water projects in developing nations.
My goal is to raise over $5000 by 11:59 PM tomorrow. So we only have about 32 hours. Yes, that means I need you to do it right now at this site
In order to make your small donation go further, I will be matching every dollar up to my goal. This will double your donation, double your impact and double the number of people who you provide free water. (I'm only matching the first $5000 ... so get your donation in ASAP to get the match.)
Thanks in advance for your donation and joining this exciting movement.
Best,
MML
P.S. I encourage you to watch Scott's story here. It's a VERY compelling one.
P.S.S. I spoke to Scott. He confirmed that charity: water will show us exactly which projects we funded once they've been fully completed (which takes about 18 months). That means we'll be able to see the communities we've helped!