We recently connected with Amanda Ferguson and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I had no intentions of starting a full-fledged nonprofit, but I knew I wanted to collect water for heat relief. It started by asking friends and family to donate $4 for a case of water, and when my garage was packed with five pallets a few weeks later, I knew this could be something bigger. It was all about diving in. I had no idea what I was doing when I decided to incorporate my business and apply for a 501c3. It took research. I read everything and my bookmark tab was full of even more I planned to read. I networked, asked other, googled the answers, whatever it took. The beginning felt and looked like a bit of scrambling, but I realized no one really knew when they started, you just have to start and that’s what I did.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

After losing my brother Bill to the heat in 2013, I knew I wanted to do something to help in the community. It felt like such a preventable loss and I had never considered how dangerous the heat in Arizona truly could be. Providing water for heat relief and providing safety reminders felt like a natural way to make a huge difference and I jumped in. I hosted a water drive and raised over five pallets of water. Just like that, I could look around and see a tangible way to save lives and I was committed from that moment on.

The next year I gained media attention, incorporated Bottles For Bill and gained 501c3 status. From there it’s been a whirlwind. It’s all about bringing people together to make an immediate, tangible impact. While sharing my brother’s story, I’ve connected with so many that have lost family members, had their own close calls, or underestimated the heat. With other causes you may have a personal connection, or it may not hit close to home, but here we’re all surrounded by the heat each day and that commonality grows support.

I can’t believe how much this small water drive had grown. To watch my grief get put into a project that now provides full semi-trucks full of water each Summer to the Valley is an incredible feeling. I feel so proud to lead in a cause so many people believe in and support.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Bottles For Bill as a nonprofit is a story of resilience and fighting back. I was devastated to lose my brother, Bill. He was older than me and always seemed to have the right thing to say during a difficult time. And though he probably didn’t have it all together, it seemed as I was growing that he had his priorities straight. I looked up to him and wanted to be where he was one day. When he was gone, I felt lost with little direction and the triple-digit temperatures that he lost his life to – felt all consuming. There was no escaping the heat in this desert we call home, and I felt it knock the wind out of me each year as temperatures climbed. Starting Bottles For Bill gave me a way to push back, to prove that safety could be as simple as a bottle of water.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that it’s impolite to ask for money. Maybe it’s the midwestern in me but it felt completely taboo to directly ask someone to provide money for whatever my passion was. But it has been so surprising to me how happily people want to give and support our heat relief cause. I learned that asking for money can sound differently. By sharing my excitement, my experience and what I hoped to achieve for the nonprofit, others were ready to provide financial support instead of simply asking for a donation.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bottlesforbill.org
• Instagram: bottlesforbillaz
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bottlesforbillaz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-ferguson-8ba1551b6/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bottlesforbill5126

Image Credits
Rachel Farber, Delia Johnson