Gaming Research & Activation Strategy — charity: water
charity: water set a goal of raising $1 million a year through gaming. The strategy started by understanding who actually gives — and why gaming audiences can smell insincere marketing a mile away.
Gaming has become one of philanthropy's most powerful engines — a single Thankmas event raised $10 million. charity: water wanted a durable piece of that: $1 million a year through gaming activations, inside a larger partnerships goal. The question wasn't whether gaming audiences give. It was why, when, and to whom.
The work ran the full Gather and Build framework: brand immersion, channel scorecards, an audience panel, expert interviews, and a competitive landscape covering the campaigns that defined the space — from PewDiePie's early charity: water streams through DrLupo, Jacksepticeye, Bungie, and Riot. The history carried lessons: what raised $446K in 2013, what raised $689K later, and why one campaign fell short.
Three donor personas anchored the strategy: Local Heroes ("from grassroots to global"), Cozy and Caring ("playing life, uplifting lives"), and Story-Forward ("pushing the narrative of what gaming can mean"). And one piece of craft discipline held it together: streamers are not a persona — they're a channel. Confusing the megaphone with the audience is how gaming campaigns miss.
Audience research and donor personas. Channel scorecards and competitive landscape. Campaign history analysis. A twelve-month activation roadmap built around creator autonomy — including the practical constraints, like Roblox's ban on on-platform charity fundraising.