Talk:Charity: Water

atricle too small, needs more
Theres not much information here, can anyone add to it.

I'd like to see some information about this charitys administrative costs, including salaries of the founder and top people working there.

Id like more detailed information on what they do to find and extract water, especially detailing whether or not the methods they use to build wells or extract water from new wells is at all hurting the water table or harming the environment itself. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.160.131.17 (talk) 17:38, 29 December 2010 (UTC)


 * They have published detailed breakdowns of money movement; basically 100% public funds went into the projects, part of the private donated funds went into operation costs.
 * Finding scientific background on environmental impacts were beyond my allotted time window. :-) --grin ✎ 10:17, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Criticism
I am in no position to judge the trustworthiness of the source, but listing here for reader's fulfillment: --grin ✎ 10:52, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
 * http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/13814-the-problem-with-charity-water

Consistency with the organization's name and article name/title
The nonprofit organization, charity: water, unconventionally does not use uppercase letters in their name. I've fixed as many instances of incorrect usage of uppercase letters as I can, but my wikipedia editing skills aren't yet to the point where I can fix everything (see external links as well as the article's URL.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Clarkcamp (talk • contribs) 22:17, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Information for updates from Independent sources
I work for charity: water, so as a result of the Wikipedia Conflict of Interest rules I will not edit the post directly. However, much of the information is outdated so I will suggest some sources that could improve the article here.

Firstly, this San Francisco Chronicle article has updated data on amount raised, projects built and people served http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Silicon-Valley-well-backs-world-water-charity-4816825.php "9,000 water projects So far Charity: water has spent more than $55 million on more than 9,000 water projects in 20 countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda and Malawi. This month, the charity will support Gram Vikas, which is dedicated to eradicating caste systems by providing rural communities in India with clean water and sanitation. "

The same article shares more on operating costs as requested above as well: "Harrison recruits people to start their own fundraisers, and all of the money raised goes directly to the cause. Overhead costs are covered by "the well," which is made up of 100 donors who pledge anywhere from $24,000 to $2 million for three years."

This Christian Science Monitor piece also has an updated number on number of projects built and people served: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2013/0923/Scott-Harrison-found-meaning-in-life-by-starting-charity-water

"To date, the organization has funded 9,015 projects that have the capability to provide access to clean water to some 3.3 million people." — Preceding unsigned comment added by Paullyoungcw (talk • contribs) 18:32, 12 December 2013 (UTC)

Further background:

This Wired Feature article shares more about the business (and also the fact there are over 300,000 donors to charity: water - not 50,000 as referenced on the Wikipedia page): http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/12/features/charitystartup

Charity Navigator on financials: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12548#.UqfV7WRDvw1

New York Times feature from 2013: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/magazine/a-save-the-world-field-trip-for-millionaire-tech-moguls.html

The Guardian Sustainable Business (information on remote sensors for monitoring) http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/starbucks-toyota-transparency-social-media — Preceding unsigned comment added by Paullyoungcw (talk • contribs) 03:40, 11 December 2013 (UTC)

Edits completed
I have added information from the edit request filed and I also cleaned up the grammar a bit. Thank you for the submission, Leo A. Mercer (talk) 22:15, 24 December 2013 (UTC)

Thank you for updating the page Leo A. Mercer (talk) - however the information in the introductory paragraph is still wrong. Hence now we have two sets of facts on the page regarding number of people served, funds raised and water projects funded. May I suggest it could be worth updating the introductory paragraph:

"Charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Founded in 2006, it has helped fund 6,611 projects in 20 countries, benefiting over 2,545,000 people. Overall, the organization has raised over $40 million as of January 15, 2012"

With the accurate information you posted below in the 'Operations' section:

"Charity: water has spent more than $55 million on more than 9,000 water projects in 20 countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Malawi.[6] To date, the organization has funded 9,015 projects that have the capability to provide access to clean water to some 3.3 million people.[citation needed]"

Just making this suggestion as it would improve the page further and the current introductory paragraph contains innacurate infromation. Paullyoungcw (talk) 29 December 2013  —Preceding undated comment added 01:26, 30 December 2013 (UTC)

Standardize the name.
The numerous ways of capitalizing and spelling the name -- "charity: water", "Charity: Water", "Charity water", etc. -- need to be standardized. It seems like "charity: water" is the intended version, and so lowercase letters should be used even when starting a sentence (as with e.e. cummings, for example). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.47.38.175 (talk • contribs) 20:05, 29 June 2014‎
 * Per MOS:TMRULES, Wikipedia uses standard English rules of capitalisation for brandnames, rather than whatever punctuation and capslock they favour. Interrupting a sentence with a colon which isn't actually a colon makes that sentence unnecessarily harder to read. --McGeddon (talk) 21:40, 10 December 2014 (UTC)


 * MOS:TMRULES has met e e cummings&mdash;and won. So, being bold, I have emplemented clean-up (removal) of colons and lowercase styling.  WurmWoode  T   17:14, 4 June 2015 (UTC)

Proposed Edit: Impact Numbers
The number of projects, people and countries that charity: water has served is out of date, as well as the amount of money it has raised. As of September 14, 2018, charity: water has raised $320 million in 12 years to help provide clean drinking water to 8.5 million people in 26 countries.

For full disclosure, I work for a public relations firm that represents charity: water. Ahackett302 (talk) 14:22, 4 October 2018 (UTC)

For more context, Scott founded charity: water in 2006 by throwing a party for his 31st birthday, which raised $15,000 to help fund his first water projects in Uganda.
 * Proposed Edit: History

For full disclosure, I work for a public relations firm that represents charity: water. Ahackett302 (talk) 14:35, 4 October 2018 (UTC)

In addition to Lokai, charity: water has partnered with brands like Away, Hublot and Soma.
 * Proposed Edit: History + Partners

For full disclosure, I work for a public relations firm that represents charity: water. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ahackett302 (talk • contribs) 14:47, 4 October 2018 (UTC)

The number of people who have donated to the initiative is out of date. As of March 22, 2018, over one million people have donated to the organization.
 * Proposed Edit: Operations

charity: water has since grown in number of employees. As of March 22, 2018, charity: water has 73 employees, 71 of whom are in its New York City headquarters. charity: water partners with local organizations in each country it serves.

For full disclosure, I work for a public relations firm that represents charity: water. Ahackett302 (talk) 14:47, 4 October 2018 (UTC)

✅
 * 1) ❌ The number of people who donated is not given in the article, so this number could not be "updated".
 * 2) ✅ The organization's staff number was appended to the infobox.
 * 3) ❌ The claim that "charity: water partners with local organizations in each country it serves" is a redundant statement, as partnering with local organizations would be required of any charity to dispense items when that charity has no local infrastructure already available to it.  Spintendo   12:46, 5 October 2018 (UTC)

Proposed Edit: Updated Impact Numbers
The impact numbers in the second sentence are out of date. It should say that the organization has raised $320 million to help provide clean drinking water to 8.5 million people in 26 countries. This is based on two news articles that have reported charity: water's impact this year, including The Wall Street Journal on September 14, 2018 and CNBC.com on March 22, 2018.

For full disclosure, I work for a public relations firm that represents charity: water.

Ahackett302 (talk) 15:54, 6 November 2018 (UTC)

Proposed Edit: Intro and Operations
The number of projects, people and countries that charity: water has served is out of date, as well as the amount of money it has raised. As of September 2019, the organization has funded 44,007 projects in 28 countries, benefiting over 10 million people. Overall, the organization has raised more than $370 million as of April 11, 2019.

For full disclosure, I work for a public relations firm that represents charity: water. Saurilia (talk) 13:57, 9 October 2019 (UTC)

Reply 29-OCT-2019
Regards, Spintendo  04:19, 30 October 2019 (UTC)
 * 1) ❌  As of September 2019, the organization has funded 44,007 projects in 28 countries, benefiting over 10 million people. Declined per WP:RSP, this claim is referenced by a Forbes.com contributor.
 * 2) ✅ The organization has raised more than $370 million as of April 11, 2019. Added to the lead section.

Proposed Edit: Upfront and Operations (New numbers and sources)
The numbers in the intro and operations sections are out of date. We previously submitted this edit, but have and updated source for review.

Intro reads: The organization was founded in 2006 and has helped fund 24,537 projects in 24 countries, benefiting over 8.2 million people.

Edit: As of September 2019, the organization has funded more than 44,000 water projects in 28 countries, benefiting over 10 million people.

Operations reads: Charity: water has raised more than $252 million for more than 23,000 water projects in 24 countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Malawi.

Edit: charity: water has raised more than $370 million and funded more than 44,000 water projects in 28 countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Malawi.

For full disclosure, I work for a public relations firm that represents charity: water. Saurilia (talk) 18:55, 31 October 2019 (UTC)

Reply 31-OCT-2019
Regards, Spintendo  00:41, 1 November 2019 (UTC)
 * 1) The first proposed claim "As of September 2019, the organization has funded more than 44,000 water projects in 28 countries, benefiting over 10 million people" originates from Nhu Te's interview with Lauren Letta, the COO of the subject organization. That means that these claims cannot be made using Wikipedia's voice. They need to be reworded to state "According to the organization, it has raised....". Additionally, the phrase "benefitting over 10 million people" should be omitted, as it's not entirely clear how benefits are being defined in this context. (This "benefit" is better defined by The New York Times source as the bringing of water — and even then, the statement is properly attributed by the Times to the organization itself, e.g., "...and claims its wells have brought clean water to nearly 10 million people". )
 * 2) The second proposed claim "charity: water has raised more than $370 million and funded more than 44,000 water projects in 28 countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Malawi" is incorrectly referenced. The text from The New York Times states that the organization " has drilled some 38,000 wells for villagers in Ethiopia, Rwanda and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia" and that it " has raised more than $370 million, and claims its wells have brought clean water to nearly 10 million people." In those passages, the only things stated with authority by the Times are that 370 million has been raised (which was added to the lead section in a prior edit request review) and that the org has "drilled 38,000 wells". This is quite different from the proposed text, which states that the org has "funded more than 44,000 water projects in 28 countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Malawi". "Drilling a well" and "funding a water project" are two different activities (arguably, the former activity being a constituent act covered under the umbrella term of the latter activity). These two activities should not be conflated.

Proposed Edit: Upfront and Operations (Rephrased)
Intro reads: The organization was founded in 2006 and has helped fund 24,537 projects in 24 countries, benefiting over 8.2 million people.

Edit: According to the organization, it has raised 44,000 water projects in 28 countries, as of October 2019.

Operations reads: Charity: water has raised more than $252 million for more than 23,000 water projects in 24 countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Malawi.

Edit: Charity: water has drilled some 38,000 wells for villagers in Ethiopia, Rwanda and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

For full disclosure, I work for a public relations firm that represents charity: water. Thanks for your patience! --Saurilia (talk) 18:02, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

Reply 5-NOV-2019
Regards, Spintendo  02:40, 6 November 2019 (UTC)
 * 1) ❌ The lead section claim could not be implemented because the suggested prose contains an error in grammar: According to the organization, it has raised 44,000 water projects in 28 countries, as of October 2019. It is unclear what is meant by the phrase raised water projects, and how that applies to the act of drilling.
 * 2) ✅ The claim in the Operations section was implemented.

Proposed Edit: Upfront (Rephrased)
Intro reads: The organization was founded in 2006 and has helped fund 24,537 projects in 24 countries, benefiting over 8.2 million people.

Edit: According to the organization, it has funded 44,000 water projects in 28 countries, as of October 2019.

For full disclosure, I work for a public relations firm that represents charity: water.--Saurilia (talk) 18:14, 6 November 2019 (UTC)

Reply 06-NOV-2019
Spintendo 01:10, 7 November 2019 (UTC)

Proposed Edit: Expanded Numbers
Intro reads: According to the organization, as of October 2019, it has funded 44,000 water projects in 28 countries

Edit: According to the organization, as of October 2019, it has funded 44,000 water projects in 28 countries, bringing clean water to over 10 million people. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Saurilia (talk • contribs) 13:19, 7 November 2019 (UTC)

Reply 07-NOV-2019
Regards, Spintendo  16:01, 7 November 2019 (UTC)
 * I'm not prepared to implement this claim using Wikipedia's voice. With all due respect to Ms. Te, it's clear that she is getting this figure (of 10 million people) directly from the organization itself. I'd like more independent references to verify it first.

Proposed Addition To Operations Section: Funds Raised
This got removed in the editing process. Is it possible to add back into the Operations section? "As of April 2019, charity: water has raised more than $370 million."

For full disclosure, I work for a public relations firm that represents charity: water. --Saurilia (talk) 21:06, 8 November 2019 (UTC)

Reply 8-NOV-2019
Spintendo 23:14, 8 November 2019 (UTC)

Sourcing
This page needs significant improvement in its sourcing. See RS-SELF. Self-published sources are largely not acceptable. Bangabandhu (talk) 12:37, 18 September 2020 (UTC)

Proposed changes to charity: water Wikipedia page
WP:PAID charity: water is my employer.


 * Specific text to be added or removed: For Area served, replace “28 countries” with “29 countries”
 * Reason for the change: charity: water has served 29 countries
 * References supporting change: https://www.charitywater.org/about


 * Specific text to be added or removed: change staff size from 73 to 87
 * Reason for the change: charity: water has grown to 87 full-time employees
 * References supporting change: We have not publicly published this anywhere but it is correct, and the previous number did not have a link

[2][3] https://www.charitywater.org/about
 * Specific text to be added or removed: Replace "As of 2019, the organization has raised $370 million.[1] According to the organization, it has funded 44,000 water projects in 28 countries though it does not know how many of the projects are still functional.[2][3]" to "As of 2020, the organization has raised $557 million.[1] According to the organization, it has funded 78,350 water projects in 29 countries though it does not know how many of the projects are still functional.[2][3]
 * Reason for the change: 2019 numbers are outdated. 2020 is the most recent public information available.
 * References supporting change: [1] https://www.charitywater.org/about/scott-harrison-story


 * Specific text to be added or removed: Under History, please add "In 2018, Harrison published Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World. It went on to become a New York Times Bestseller. The book’s website claims that 100% of the author's net proceeds from the sale of Thirst will fund charity: water projects around the world."
 * Reason for the change: Thirst was released after the latest additions to our Wikipedia page so this is an update to our history.
 * References supporting change: https://www.charitywater.org/thirst


 * Specific text to be added or removed: Replace "The organization has drilled some 38,000 wells for villagers in Ethiopia, Rwanda and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.[1] It has no idea how many of the wells are still functioning, despite initial claims that the wells would provide water for decades. It is sure that some are not working. [3]" with "According to the organization’s website, they work with local implementing organizations to fund water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs for rural communities around the world. They claim to be “solution-agnostic” and rely on local partners to take existing water sources, terrain, and population into account when choosing a water project. Since 2006, 78,350 water projects have been funded. It’s estimated that these projects will bring clean water to 13,086,400 people."
 * Reason for the change: The previous information is outdated and very basic. We’ve provided more detail in this edit and in edits to follow.
 * References supporting change: https://www.charitywater.org/our-work


 * Specific text to be added or removed: Add a new section under Operations: Title: Sensors Text: "In December 2012, charity: water received a $5 million grant from Google's Global Impact Awards. The grant was to fund the installation of sensors to remotely report on the status and working conditions of charity: water wells globally. Deployment began in 2015. The sensors measure liters pumped per hour and can identify any fluctuation in productivity. The data collected from the sensors is transmitted wirelessly and used to issue alerts and low bandwidth reports to mechanics in remote areas. The organization is currently developing the fourth generation of sensors."
 * Reason for the change: Sensors are a new development over the past several years and they help us verify that our water projects are working, which has been questioned on this Wikipedia page.
 * References supporting change: https://www.charitywater.org/our-work/sensors

The mega donors are celebrated at the organization’s annual charity ball, and many of them accompany Harrison on trips to Africa.[1] In 2017, Harrison received a salary of $325,278. The organization’s “chief water officer” received $293,442.[1] In 2019, a new program was created to allow entrepreneurs to donate equity to Charity: water. When their companies are sold or go public, some of the proceeds are paid to the charity’s employees as bonuses.[1]"
 * Specific text to be added or removed: Under Financing, replace "The organization set up two separate donation funds and claimed that 100% of donations received from the public go to program costs. A small group of wealthy mega donors called “The Well” (133 in 2019) makes donations to cover the organization’s overhead ($11 million in 2019).[1] In 2018, the organization raised $70 million. It paid $47 million for program expenses, $4.5 million for administrative expenses, and $7.7 million for fundraising expenses.[8]

with "The organization set up two separate donation funds and claimed that 100% of donations received from the public go to program costs, a claim which is independently audited by KPMG annually. A small group of private donors called "The Well" (127 in 2020) makes donations to cover the organization's overhead ($19.8 million in 2020). In 2020, the organization raised $88.5 million: $55.4 million for clean water projects and $33.1 million for operating expenses. It invested $39.6 million to fund clean water projects, $3.3 million into sustainability, funding remote monitoring, repairs, and maintenance of water projects, and $19.8M to fund operating expenses. In 2019, Harrison received a salary of $383,636. The organization’s “chief water officer” received $252,519. In 2019, a new program named The Pool was created to allow entrepreneurs to donate equity to charity: water. When their companies are sold or go public, some of the proceeds are paid to the charity's employees as bonuses.[1] As of 2020, there were 15 active members in The Pool.
 * Reason for the change: These numbers correspond with our latest independently audited annual report.
 * References supporting change: All of the information above can be verified in the independently audited annual report which is linked above (https://assets.ctfassets.net/2w85ks0ylymt/2BPhnWzWjn4WjBFB12TrhV/b4c7d5eeaa257e382f07134a339d029f/CW_AnnualReport2020.pdf.)


 * Specific text to be added or removed: Under Partnerships, replace, “In December 2012, charity: water received a $5 million grant from Google’s Global Impact Awards. The grant was to fund the installation of 4,000 sensors to report on status and working conditions of wells installed in Ethiopia, Nepal, and a few other nations in Africa and Asia.[9] In 2015, charity: water partnered with the silicone bracelet company Lokai.[10]”

with "According to their website, charity: water works with Brand Partners to develop mutually-beneficial fundraising campaigns, co-branded merchandise, media, and experiences. Some examples include:

The Smile Generation Since 2009, The Smile Generation has brought clean drinking water to over 150,000 people by raising over $3.5 million in eight countries. In addition to making donations to charity: water for every patient who gets new braces, offices hold annual drives to raise funds for this effort.

Caterpillar A partner since 2010, Caterpillar has supported water projects in nine countries, sponsored a Waterwalk at charity: ball, supported operations, and funded a virtual reality film.

Red Nose Day Starting in 2015, charity: water was one of twelve domestic and international charities to partner with Comic Relief for Red Nose Day's launch in the United states, bringing clean and safe drinking water to children and communities in Rwanda. As of February 2020, they’ve partnered with charity: water in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Nepal to bring 104,843 children safe drinking water.

UNIQLO Beginning November 18, 2019, UNIQLO changed their shopping bag policies in an effort to reduce the company’s impact on the environment and increase the sustainability of their operations. In addition to eliminating all plastic shopping bags from stores, they began charging 10 cents per paper shopping bag and donating 5 cents from every bag purchase to charity: water to fund clean water projects.

Aveda Aveda partners with charity: water to bring clean water to people in India, Nepal, Madagascar, and Ethiopia. In 2021, 100% sales from Earth Day through Aveda.com funded clean water projects.

Domino’s Domino's became an official brand partner in 2021 and committed to not only bringing clean water to an estimated 4,200 people but also to sponsoring pizza parties for charity: water staff and supporters.


 * Reason for the change: The previous partnerships listed were outdated. We've updated with our current partnerships.
 * References supporting change: See above.


 * Specific text to be added or removed: Under Fundraising add a new section titled The Spring with the copy "The Spring is charity: water’s group of monthly donors. By the end of 2020, The Spring had more than 70,000 members across 147 countries. Their website estimates that this group is funding clean water for over 47,000 people each month.


 * Reason for the change: The Spring is a new fundraising model that should be noted in Fundraising.
 * References supporting change: See above.


 * Specific text to be added or removed: Under Fundraising, title: charity: ball, replace, “In 2015, it held its first black tie gala, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Temple of Dendur. At the 2017 gala, organizers visited Ethiopia to take photos of children that could be matched with gala attendees.[12]” with "In 2020, charity: water hosted a virtual event for members of The Well, raising $4,328,679, which was invested in water projects.
 * Reason for the change: Previous information was outdated. 2020 is our most recent.
 * References supporting change: ADD URL AT LEAST


 * Specific text to be added or removed: Add new section under Fundraising titled COVID-19 Relief Fund. Copy: "In 2020, charity: water created a COVID-19 Relief Fund. The goal of the fund was to equip the organization’s local partners to expand their work and distribute necessary resources throughout the pandemic. A total of $913,847 was raised."
 * Reason for the change: The COVID-19 Relief Fund is a new addition to our fundraising.
 * References supporting change: See above.


 * Specific text to be added or removed: Add new section under Fundraising titled Bitcoin Water Trust. Copy: "The Bitcoin Water Trust is a cryptocurrency fund that will accept and hold bitcoin donations to charity: water until at least January 1, 2025. After January 1, 2025, the organization says they will use commercially reasonable best efforts to keep bitcoin as bitcoin before converting to fiat currency. The donations will be used to fund clean water projects around the world."
 * Reason for the change: The Bitcoin Water Trust is a new addition to our fundraising.
 * References supporting change: See above.


 * Specific text to be added or removed: Remove Ride for Water section.
 * Reason for the change: The information is outdated and the fundraising initiatives listed above reflect our current efforts.

Andiriggs (talk) 18:54, 14 October 2021 (UTC)


 * Few, if any, of these edits should be accepted. While in some cases self-published sources are acceptable, that's not the case here, as nearly all of them reference the organization's own, unreliable and self-promoting publications. This page should not mimic charity:water's website. Bangabandhu (talk) 21:35, 14 October 2021 (UTC)
 * Request has been declined, per above comment. Heartmusic678 (talk) 15:55, 15 December 2021 (UTC)