Mission
Water.org is a global non-profit organization that empowers people with access to safe water and sanitation. We do this by helping people access small, affordable loans that enable them to install household water connections and toilets. When given an opportunity to pay for water and sanitation improvements with loans, families opt to finance long-term solutions versus struggle day-to-day to find the next liter of water. Water.org has helped change the lives of millions of people with access to safe water and sanitation in 17 countries around the world, giving families hope, health and the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.
Ruling year
1993
Principal Officer
Gary White
Main address
117 W 20th St Ste 203
Kansas City, MO 64108 USA
Formerly known as
WaterPartners International
EIN
58-2060131
NTEE code
International Development, Relief Services (Q30)
Public Health Program (E70)
Economic Development (S30)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Today, 771 million people - one in ten - lack access to clean water and 1.7 billion people - one in four - lack access to improved sanitation. Women and girls are often responsible for collecting water for their family. This is time not spent earning income, caring for family members, or attending school. Nearly one million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene related diseases, and every 2 minutes a child dies from a water-related disease. Water.org has solutions to change this. We empower people by helping them access small, affordable loans that enable them to install household water connections and toilets. When a family can afford a small loan to purchase their own water and sanitation resources, they are empowered to solve their water crisis.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
WaterCredit -- Small loans, big impact
One of the major barriers to safe water and sanitation is access to affordable financing. Water.org addresses this barrier head-on by helping bring small, easily repayable loans and expert resources to make household water and toilet solutions a reality. As each loan is repaid it creates a new opportunity for another family. This is a pay-it-forward system that makes it possible to help more people in ways that will last.
We are currently working in Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Tanzania and Uganda.
To learn more about this proven and powerful solution, visit https://water.org/solutions/watercredit/
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of people reached with access to safe water or sanitation
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This number represents the total number of people reached to date with improved access to safe water or sanitation.
Total dollar amount of loans issued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
WaterCredit -- Small loans, big impact
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This number represents the total capital to date mobilized for water or sanitation loans.
Number of loans issued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
WaterCredit -- Small loans, big impact
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This number represents the total number of loans disbursed to date by Water.org's partners for water or sanitation solutions.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our vision is safe water and sanitation for all. We believe water is the way to break the cycle of poverty, to protect and save lives and to make a bright future possible for all.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
One of the major barriers to safe water and sanitation is access to affordable financing. We address this barrier head-on by partnering with carefully selected financial institutions in the countries we work to provide affordable water and sanitation loans to families in need. Families use these small, affordable loans to install a tap or toilet in their homes and get access to local resources to do the work.
When given an opportunity to pay for water and sanitation improvements with loans, families opt to finance long-term solutions versus struggle day-to-day to find that next liter of water. 88% of borrowers are women – those most impacted by the water crisis – and the loan repayment rate averages 99%. The most encouraging aspect of this repayment rate is that every repaid loan can empower another family with safe water.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
For millions around the world, access to funds stands between them and safe water or sanitation in their home. We offer a portfolio of smart solutions that break down the financial barriers between people living in poverty and access to safe water and sanitation.
Through years of experience, we found that millions of people were paying high prices for water from vendors or collecting water from unsafe natural sources. Both options cost families in time, money, opportunities and health.
For millions of people, financing makes sense. Small, affordable loans offer families the ability to purchase long-term safe water and sanitation solutions that solve their immediate need and over time will cost less than continuing to pay for temporary fixes.
Water.org believes that access to capital is the most important barrier to overcome in order to solve the global water crisis. We have broadened our efforts and joined forces with others to increase financing for water and sanitation, helping reach more people in need.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As of February 2022, Water.org has reached more than 43 million people with water and sanitation and mobilized more than $3.5 billion in capital for water and sanitation loans.
Our solution is proven and powerful, and we are reaching more people faster and at a lower cost. A few years ago we were able to reach one million people in a year. Now we can reach a million people in a matter of months.
Water.org seeks to do more, faster, and in partnership with others to make finance affordable and accessible to those living in poverty, spurring system change at all levels — local, national, and global.
We will continue to break down the barriers between people and access to water and sanitation and work toward the day when everyone in the world has safe and sanitation at home.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
We serve people living in poverty who lack access to safe water and sanitation across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Millions of people who live in the countries where we work live on less than $6 a day. Our solutions resonate with people living in poverty who cannot pay for the water & sanitation facilities or services upfront, or who often cannot access the funds at an affordable rate, but have enough income potential to take out a water or sanitation loan.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person),
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Water.org works with independent third-party firms to survey people with recent water and/or sanitation connections. The surveys collect feedback regarding clients’ satisfaction with the loan process and validate that the loan resulted in functional water or sanitation connections. In Indonesia, feedback from households indicated a need for larger loan amounts to cover the full cost of the preferred water/sanitation improvements. Water.org presented the feedback to one of our financial partners in Indonesia, who then increased the maximum loan amount from 6,000,000 IDR (approximately 390 USD) to 7,000,000 IDR (approximately 450 USD). Water.org continues to work to increase the amount of capital available to our local partners.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
We believe in the power and autonomy of the people we empower. They know the specific needs of their own homes and communities and what will work. Asking for feedback through household market surveys has indicated that people living in poverty are willing to take out and repay loans for water and sanitation improvements. They are also able to decide which water or sanitation improvement is best for their family, which shifts decision making from the nonprofit to the people we serve. This shift in decision making is particularly felt by women, who are most impacted by the water and sanitation crisis and who make up 88% of our program borrowers.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Water.org
Board of directorsas of 10/25/2022
Hilary Schneider
Lynn Taliento
McKinsey
Gary White
Water.org
Keith Quinn
Black Lamp Inc.
Larry Tanz
Netflix
Terry Trayvick
Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund
Jodi Kahn
Hilary Schneider
Shutterfly
Adam Schechter
Labcorp
Andy Sareyan
Andrews McMeel Universal
Cortney Erin
Microsoft
Anil Arora
Tony Stayner
Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund
Jack Leslie
Weber Shandwick
Chris Torto
Ascenty
Guru Gowrappan
Bali Venture Partners, LLC
Julie Flynn
Flynn Family Foundation
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/17/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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