I remember making a stretch-gift to a children’s organization back in… oh, let’s see… was it 2007?
 
I can still picture the event: where I sat, what we ate, who I met… I remember pushing myself to give more, because their work was so compelling to me personally. But I wonder now where my gift went? Where is it now?

I like the organization—I still support them—but I honestly don’t feel crystal clear about where my 2007 gift went, or what impact it really made (beyond reducing somebody’s budget gap). It would sure be nice to be able to go somewhere, log in, and see what difference my gift is continuing to make four years later.
 
The most important things I’ve learned about fundraising, I’ve learned as a donor. As a donor, I part with my money because I want to make a difference on something I deeply believe in. I don’t just give money away because I can’t think of anything else to do with it! So I like standout organizations that help me follow my gift, through time, allowing me to see the plant that grew up from the seed that I gave.
 
When we designed our new website for a child's right, the team thought first and foremost about how we could keep our friends and supporters in touch with their own impact over time. We don’t think of donations as “cash” or “one-time” or even a “transaction.” We believe donations are gifts—investments of good intention—and are to be treated with respect for their dignity and purpose.
 
Just last weekend I received an unexpected gift: I got to see my old “brother” Arturo, a former exchange student from Mexico, who lived with my family when we were in high school—over 25 years ago. We laughed and reminisced as we brought our new families together for a wonderful meal. At the end of the dinner, Arturo presented me with a thoughtful gift: a warm pullover jacket from his home in Guadalajara. I like it a lot. I can hardly wait for the right weather to wear it—not so much because it will be warm and cozy (which it will), but because it will carry for me good memories, strong feelings, and friendship across time and borders.
 
Arturo’s gift is something I will cherish for years to come. In like manner, gifts to a child's right are something we will continue to honor, to remember, and to uphold. We would like every donor to be able to follow their gift—as it makes an impact in the world, and also inside their selves. In short, we don’t want you to give your money away; we want you to put your money to work and be able to watch its impact grow.
 
Peter Drury
Director of Development
October 19, 2011
 
See one example of a gift made in 2007 and how it was stewarded over time…

In 2003, I committed myself to clean water for kids – to make it safe for drinking.  I saw the need initially in China, but my view quickly expanded to include South and SE Asia, as well as certain countries in Africa. To this day, my focus continues to be upon children, in institutional settings, in urban areas, children who do not have reliably safe water within reach.  And I continue to believe that every child has a right to clean water.
 
I am proud to say, today, that I am surrounded by a remarkable team who is assuring safe drinking water for well over 200,000 children – and that number is changing all the time.  Thanks to lots of smart, dedicated people, as well as remarkably generous philanthropy, we are on the path to serving over one million children, in sixteen countries, all the while modeling what is possible for those who would like to learn.
 
I am writing today to celebrate the rollout of our new website.  I hope you will find it to be functional, helpful, accurate, beautiful, educational, and inspiring.  I also hope you will find it to be share-able!  It is my greatest hope that you will find, here, a call both to action and to community.  We are looking for friends – more and more, all the time – who can help us assure clean water for children in orphanages, schools, children’s hospitals, rescue homes and shelters.
 
Much more than a marketing and community-building presence, this website will house a platform for accountability and transparency unlike anything I have ever seen before. Indeed, professional peers in children’s services, global health, water relief and fundraising have said clearly: We have never seen anything like this before!
 
The platform of which I speak is called ProvingIt, and I expect it to go live on October 17^th.  When it does, you will have at your finger tips exactly what I have at mine:  a way to monitor the work of a child's right, on the ground, including both successes and failures, both challenges and opportunities.  Developed initially for our own quality assurance and project management purposes, we decided to make this an open database – rather than a private one – so you can hold us accountable for everything we promise to do.
 
There is a great deal to discover on this site – stories from the field, discussions of our strategy in each country, this new blog, photos and videos, just to name a few – and I would ask you to take time to look it over.  Then come back.  We would love to have you spend enough time on our website that you will be able to advise us on content that would make it more useful and engaging for you and your friends.
 
There is a lot of talk about our innovation in durable water solutions, as well as the new ProvingIt platform, but there is a third area I would like to shine a light on:  our culture.  The a child's right culture is one of honesty, rigor, teamwork, happiness, play, strategy, accountability, balance, respect and grace.  It is not enough for us to simply do our work.  Neither is it enough to simply do our work well.  We will do our work with excellence and fun – for the kids and for us – and we will endeavor to be brutally honest at all times.  As I say to our team members in the field, when they travel to schools, orphanages and hospitals to do the work of a child’s right: “Never have a forgettable experience!”  They shall conduct their work in such a way that, when they return later, they are greeted with smiles and joy.  We do this work specifically for children, and children deserve far more from us than expertise.  They deserve love, dignity, humor and encouragement to strive for the very best.
 
Will you please let me know what you think of our new website?  The comment box below is waiting for you. We will read every comment, and we would love to know how we can be of increasingly excellent service.
 
Thank you for accompanying a child's right on our journey thus far.  We have a tremendous road ahead, and we would love for you to join us!
 
Eric Stowe
Founder & Executive Director
October 3, 2011