The case discusses the work of charity: water (CW), a non-profit organization providing clean water to those lacking access to it. CW, which operated in 26 countries including several transition and conflict societies in the developing world, provided safe water by implementing diverse types of water projects, including wells. It focused on the raising of finances and collaborated with local organizations which executed the projects. This collaboration extended to taking inputs from the respective community members and partnering with the local and regional governments.

The case highlights the three tenets to which CW adhered. The first tenet was that 100 percent of the public donations would be deployed in the execution of water projects. This routing of all public donations to the field was enabled by a group of wealthy individuals and families whose donations financed the organization’s overheads and salaries. The second tenet was that CW provided proof to each donor of how the donated amount was spent – the proof was in the form of photos and GPS coordinates on Google Maps of the water projects. The third tenet was that the organization employed technology-enabled storytelling to raise its profile and build its brand. It also innovatively engaged with its donors online, the result being that 70 percent of its donations were generated online.

The case goes on to describe how CW ensured the sustainability of its interventions by developing and deploying sensors in the water projects. These sensors, which monitored the real-time flow of water, enabled the organization to foresee any breakdowns and send its technical crew to carry out repair works. The case discusses the impact of CW’s initiatives. The organization’s efforts provided over 8.4 million people in Africa, Latin America, and Asia access to safe and clean water. The provision of this essential service, besides improving the health of the beneficiaries, enabled them to focus on building their future.

The case goes on to discuss the potential challenges faced by CW. Critics felt that other charitable organizations could emulate its innovative practices in online engagement and compete effectively for the same donations. Some key challenges before the organization were how to sustain the interest of its donors and raise the kind of mammoth resources required to reach out to every person in need of clean water.

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Issues

The case is structured to achieve the following teaching objectives:

	Understand how collaboration helped CW in tackling the problem of safe water in transition and conflict countries in the developing world.
	Understand the principles that enabled CW to raise the huge amount of resources required to carry out its work.
	Understand how the key concerns of the donors can be addressed and the donors kept engaged over time.
	Understand how international development interventions can be made sustainable.
	Understand how technology can be effectively deployed by development organizations to raise resources.

Contents

CHALLENGING THE STEREOTYPES

IMPACT

CHINKS IN CHARITY: WATER’S ARMOR?

EXHIBITS

Keywords

Operations management, Supply chain management, Enterprise resource planning, Economic order quantity, Forecasting, Inventory planning, Inventory management, International business, Entry and exit strategies, International business environment, Localization

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