When we started charity: water, we made a bold promise to the general public — 100% of their donations would go directly to the field to fund water projects. We'd find another way to cover our operating expenses. And we'd even reimburse credit card fees when donations were made online.

We depend on private donors, foundations and sponsors to cover everything from staff salaries to basic office systems to office rent and supplies. These donors are some of our most dedicated: their investment fuels our long-term mission, our ability to scale as an organization and our mission to continue using 100% of public donations for water projects.

Get an in-depth look at our financials in the 2010 Annual Report.

Our Angel Investors are donors who recognize the impact of a major gift to our operations. Like any startup business, we need investors to believe and invest in our business model. But we can't offer stock options or the promise of a big buyout; instead, our investors' ROI is measured in people served with access to clean water and basic sanitation.

Our largest operations gifts have come from entrepreneur and family man Michael Birch. In 2009, he not only generously donated $1 million in operations funding; he also promised to match funds raised at our annual gala -- again for operations. To date, Michael and his wife Xochi have invested more than $3 million towards charity: water's infrastructure. We're grateful for their belief in our work.

Our goal for the 100% program model is ambitious. To support our growth, we bring together a like-minded community of business people and philanthropists to fund our operating budget on a regular basis. The Well is a membership program where donors give a set amount to our operating costs each year. Their support paves the way for us to continue doing what many said was impossible: scale the organization using our 100% model and give clean water to every single person on the planet.