Jon Kaufman wrote Long Walk on a Dry Road in 2018 (Amazon and Audible) as a guide for how to increase impact and avoid common mistakes in philanthropy in general, and water in specific. Based on bringing over 500 projects to 11 countries for water interventions, Jon has been taking a deep dive into dozens of cultures for 12 years, disrupting the conventional and often haphazard ways the rich have been trying to help the poor.
Co-founding Global Water First as a social impact investment alternative to service, Jon has been directing H2OpenDoors, a project of Rotary clubs worldwide, with a Donor Advised Fund at The Rotary Foundation. The project is active in Latin America, Asia and East Africa. GWF intends to continue the work of the Rotary project with fundamentally different strengths and strategies, all designed to install over 1000 self-reliant water enterprises over the next five years.
Jon also owns a Silicon Valley marketing company, with 30 years of expericence in branding and communication. He has one son and an Alaskan Malamute that always keep him laughing.