By Faye McCray
We sat down with Ara Yoo, Global Head of CSR at TikTok, to dig into the platform’s role in Team Water—a bold campaign sparked by MrBeast and Mark Rober in partnership with WaterAid. The goal was ambitious: raise $40 million in just 31 days and bring clean water to 2 million people around the world.
Ara shared how TikTok rallied its creators and community to power the movement, and what other CSR and social impact leaders can learn from the campaign.
EFG: For people who may be hearing about it for the first time, can you walk us through what Team Water is, who’s involved (including MrBeast), and what you were hoping to accomplish?
Ara: Team Water is a global movement to help solve one of the world’s most pressing challenges–access to clean water. Together with WaterAid, the campaign aims to provide access to clean water for 2 million people. Sparked by MrBeast and Mark Rober, using their incredible platforms–with a combined 124+ million followers on TikTok alone–to rally people everywhere. The goal was bold: $40 million in 31 days. It was about showing what can happen when creators, communities, and partners come together around a cause that truly changes lives. And to not bury the lede, the campaign hit its goal and then some – raising over $41M in just one month.
EFG: When did Team Water first come onto TikTok’s radar? What happened behind the scenes that moved it from an idea to a $1.5 million commitment?
Ara: At TikTok, we deeply believe in the power of our community to drive positive change and so from the very beginning, we knew we wanted to be part of this historic campaign. Team Water is a perfect example of how creativity and purpose come together for good on the platform. That meant not only rallying our creators to amplify the message, but also making sure TikTok was fully engaged, from our global creator community to our CSR teams—which is why we committed $1.5 million to help kickstart the effort.
EFG: Besides activating your creator community and making a financial contribution, how else has TikTok supported Team Water?
Ara: We powered the campaign on TikTok through the Donation Sticker, which enables TikTok users to take action and donate to causes they care about. We also introduced our new donation amplification feature, empowering users to take action to support causes they care about. Fans can now add a fundraiser started by their favorite creators directly into their own TikTok content—either through a donation link on their profile or a sticker in their post or story. This transforms ordinary viewers into advocates, helping the campaign reach even further.
EFG: The Donation Sticker is more than a feature. How did you make it part of the experience so that giving feels easy, fun, and contagious?
Ara: The Donation Sticker is designed to make giving feel as natural as liking or sharing a video. With just a tap, anyone can support a cause directly from their For You feed, a LIVE stream, or even a creator’s profile. For Team Water, we introduced a dedicated Donation Sticker for WaterAid, powered by Goodstack (friends of Engage for Good!). The Donation Sticker has been used for many different causes and campaigns. For example, JT Laybourne teamed up with the American Heart Association to raise $1M by sharing his personal story with a heart condition and bringing his followers and viewers to the Donation Sticker. As both JT Laybourne and Team Water have proven, the Donation Sticker is a simple, fun, and contagious way to turn awareness into action—every video becomes a chance to spark generosity and make real-world change.
EFG: You have TikTok creators from more than 25 countries participating. How do you find the right creators and set them up to use their platforms in a way that feels authentic and powerful?
Ara: Creators are the beating heart of TikTok—they provide levity and entertainment, drive real-world impact, spark fun, and share information in ways only they can. That’s why Team Water was designed to be creator-led from the very beginning. We were thrilled to see creators from over 25 countries joining the campaign—from Mexico to Japan, and Singapore to Australia. Each creator brings their own voice and personality to their content, making every video authentic and engaging. For example, A.J. & Big Justice, the father-and-son duo known for “bringing the BOOM!,” created a video from their favorite spot, Costco, sharing why Team Water matters to them. It’s a perfect example of how authenticity fuels the campaign.
EFG: How do you make a big campaign like Team Water accessible and meaningful to all types of changemakers?
Ara: At TikTok, we know our community is eager to make a positive impact. Team Water was designed to be accessible to everyone, no matter how they want to participate. The average donation through the TikTok Donation Sticker for this campaign is $9, which shows that even small contributions add up to something powerful when millions of people come together. And participation goes beyond giving–people are creating videos to spread awareness. Whether you give, post, or amplify, anyone can be a changemaker.
EFG: For CSR and social impact teams watching this unfold, what is one thing they can take from TikTok’s approach to partnerships, platform activation, or storytelling?
Ara: We were thrilled to see TikTok creators rally behind MrBeast’s #TeamWater campaign, using their voices and our Donation Sticker to make a tangible, real-world impact. Our approach at TikTok is simple: give creators the tools they need to succeed on the platform, whether that’s for entertainment, education, or social impact. The key takeaway for CSR and social impact teams is to lean into your strengths, just like we lean into ours: creators are where the magic happens.
