Just to continue my twitter-ified summaries of my “live” blogging from The Idea Camp, here are some glimpses of the final main session…

David Ruis

Worship session with David Ruis – solo, but brought along tech team of synth, drum machine, trusty Macbook (and I’m guessing sequencers, and other music-y stuff like that).  David did an incredible job of bringing together worship, mystery, tech, and a heart for justice to the evening session.

Eugene Cho

Charles Lee interviewed Eugene Cho.  It was really interesting that, although these two influential leaders had been blog friends for awhile now, this weekend was their first face-to-face interaction!

  • Why do you blog?  Many reasons… pains him to see friends in print business, but shift in how we obtain info, how we learn things, blogging is part of that change
  • Why did you start your anti-poverty organization?
    • Born out of family life, developing compassion
    • His kids, watching poverty on TV, asked him, “Is this real?” Yes. “What are you doing about it?”
  • One Day’s Wages
    • Their family gave up one year’s wages — selling off other assets to give $100,000; encouraging people to give up one day’s wages in fight against global poverty
    • We’re not asking people to do anything we’re not willing to do
    • Over 300,000 in Facebook group — everyone might not give up one day’s wages, but there might be 500,000 hits on their website
    • Exciting because shows how world is connected
    • Your ideas and your perseverance will be tested

    • How can we partner with you?
      • Pray
      • Receiving donations right now; people who will help in seeding this endeavor
      • Join this Facebook group and invite your friends to join
      • Launch of site onedayswages.org coming soon

    Scott Harrison from charity:water

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    more about “The Idea Camp on Vimeo“, posted with vodpod
    • Video, telling Scott’s story of transformation, which leads into the story of charity: water
    • Five years ago — rocking the Rolex, living large — threw fashion parties in NYC, sold decadence for a living
    • At 28 God got a hold on his life — God sent him to Africa, that’s where his story started, served on Mercy Ships to Liberia, West Africa
    • Only volunteer photographer, was not prepared for what he would see — four pound tumor on a child’s throat; absolutely wrecked him
    • Started learning about vast need for clean water
    • His world was shaken by experience with extreme poverty
    • Realized that one $16 cocktail = one bag of rice, food for family of four for one month
    • Created exhibition to tell story, started raising money (about $100K) — went back to Liberia
    • People were disillusioned by charity, bureaucracy, etc. but Scott saw real change happening on the ground
    • Vision to do this for the rest of his life
    • Water touched on education, health, kids
    • 1 billion people don’t have access to clean water – that’s 1 in 6 people
    • We use 150 gallons of clean water/day — they don’t even have 5 gallons (which is charity: water’s goal)
    • 80% of diseases related to lack of clean water/sanitation
    • Started partnering with groups on the ground doing amazing work to provide clean water for people

    A few highlights of their first 2.5 years in action:

    • Goal: Inspire compassion, provoke action
    • No guilt; instead, opportunity– hey for $5000 you can build a well that provides clean water for an entire village
    • “Reinvent” charity
    • Give away 100% of public donations — rest of funds would be drawn from private donors
    • charity: proof — have people report the work, put onto Google earth — monitor effectiveness, get to visit villages
    • charity: launch — 700 people bought $20 bottle of water, that $15K fixed 3 wells and built 3 new wells
    • charity: product — went to businesses and asked them to sell this $20 bottle of water (hotels, boutiques, spas, salons)
    • Design — great design, web sense; Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day
    • Free advertising — just by asking and having great images (175 buses in NYC $250K for $7K just by asking)
    • Video — PSA featuring Hotel Rwanda director, Jennifer Conolly and her two kids, $100K production for free; first run during American Idol
    • Incredible partnerships — Saks raised $500K, they took over 5th ave window display for 1 month
    • Social media — Ask people to give up their birthday, $1 for each year they’ve been alive (i.e., a 30 year old asks for $30 in donations)
    • twestival — 200 cities around the world, even in africa — run by volunteers, raised $250K
    • Press — go out and pitch, about 200 mentions around the world in magazines, newspapers, TV
    • Global parternships: 14 countries, 18 partners
    • In 2.5 yrs raised over $9M, helped 670K people
    • Some people will say, don’t start new non-profits, give us all your money — Scott Harrison says the problem is so large, go ahead and start a non-profit
    • Tips to NGO and other orgs: Tell the story raw, quickly; don’t wait months to get perfectly edited film
    • Trying to raise $110M to solve 1% of the problem

    James Pearson of WikiChoice

    The winner of the Idea Competition via text messaging!  WikiChoice is a way to promote ethical consumerism by providing information to consumers about their choices.  Check the video here.

    One of the best parts of The Idea Camp for me was watching the actual collaboration happening in real-time.  James put forward a couple of needs, and then the group (including online participants) offered their gifts & talents to help make WikiChoice a reality.

    • Some needs:
      • Needs: consulting — if someone has expertise, areas of legalities of forming a non-profit, posting content online
      • Needs: tech — goal is to make it as actionable as possible — iphone/android apps, ppl stand in a store, take a photo of product and get info on it
      • people can text in how they will support WikiChoice
      • Needs: board of directors
    • Collaboration:
      • Spencer Burke: donating $5000 worth of banner ads for free on theooze.com
      • Daniel Li: will help them with web setup, legalities
      • Fact checking, copy-editing
      • interview on JCTV! yeah!
      • graphic design!
      • Dawn Carter offering her rolodex — connecting people