Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for choosing to help men, women, and children in need! Give today online or sign up to join our Thirst Quencher community of monthly givers. Your gift will save lives and transform communities. 

Thank you for your interest in giving your time and talent to serve with Water Mission! There are so many ways to volunteer, whether at our headquarters in Charleston, during disasters by joining our DART roster, at an event, or in your own community. Learn more and apply today!

We are on a mission to provide safe water and share the gospel, but we can’t do it alone. We’re looking for hard-working, purpose-driven people to join our team who:  

• Have a personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  
• Embody our values of love, excellence, and integrity.
• Are flexible, entrepreneurial, and collaborative.  
• Want to change the world as part of a best-in-class Christian engineering nonprofit.  

Please visit the Careers page to learn more about joining the team and explore current openings in the US and around the world.  

Thank you for your interest in partnering with us on a water project through one of Water Mission’s country offices. Please contact us at [email protected]. We look forward to your reply and continuing the discussion.  

At Water Mission, our Living Water program is strategically designed to:

• Equip church leaders with the sound biblical knowledge, skills, and mentorship they need to effectively proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and make life-long disciples.
• Empower the local church to help meet their community’s specific physical and spiritual needs.
• Support the local church to build up new disciples.
• Monitor program effectiveness by using data and adapting implementation strategies to address the unique challenges of each community.

Read more about the Living Water program and Water Mission's work to meet spiritual needs for real people around the world.

At Water Mission, we know that no one organization can solve the global water crisis on its own. Because of this, open-handed knowledge sharing and thought leadership are priorities for us. To catalyze this effort, we launched and now partner with Global Water Center to convene, train, and resource organizations and governments around strategies and standards for water projects.

Because Water Mission is committed to providing sustainable safe water solutions, we have done extensive analysis to understand the total life-cycle costs associated with providing safe water. Although the costs associated with setting up hardware (such as pumps and pipes) are important, other recurring costs are also considered. Water Mission’s cost calculations account for our holistic approach to providing sustainable, safe water solutions, including assessment, community mobilization, installation; safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) training; and monitoring and evaluation.

In addition, our Living Water program costs vary by country, while still ensuring that the gospel is integrated into everything we do. We empower the local church to develop a strategic plan, as they effectively proclaim the gospel while incorporating biblical perspectives when responding to community needs. Because our costs include all aspects of our holistic approach, including sharing the Living Water message of Jesus Christ, our costs are not easily compared to other nonprofits that focus solely on water. 

Because every place that Water Mission works is unique, each community is provided a safe water solution tailored to its unique circumstances. Our customized solutions vary in cost based on:

• Logistics, such as location and distance from our country office. Safe water solutions and providing Living Water activities for communities in the Peruvian Amazon can cost more than $100 per person, for example. The higher cost is because many of the communities have fewer than 500 people and require long, extended boat travel.
• Available water sources (e.g., existing wells versus the need to drill to find water), water quality, and distribution needs. In Malawi, for example, accessing water sources is often easier than elsewhere. This means we can provide safe water solutions for around $30 per person served.
• Economic factors globally and locally. Supply chain constraints and inflation can impact the cost to provide safe water and the Living Water message of Jesus Christ to one person. Water Mission regularly assesses these variable influences on cost and adjusts so that projects are done efficiently and with excellence.
• Community population, geography, and unique needs. Projects in rural communities incur higher costs because fewer people are spread across a larger geographical area. Fewer residents also means that it will take longer to save money for operating costs and maintenance, so the community may need support for a lengthier time than a large community with active central leadership. 

Water Mission builds best-in-class WASH solutions with the goal of investing in the future of a community rather than simply addressing immediate needs. In addition, through our Living Water program, we respond to the full needs of an individual, including their spiritual well-being. We are dedicated to maximizing investments by working to continually use cost-effective methods, while also providing financial accountability and transparency. We strive toward developing sustainable programs that will serve people for years to come. Charity Navigator has awarded Water Mission its top four-star rating for 18 years, a distinction shared by only 1% of charities rated by the organization.

Please visit our Press Kit for information, multimedia resources, and contact information for our Public Relations Director.

We aim to honor and serve the Lord by building safe water solutions according to our core values of love, excellence, and integrity. Water Mission is committed to serving everyone, regardless of faith, age, gender, or race. 

Water Mission is not affiliated with any political party. Our faith and belief in the sanctity of life compel us to serve others by developing and implementing projects that meet physical and spiritual needs. We aim to honor and glorify God through our work so that lives will be transformed for eternity. We approach our work with a sense of urgency and a commitment to excellence. We serve all people regardless of age, gender, race, or faith. To learn more about how our faith shapes the way we work, read our Statement of Faith.