Charity: Water

The information on this page was last updated 3/15/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]


Summary

We're working every day to reinvent charity while bringing clean drinking water to the 785 million people living without. We believe that sustainable work is locally-led. Along with implementing community-owned water projects, our local partners help facilitate comprehensive water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programming to protect everyone's long-term health.


Contact information

Mailing address:
Charity: Water
40 Worth Street
Suite 829
New York, NY 10013

Website: charitywater.org

Phone: 646-688-2323

Email: [email protected]


Organization details

EIN: 223936753

CEO/President: Scott Harrison

Chairman: Michael Wilkerson

Board size: 12

Founder: Scott Harrison

Ruling year: 2007

Tax deductible: Yes

Fiscal year end: 12/31

Member of ECFA: No

Member of ECFA since:


Purpose

785 million people live without clean water. That's nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide, or, twice the population of the United States without access to life's most basic human need. The majority live in isolated rural areas and spend hours every day walking to collect water for their family. Not only does walking for water keep kids out of school and take up time that parents could be using to earn money, but the water often carries diseases that make them sick.

When a community gets access to clean water, it can change just about everything. It can improve health, increase access to food, grow local economies, and help kids spend more time in school.

The water crisis is huge, but it is solvable. We work with local experts and community members to find the best sustainable solution in each place where we work, whether it's a well, a piped system, a BioSand Filter, or a system for harvesting rainwater. And with every water point we fund, our partners coordinate sanitation and hygiene training and establish a local Water Committee to help keep water flowing for years to come.

We're on a mission to solve the water crisis and reinvent charity for a new generation.


Mission statement

Charity: Water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people around the world.


Statement of faith

Donor confidence score

Show donor confidence score details

Transparency grade

C

To understand our transparency grade, click here.


Financial efficiency ratings

Sector: Relief and Development

CategoryRatingOverall rankSector rank
Overall efficiency rating878 of 103163 of 83
Fund acquisition rating796 of 103266 of 83
Resource allocation rating635 of 103250 of 83
Asset utilization rating792 of 103160 of 83

Financial ratios

Funding ratiosSector median20212020201920182017
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts =
Fundraising expense /
Total contributions
6%10%12%10%11%10%
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total revenue
5%10%11%9%11%10%
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance =
Total contributions /
Total revenue
99%99%97%99%99%99%
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total expenses
6%10%17%11%13%10%
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance =
Total other revenue /
Total revenue
1%1%3%1%1%1%
 
Operating ratiosSector median20212020201920182017
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio =
Program services /
Total expenses
85%84%74%81%79%81%
Spending ratio Spending ratio =
Total expenses /
Total revenue
93%97%68%83%85%97%
Program output ratio Program output ratio =
Program services /
Total revenue
79%82%50%67%67%78%
Savings ratio Savings ratio =
Surplus (deficit) /
Total revenue
7%3%32%17%15%3%
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate =
Surplus (deficit) /
Net assets
19%3%33%25%25%5%
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio =
Management and general expense /
Total expenses
6%6%9%8%8%9%
 
Investing ratiosSector median20212020201920182017
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total assets
1.490.570.460.640.680.71
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment =
Total assets /
Total current assets
1.241.001.001.011.021.03
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total current assets
2.040.570.460.640.690.73
 
Liquidity ratiosSector median20212020201920182017
Current ratio Current ratio =
Total current assets /
Total current liabilities
10.592.192.952.141.981.93
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio =
Total current liabilities /
Total current assets
0.090.460.340.470.500.52
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level =
(Total current assets -
Total current liabilities) /
(Total expenses / 12)
4.7611.4217.299.948.667.88
 
Solvency ratiosSector median20212020201920182017
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio =
Total liabilities /
Total assets
11%46%34%47%50%51%
Debt ratio Debt ratio =
Debt /
Total assets
0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio =
Net assets /
Total expenses
62%95%144%83%74%69%

Financials

Balance sheet
 
Assets20212020201920182017
Cash$64,186,913$64,436,719$45,244,250$37,351,410$32,280,376
Receivables, inventories, prepaids$43,119,280$42,782,161$38,569,348$20,600,547$13,953,505
Short-term investments$65,548,292$29,814,751$31,935,447$28,344,406$20,100,324
Other current assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total current assets$172,854,485$137,033,631$115,749,045$86,296,363$66,334,205
Long-term investments$0$0$0$0$0
Fixed assets$99,193$177,732$503,500$1,198,812$1,851,168
Other long-term assets$102,343$87,797$89,935$123,786$126,894
Total long-term assets$201,536$265,529$593,435$1,322,598$1,978,062
Total assets$173,056,021$137,299,160$116,342,480$87,618,961$68,312,267
 
Liabilities20212020201920182017
Payables and accrued expenses$78,840,800$46,441,447$54,058,603$43,521,636$34,350,366
Other current liabilities$0$0$0$0$0
Total current liabilities$78,840,800$46,441,447$54,058,603$43,521,636$34,350,366
Debt$0$0$0$0$0
Due to (from) affiliates$0$0$0$0$0
Other long-term liabilities$0$16,487$121,407$352,916$562,144
Total long-term liabilities$0$16,487$121,407$352,916$562,144
Total liabilities$78,840,800$46,457,934$54,180,010$43,874,552$34,912,510
 
Net assets20212020201920182017
Without donor restrictions$30,214,719$26,382,936$15,849,328$15,505,607$13,383,213
With donor restrictions$64,000,502$64,458,290$46,313,142$28,238,802$20,013,544
Net assets$94,215,221$90,841,226$62,162,470$43,744,409$33,399,757
 
Revenues and expenses
 
Revenue20212020201920182017
Total contributions$100,523,267$90,196,522$88,948,068$69,223,898$49,827,030
Program service revenue$0$0$0$0$0
Membership dues$0$0$0$0$0
Investment income$1,525,306$2,393,248$1,896,325$1,108,991$813,882
Other revenue($437,434)$268,945($712,921)($242,228)($256,617)
Total other revenue$1,087,872$2,662,193$1,183,404$866,763$557,265
Total revenue$101,611,139$92,858,715$90,131,472$70,090,661$50,384,295
 
Expenses20212020201920182017
Program services$82,906,574$46,707,706$60,095,623$46,979,282$39,305,226
Management and general$6,078,851$5,659,035$5,870,729$4,537,738$4,519,095
Fundraising$9,806,518$10,524,576$8,534,442$7,748,373$4,861,057
Total expenses$98,791,943$62,891,317$74,500,794$59,265,393$48,685,378
 
Change in net assets20212020201920182017
Surplus (deficit)$2,819,196$29,967,398$15,630,678$10,825,268$1,698,917
Other changes in net assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total change in net assets$2,819,196$29,967,398$15,630,678$10,825,268$1,698,917

Compensation

NameTitleCompensation
Scott HarrisonFounder/CEO$423,750
Christoph GorderChief Global Water Officer$288,042
Lauren LettaChief Operating Officer$287,924
Jason KeramidasCHIEF PRODUCT OFCR(END 11/19)$241,734
Brian HoyerVP of Program Operations$161,884
Jasdeep GosalPrincipal Engineer$161,037
Christine ChoeDIR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS$153,140
Ann KaneDirector of Program Finance$151,720
William BellDir of Finance (END 11/19)$148,846
Christopher BartonSecretary/Gen Counsel$118,253
Michael GumbleyTREASURER/CFO (end 6/19)$107,280
Aditi DeegCFO(AS OF 9/19)$75,062

Compensation data as of: 12/31/2019


Response from ministry

No response has been provided by this ministry.


The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 3/15/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]


History

After a decade of indulging his darkest vices as a nightclub promoter, Scott declared spiritual, moral, and emotional bankruptcy. He spent two years on a hospital ship off the coast of Liberia, saw the effects of dirty water firsthand, and came back to New York City on a mission.

Upon returning to NYC in 2006, having seen the effects of dirty water firsthand, Scott turned his full attention to the global water crisis and the (then) 1.1 billion people living without access to clean water.

He established a small core team in a tiny Manhattan apartment and created charity: water.

The organization set out on a big mission, to bring clean water to every person living without it, and an even bigger vision, to reinvent charity with an innovative 100% model and radical transparency, proving every single water project funded.


Program accomplishments

120,784 water projects funded
16,835,671 people will be served
29 countries


Needs

For $40, you can bring one person clean water. Join our monthly giving community The Spring, and give the gift of clean water all year round.