Water Charity

Water Charity is a non-profit organization that does high-impact, low-cost "water & sanitation" projects around the world. They are focused on efficiency, and have no paid employees with an all-volunteer administration staff consisting of three individuals who donate all their time and energy.
Major works
Water Charity drills wells, repairs pumps, builds rainwater catchment systems, gives out water filters, and constructs latrines all over the world. The organization is completely focused on such projects, and doesn't even have a budget for promotions. They hold no galas, and all benefit events are organized privately by their donors. Water Charity doesn't even send out mailers or hand out flyers. In this way, they are able to put 100% of the money they raise into actual, tangible projects.
Significant projects and programs undertaken by Water Charity include a special program to help island nations like the Maldives and Tuvalu spread rainwater catchment to their populations to avoid the kind of emergency shortages we saw in both nations in 2011.
Water Charity has a new program called Filters Save Lives whereby they are giving away thousands of 100 nm, 10 year filters capable of producing 500 gallons of clean water a day.
Since their inception, Water Charity has often been among the very first philanthropic group to respond to emergencies and catastrophes, generally having filters available within a couple days. Even in the extreme situation of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, they sent volunteers from neighboring Dominican Republic across the border with buckets and bleach to try and minimize the ensuing rash of water-bourne illnesses that swept the country.
Appropriate Projects initiative
Water Charity implements the Appropriate Projects initiative for immediate projects of an extremely low cost, which are pre-funded out-of-pocket and overseen by volunteers of the United States Peace Corps. Returned Peace Corp volunteers are also eligible to run projects.
These projects cost $555 or less, and yet are able to drill wells, install rainwater catchment systems, build latrines, run water to schoolhouses and more. This is often less than other charities spend writing a proposal. All projects are completed in less than a month.
Once a project has been funded and is underway, people can browse through the projects online and "adopt" (in full or in part) any that they find to their liking. All money donated this way goes directly to the project in question with not a single cent diverted towards promotion or the organization. There are always hundreds of projects in dozens of countries up on their website for direct funding with 1 or 2 new projects started every day.

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