Changemakers - Dan Flynn

Dan Flynn, Founder and Managing Director of Thankyou Water, is profiled in Changemakers – a regular column which examines inspiring people and their careers in the Not for Profit sector.

Thankyou Water is a social enterprise which exists for the single purpose of bringing safe water to those in need in the developing world. The sale of each bottle of Thankyou Water provides at least 1 month’s access to safe water for someone in need.

What are you currently working on in your organisation?

We’ve just run a huge campaign called ‘The Thankyou Campaign’. The campaign asked Australians to help us say three million thank yous over three weeks. Each thank you represented every single person who has helped us provide safe water to over 15,000 people, simply by switching the brand of bottled water they purchase. The campaign was a great success in that we received well over three million thank yous from around the country.

We’re also working on the roll out of our product into more retail outlets, including a mid-tier national supermarket chain that will be announced soon. Our aim is to go from 2,500 stockists to 3,500 before the end of the year, which we believe will happen through some hard work over the next few months.

Next on the horizon, we’re about to launch ‘Track Your Impact’. This is an app that will be available to our customers where they will be able to find out exactly what project their single Thankyou Water purchase is funding – simply by entering a unique bottle tracking code into the app. We think it’s exciting to be able to give high-level project reporting to our customers and to connect them directly to the impact they are making through their purchase.

What do you like best about working in your current organisation?

The best thing is going to work everyday knowing that I’m not just there to make someone wealthy, but to make a difference in the world. It’s also a great feeling to work with an energetic and creative team who have the same vision and drive to make that happen.

Favourite saying…

Impossibility is only someone’s opinion – not a fact.

I’m always being asked…

The question I get asked all the time is, “Did you ever feel like giving up?”. The answer is yes. In the early days, I probably asked myself that question weekly. There were times when it felt like it was too hard, particularly when a lot of hard effort resulted in a lot of rejection.

My greatest challenge is …

The greatest challenge our team faces is getting people to understand what it is we’re doing and then getting them on board behind the vision; particularly retailers. We’re put a lot of time into thinking up creative new ways to reach more people with the Thankyou Water message. The simple fact is, the more people who know about what we do and get behind it, the more lives we can change.

What (or who) inspires you?

Jesus. We’ve all heard the Easter and Christmas story, but the fact that He’s an historic figure is not only what’s inspiring. What inspires me is that He lived his whole life for other people. I think that sets a great example.