My Nonprofit Reviews
mjuliekim
Review for Global Water, Oxnard, CA, USA
I joined Global Water (GW) as a board member in 2007. I've spent a great deal of time researching for the right NGO to join and GW thus far has met all my expectations. Among others, GW has an executive director who has the right vision, can inspire others, is committed, and is well-versed in water issues, both technical and social. Because GW is largely a volunteer-based organization, there is very little operating overhead; most of the funds raised by GW goes directly to GW's water projects and to the people in the poor rural communities we are trying to help. GW puts a great deal of emphasis on self-reliance and sustainability by making the local communities an integral part of the water projects. The local people help us build all our water systems thereby providing 3 benefits: (1) they own the project from the start, (2) there is a formal on-the-job training and knowledge transfer, and (3) they help to reduce our costs. Given its history and geographic coverage, GW also has a tremendous depth and breadth in terms of its practical hands-on knowledge in running water projects around the world that are cost-effective. With this knowledge, GW has also established a global outreach program through the technology push program where we made available on our website simple step-by-step "how to" guidelines in building water systems. There are many more exemparies but these are a few that tell a compelling story on how effective GW has been and is. I have been honored to serve as a board member of GW and hope to provide continued support in the future.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
My personal experience has been working directly with the executive director in strategizing how to raise funds throught corporate sponsors. In addition, I represented GW as a keynote speaker at a global conference held in Indonesia in 2008 where critical water issues in Asia were discussed. The conference was sponsored by Konrad Adenauer Foundation, one of the largest non-profit institutions in Germany.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
To enhance GW's own sustainability, it would need to move from a largely volunteer-based organization to having a core group of part- and full-time staff. GW is continuing to increase its funding base so that this can happen.
Will you volunteer or donate to this organization beyond what is required of board members?
Definitely
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you tell others about this organization?
Definitely
How did you learn about this organization?
Extensive web search over 3-4 month period.
What is this organization's top short-term priority?
Continued fundraising so that GW's project base can be expanded.
What is its top priority in the long run?
Technology push program to expand GW's outreach without having to be on the ground. Also, to expand its geographic coverage to Asia and Africa.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
