How we raise and spend money
How we raise money
1. How much income does WaterAid America raise in a year?
2. Where does the money come from?
3. Does WaterAid receive money from the Government?
How we spend money
4. How much of my donation goes to the cause?
5. How do you ensure my money is spent properly overseas?
6. Where is my money being spent?
7. How can a gift of $30 make a difference?
8. How many paid staff do you have? Do people volunteer for you?
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, contributions to WaterAid America grew from $1.3 million in 2004-05 (our first year of work in the US) to $4.9 million in 2008-09. We hope to continue to grow in the years ahead so as to make an increased contribution to WaterAid’s global agenda.
To find out more, please see our latest Annual Report and financial summary.Contributions come from a variety of sources, including individual donors, private foundations, corporations and corporate foundations, and community-based organizations such as schools, churches and faith-based organizations, student associations, and civic clubs.
To find out more, please see our latest Annual Report and financial summary.WaterAid receives money from a wide range of funders, including governments, to help address the vital need for safe water and sanitation around the world. In 2008/09 WaterAid in the UK received funding from the British Department for International Development, US AID, the European Commission and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs among others.
WaterAid aims to put as much of your contribution as possible to work helping people in need. WaterAid America works hard to keep our overhead as low as possible and generate a strong return on investments made in marketing and fundraising.
Of
every $1 WaterAid America spent in 2008/09, 79% went to programs and
only 9% was spent on fundraising and 1% on management and general.
Globally, WaterAid invested over $53 million in programs and services
that benefit people in need of safe water, sanitation, and improved hygiene in 2008/09, of which WaterAid America contributed just over
$2.1 million.
The money spent on management, fundraising and marketing is an essential investment to guarantee that we can secure funding for our vital work in the future and that we have the necessary planning and project management systems in place to ensure we are efficiently run in an accountable manner.
We have a rigorous system of monitoring to support our country offices and partners implementing our project work. Financial reports are sent to our head office monthly and these are checked by the Finance department. We also have dedicated Partner Monitoring Finance Officers in most countries who review the finances of the partner organizations, and all our offices have well qualified and trained finance staff.
In addition, we have an internal audit function which carries out comprehensive reviews of the country programs and reports their findings to the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees. Each country program also has an annual external audit conducted by an independent certified accounting firm.
In general, individual contributions will be spent wherever the need is greatest in our country programs in Africa and Asia, or to carry out vital research, advocacy, communications and support functions.
Our country programs are in Angola, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Kenya,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia in Africa; and Bangladesh, India,
Nepal and Pakistan in Asia.
WaterAid Australia manages programs in Laos, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea in the Pacific region, that are funded entirely by donations to WaterAid Australia.
Over the next five years, we will gradually
expand operations to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and
the Pacific region, as well as investigating the potential to work in
Central America. We aim to be working in 30 developing
countries by 2015, as well as supporting networks in many more.
Find out more about the countries where we work.Because our projects use technologies that are appropriate and affordable for people living in some of the world's poorest countries a small amount really can make a difference to our work. For example, just $30 is enough to help one person gain access to safe water and sanitation and learn about improved hygiene.
While some of our projects are supported by large grants, WaterAid depends upon many people giving small amounts of money, which together can enable whole communities to gain access to these basic needs, help to build the capacities of local organizations to carry out this work or influence governments on their water and sanitation policies.
Non-profit organizations have a serious obligation to manage operations effectively and need to have professional, paid staff to fulfill this. At the same time, volunteers are crucial to our work.
In 2008/09 585 staff were employed by WaterAid’s country programs. WaterAid employs six people in the US; five in New York and one in Washington, DC. WaterAid also employs staff in Australia, Sweden and the UK, who undertake a variety of management, policy, fundraising and support functions.
We are also supported by volunteers. Our volunteers are a valued part of the organization, with many having worked with us for years.
In the countries where we work staff roles vary from managing our country programs to project staff working on community projects. In addition they work with many partner organizations which carry out the day to day project work on the ground.
We see this as an important long-term investment to strengthen water and sanitation organizations that, in turn, will develop their country's policies and infrastructure to help realize our vision of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation.