YouTube stars Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, and Mark Rober raised over $40 million to bring clean water to over 2 million people. The duo hit their goal on Sunday on track with their Aug. 31 deadline.
A global creator-led campaign in partnership with WaterAid, #TeamWater was launched on Aug. 1. The movement united creators from 144 countries with a combined reach of more than 2 billion subscribers. The $40 million was raised through a combination of videos, livestreams and social content, including a 17-hour livestream that raised $12 million on its own. People were able to donate at TeamWater.org.
“Reaching our $40 million goal means that millions of people will experience the life-changing impact of clean water for years to come,” Donaldson and Rober said in a joint statement. “Mark and I are blown away by what the creator community has accomplished — we could never have achieved this on our own. So thank you to the thousands of creators who helped make this possible. From $1 to $1 million, every donation made a difference in reaching this goal, and we couldn’t be more grateful.”
WaterAid will use the donations to deliver long-term, sustainable clean water solutions — including solar-powered wells, gravity-fed pipelines and rainwater harvesting systems. WaterAid also partnered with DigDeep, GivePower and Instituto Alok to implement the global campaign.
“This moment proves what’s possible when global generosity meets innovation,” said Kelly Parsons, CEO of WaterAid America. “Thanks to Jimmy, Mark and the #TeamWater community, millions will soon have access to something most of us take for granted: clean water. That means more children in school instead of walking for water, more families staying healthy, and more women able to build their future — all made possible by reliable clean water access, through the work of global content creators, donors and everyday people looking to make a difference.”
#TeamWater marks the third large-scale environmental campaign from Donaldson and Rober. Previously, #TeamTrees and #TeamSeas raised over $50 million combined to plant 20 million trees and remove 30 million pounds of trash from oceans, rivers and beaches.
