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Over two billion people live in countries where water supply is inadequate, and according to Unicef, roughly 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030. Looking at the data behind the global water scarcity issues can be extremely disheartening, but thankfully, organizations like World Vision, are dedicated to bringing relief to impoverished and underserved communities.

Founded in 1950 by Bob Pierce, an American war correspondent, World Vision is one of the largest and most impactful humanitarian organizations in the world. Its approach has evolved from initially focusing on orphanages and small-scale relief efforts, to a broad range of development and advocacy programs. These programs now encompass emergency relief, education, health care, economic development and promotion of justice. Today, the organization operates in nearly 100 countries, including the U.S., and focuses on lifting people out of poverty for good, with an emphasis on fragile contexts—places where poverty is extreme and local infrastructure is lacking.

World Vision is the largest nongovernmental provider of clean water in the developing world and recently announced a goal called “finishing the job” — reaching everyone, everywhere they work with clean water by 2030, a total of 50 million people. Through World Vision’s work, every 60 seconds a family gets water, a hungry child is fed and a family gets the tools to overcome poverty.

How it works: Individual donors and corporate partners

Individuals can give a one-time gift or sponsor a child through World Vision, contributing monthly to support their well-being. This money is used in various ways, including education, healthcare and community development projects.

Corporations partner with World Vision as a solution for excess inventory and first quality returns — donated product is distributed in disaster zones or matched with needs in high poverty areas. They can also engage in cause-related marketing campaigns, corporate social responsibility programs, or contribute to disaster relief in the U.S. or internationally.

Plumbing companies like Gerber Plumbing Fixtures, LIXIL, Kohler, Niagara, Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI), Rinnai and RWC are among the corporate partners that are committed to helping World Vision provide clean water to impoverished communities.

Iasmin Acioli, chief of staff at Gerber, explains that World Vision offers a unique opportunity for plumbing manufacturers to contribute to meaningful change by donating excess inventory and building materials.

“These donations not only aid in disaster relief and community development but also provide companies with benefits improved excess/obsolete inventory management. By partnering with World Vision, manufacturers can play a pivotal role in uplifting under-resourced communities.”

Acioli adds that partnering with World Vision aligns seamlessly with Gerber’s commitment to quality, service and community support. “Through this collaboration, we’ve contributed to impactful initiatives like the Global 6K for Water, kit builds, the Crystal Vision breakfast, and product donations,” she says. “At Gerber, our goal is to provide ease and peace of mind to anyone that interacts with us — and World Vision helps extend that mission by delivering essential products to those who need them most, offering real relief during critical times.”

Norbert Schmidt, president of Kohler Kitchen & Bath North America agrees, pointing out that World Vision provides the opportunity for Kohler to help those in need by identifying the unique circumstances and ensures effective delivery of the kitchen and bath products they require to thrive, whether that’s an ADA compliant toilet, a kitchen sink or a bathtub.

“At Kohler Co., we strive to help people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives. Our associates create lasting change by driving this mission forward – ultimately innovating for a better world,” Schmidt says. “We are proud to be a part of World Vision’s significant impact and inspired by the individuals who dedicate their time to the needs of others. We share this world, and our passionate teams remain dedicated to improving the lives of all. We appreciate World Vision extending our philanthropic reach and trusting our products to enhance the lives of families in our communities.”

Behind its commitment to humanitarian efforts, World Vision offers a logistics solution for companies to repurposes excess inventory, returns and even counterfeit product.

“We can accept anything from a single pallet to more than twenty truckloads originating from multiple locations. Thanks to a generous federal tax code, most companies can write off up to 2x the value of their donations,” says Senior Strategy Leader, World Vision, Russ Shumaker.

World Vision also built a calculator on its website that allows companies to compare the value of donating product vs the value of liquidating it or destroying it. When product is donated, World Vision works with the donor to make sure it ends up where it can do the most good, while ensuring brand protection. Sometimes that means shipping it to fragile contexts overseas, sometimes it means distributing to vulnerable communities here in the U.S.

“Donating product isn’t just about inventory. Sometimes it’s also about sustainability and making an impact,” Shumaker says. “Every year, we’re repurposing over 1 million pounds of goods like building supplies, medical equipment, and clothing—keeping it out of landfills and using it to create lasting social change.”

Disaster relief

As one of the largest relief organizations in the world, World Vision has been involved in numerous disaster response efforts globally and in the U.S., including responses to earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and famine crises. The group works to provide immediate relief of food, water, shelter and then support long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts. Often, World Vision works in a disaster zone for years after the initial event, helping communities get back on their feet.

“Our largest ever global response was the COVID-19 pandemic, where we reached over 70 million people, including 36 million children,” Shumaker says. “Today, we’re constantly monitoring global conditions and have prepositioned supplies that enable us to respond anywhere in the world within 24 to 48 hours after a disaster strikes.”

A recent example of World Visions prompt disaster relief is its response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. When these natural disasters hit, World Vision was tracking the storms ahead of time and already had truckloads of relief supplies on the way when they hit. The response model involves working with existing local partners on the ground that have deep roots in affected communities.

“With Hurricane Helene, for example, our response is focused on the Greater Asheville area and particularly hard-hit communities like Swannanoa. During our initial response phase, we dispatched relief supplies including food, water, hygiene products and generators,” Shumaker says. “Once those initial needs were met, we began providing things like cleanup supplies, shovels, buckets, and bleach—many provided by partners like Ace Hardware, who engaged their staff and customers to put together ‘relief buckets.’”

The current phase of response is the rebuilding phase. World Vision and its partners are in the process of rebuilding and restoring 150 homes. To do that, they need a significant amount of standard building materials, including drywall, doors, insulation, flooring, cabinets — anything that is likely to have been damaged by the roof-height flooding.

Companies that want to help with this effort (or with rebuilding efforts in Los Angeles as we progress towards the rebuilding efforts after the fires there) should reach out to Jack Laverty, World Vision’s corporate engagement director, (jlaverty@worldvision.org) or fill out this form.

Call to action

Organizations like World Vision need to constant support from businesses and corporations in order to continue its impactful mission. Shumaker points out that both B2C and B2B relationships benefit from cause marketing.

“From a customer perspective, cause marketing is essential to businesses because it offers an opportunity to align purchase with values,” he says. “For example, one of our partners ran a cause marketing campaign that donated thirty cents for every product sold (thirty cents provides a month of clean water to one person in the developing world). The result? A ten percent increase in sales and increased employee engagement. Another partner is in the B2B space, and they have the goal of becoming water positive—providing more clean water to people in need than they use as a corporation. They’ve reported that clients have actually sought them out because of this differentiator.”

Consumers are looking for easy decisions that reduce the cognitive load, and they want to feel good about what they buy. Attaching a cause to a quality product helps with both. Plus, it’s something for employees to get excited about—knowing that they’re making a difference.

Shumaker adds that World Vision is also happy to help move product. “If you have product that you need to move, let us know. We’re a best in class logistics solutions solution, and can help free up warehouse space and improve your bottom line.”

World Vision has an ambitious goal: ending extreme poverty in our lifetime. “Despite the challenges, the world has already made significant progress, but there’s still more that needs to be done,” Shumaker says. “We’re also working to provide clean water to everyone, everywhere we work, and we’re well on our way.”

If you or your company would like to become a World Vision partner, visit their “Ways to Help” page online.