It’s the fourth day of my 12 Days of Charitable Giving. Readers have suggested deserving charities over the past few weeks, and I’ll be posting one a day for – well, 12 days (I’m clever that way). Today’s charity is the charity: water.
Charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people who do not have access. Currently, 663 million people still live without clean water in developing countries around the world. Many walk 2-4 hours a day to swamps and rivers to gather dirty water for their families. For people in developing countries, clean water can change everything.
Here are some ways that water can make a difference:
- Access to clean water promotes handwashing. Washing your hands is the best way to prevent water-related diseases.
- 80% of diseases in developing countries are waterborne and preventable with clean water and improved sanitation.
- Millions of kids spend their days collecting water for their families or home sick with a water-related illness instead of going to school.
- Women are twice as likely to walk for water. Water projects nearby can save time, and give women freedom and opportunity.
- Self-sufficient families can use water sources nearby to cook safely, clean their eating utensils and water their own gardens.
- Every $1 invested in improved water access and sanitation yields $4-12 in economic returns, depending on the region and type of project.
Charity: water invests the money they raise into organizations with years of experience to build sustainable, community-owned water projects around the world. You can read about some of the specific projects that charity: water has tackled here.
So how can you help?
To make a one-time or monthly donation by credit card or Paypal, you can click over to the website.
Donations may also be sent by mail. Checks should be made payable to charity: water and mailed to:
charity: water
40 Worth Street, Suite 330
New York, NY 10013
EIN: 22-3936753
You can also help fundraise for the organization. One popular way to raise money is to host a birthday campaign. It’s easy: instead of gifts, ask for donations for the organization. All-stars who have participated include Matt Hasselbeck, Brooke Hammerling, Gelila Bekele, Charlie Ebersol, Tony Hawk, and Depeche Mode. So far, the birthday campaign has raised $9 million.
Charity: water also has a store where your purchases help raise money for the organization. 100% of the profits from the sale of store goods directly fund clean water projects and help the organization grow. Remember that you can’t get a tax deduction for shopping – that’s a personal expense, not a charitable deduction – but it’s a fun and easy way to help.
As always, you want to make sure that your donation is going to a qualified charitable organization. A search using the IRS’ Exempt Organizations Select Check reveals that charity: water is on the list. You won’t find it under charity: water (among other things, the IRS search tool doesn’t allow for punctuation) since that’s an a/k/a – the organization is listed as Charity Global Inc. on the IRS website. You can confirm by matching the EIN found on the determination letter which is prominently displayed on the company’s website alongside the financials.
To find out more about the work of the organization, check out their website, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter or Instagram, or add them on Snapchat. You can also subscribe to their YouTube channel.
I often suggest checking out third-party sites like Charity Navigator for more information about charitable organizations, including evaluations and access to tax forms and other financials. Charity Navigator gives charity: water a four-star rating. You can see Charity Navigator’s summary of charity: water’s financials and other info here.
Remember: submissions to the 12 Days of Charitable Giving are made by readers, and in most cases, I can’t personally vouch for the good work that these folks do. So be generous. But be smart. Do your homework.
For more on making charitable donations, check out this prior post.
