Dollars to Projects

A t charity: water, we believe that bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in need can change their lives - and we believe it can change yours, too. Since day one, we’ve been dreaming up ways to connect you with the people you’re helping. Now, we’re taking it a step further.

Welcome to Dollars to Projects -- a mycharity: water feature that tracks every dollar raised, showing you the water projects you helped fund for people in need.

Here's how Dollars to Projects works:

Step_1 1

YOU FUNDRAISE OR DONATE ON MYCHARITY: WATER.

You learn 663 million people on the planet live without clean drinking water and you decide to do something about it. You give up your birthday gifts or sell lemonade to fundraise for water projects. Or, you donate to a friend’s campaign.

Step_2 2

We send 100% of your money to the field.

When the campaign closes, we pool your funds with the rest of the money raised on mycharity: water in that time period. We've worked with our partners to pick where and how it will be used on the ground, and send 100% of it to the field so the work can begin.

Step_3 3

When the projects are complete, we prove it.

In the next 21 months, our partners buy supplies and work with communities to implement the projects. When they're complete, our partners send us the photos and GPS for each project so we can show you the exact community that each of your dollars helped.

A BREAKDOWN OF HOW IT WORKS

You Fundraise or Donate.

Maybe you give up your birthday, wedding or holiday gifts, and ask for donations instead. Maybe you hold a bake sale or race in a marathon to fundraise for clean water. Or you pull out your wallet and donate to a friend’s campaign. Either way, when your campaign (or the one you donated to) closes, we use 100% of the money raised on mycharity: water to directly fund water projects.

Just a few ways people have raised money for clean water:
Giving up birthday gifts
Hosting a dance party
Running a marathon
Having a bake sale at school
Organizing a carwash
Selling lemonade on your block

We send your money to the field.

We work closely with our local partners to assess which communities have the greatest need. Then, we pool your funds with other money raised on mycharity: water in that time period and send 100% of it to our partners on the ground.

Your money is combined with other fundraisers, and sent to the field.
HAND-DUG WELLS

Skilled laborers dig up to 15 meters by hand to reach water underground.

SPRING PROTECTIONS

A system captures and safely stores pure water from a natural spring.

BIOSAND FILTERS

Layers of sand and microbacterial film inside remove contaminants.

DRILLED WELLS

A professional team drills deep into the earth to reach fresh underground aquifers.

RAINWATER CATCHMENTS

Gutters on rooftops direct the flow of rainfall into a sanitary holding tank.

REHABILITATIONS

A team repairs broken or abandoned projects to restore clean water to a community.

See how a well is drilled

Our partners start the work.

We select the water technology. We fund a variety of different water solutions depending on the region’s water availability, culture, and economic conditions. For instance, in areas where ground water can't be found, rainwater harvesting systems or BioSand filters are used. Our partners survey each site and determine the best solution.

The work starts at the village-level. The community elects a Water Committee to oversee the project; they're trained on how to manage and maintain it. Then, the whole community contributes time and labor to the construction.

Our partners adjust and roll with the punches to build projects. The water field is a complicated business with risks both within and outside of our control -- and this is where our partners’ expertise pays off. When wells go dry; they pick a new site. When storms wash out roads; they find another route to get there. They do whatever it takes to build the water project you funded.

In 21 months, a lot of things can happen. Our partners adjust to the best of their ability so they can finish and report back on your project within that time span.

Our partners collect GPS + photos + data.

When the water project has been completed, our partners send their field teams out -- by motorbike, truck or on foot -- to gather the final GPS and photos of each community. We work in hard-to-reach areas, so getting to every project can take some time. When all the data is gathered, our partners send us a final report.

Photos
Computer

We assign your Dollars to Projects.

Our partners provide us with all the data from these projects -- the kind of water technology used, the population served, the cost per project, the GPS coordinates and photos. We verify it’s correct and enter it in our system. Then, we use a custom-built Assignment Tool to match the money you raised with the projects you helped fund.

Computer_money

You get a report of the project you helped fund.

We create your Project Detail Report, which shows GPS coordinates, photos and other details about the community you helped. Then, we publish it on your My Projects page. This page is public, so you can easily share it with all your friends.

See an example of a completion report
But the best part of it all... your money does this:
End_result

We wanted to make the mycharity: water experience exciting and real -- something we ourselves would want to be a part of.

I t started in 2006 with a couple of people passionate about solving the water crisis, working long hours to start a charity that would be different. Transparent. A charity that would use 100% of the money raised to fund clean water solutions and prove each project, showing you the impact your generosity could make around the world.

In 2009, we launched mycharity: water with a vision to transform the experience of giving. We wanted to make it exciting and real -- something we ourselves would want to be a part of. Thanks to you, it worked. In just the first two years, you raised over $8.6 million through your inspiring and creative fundraising campaigns.
You embraced our mission and changed lives with your generosity and sacrifice.

Then, we raised the bar again. Dollars to Projects connects you with the actual communities you’ve helped, so you can see the lives you’ve changed. We’ll continue fighting to bring clean and safe drinking water to every single person on the planet, and continue to find new ways to bring you even closer to the people you’re helping.

-- The charity: water team