Founded in 1993, Water.org provides clean drinking water and sanitation services to people in 14 countries. It relies on internet marketing and social media campaigns hosted on sites like YouTube. While its WaterCredit program has been praised, experts suggest Water.org could improve program evaluation, women's programs, and marketing. The Better Business Bureau gives Water.org a low rating due to lack of financial information transparency. Guatemala has high rates of people without access to clean water and sanitation, especially in rural and indigenous communities. Its political history of authoritarian rule and civil war means government involvement could undermine trust in Water.org's programs. Face-to-face outreach may be needed to communicate with and build trust

1. Running head: ICP – COUNTRY/REGIONAL OVERVIEW 1
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION PLAN
OVERVIEW OF THE COUNTRY AND REGION
FOR WATER.ORG CAMPAIGN
Katie L. Organ
Purdue University
Author Note
Katie L. Organ, graduate student, Brain Lamb School of Communications, Purdue
University.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Katie Organ, 1225
Yorkshire Dr N, Sycamore, IL 60178.
Contact: organ@purdue.edu

2. ICP – COUNTRY/REGIONAL OVERVIEW 2
International communication plan overview of the
country and region for Water.org campaign
Company background
Founded over twenty-five years ago, in 1993, by Gary White and the actor Matt Damon,
water.org is a 501 (c)(3) charity, based in Kansas City, Missouri, dedicated to providing clean,
safe drinking water and the dignity of a toilet to all people on earth. The organization is currently
involved in projects in fourteen countries throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the
Caribbean (www.water.org, 2015). The organization runs a few main programs in order to
provide save water sources. These programs include well drilling that provides a direct impact to
the community in which the well is drilled, and a program called WaterCredit where Water.org
partners with local financial resources to aid individuals to access loans for water connections or
toilets (www.guidestar.org).
Water.org relies heavily on an internet presence in order to market itself to the United
States, Europe, and Japan. Its main source of marketing material is posted on YouTube, a
network of videos created by its users. The organization’s web page provides copies of the press
kit, organizational facts, frequently asked questions, its annual report, and co-founder quotes,
which are all made available via Adobe PDF files for the use and consumption by the public.
Additional resources include podcasts and posts on social media, which highlight various social
media campaigns that have been picked up through Hollywood and co-founder Matt Damon’s
connections to the business.
Water.org has received great praise for its WaterCredit program; however this is room for
improvement. As discussed by Philanthropedia, “Experts suggest one area Water.org can
improve on is their assessment and evaluation. One expert suggested they can potentially
collaborate with academic institutions to rigorously evaluate the impact of their programs. Other
suggestions include having stronger women programs and scaling sanitation programs,

3. ICP – COUNTRY/REGIONAL OVERVIEW 3
optimizing volunteer and local area supporters, lowering administration cost, and improving their
marketing and social media outreach. (www.myphilanthropedia.org).”
According to the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance at
www.give.org, which reviews and ranks charities on a twenty point scale, Water.org does not
meet the BBB’s standards due to its lack of budgeting information and cause-related marketing
information. Water.org did not identify “projected program service expense, total projected fund
raising expenses, total projected administrative expenses, and break down of program expenses
by major category (www.give.org)”, and is one of the main factors in the BBB’s review of a
charity’s legitimacy. This rating may not affect the organization’s ability to do business, however
it could impact potential investors or donators and their contributions. Furthermore, the rating
could have an adverse effect on any public relations or marketing campaigns, if an individual
performs an online search of the charity and its rating and comes across a less than stellar review
from the BBB.
Regional overview
Guatemala is the northern gateway to Central America, founded on the Mayan
civilization, and colonized by the Spanish. According to the World Factbook compiled by the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States government, 13 percent of the rural
population of Guatemala does not have save drinking water, and a further 51 percent do not have
sanitation facilities. Additionally, 22 percent of the urban population does not have sanitation
facilities (www.cia.gov, 2015). “Guatemala is a predominantly poor country that struggles in
several areas of health and development, including infant, child, and maternal mortality,
malnutrition, literacy, and contraceptive awareness and use. The country's large indigenous
population is disproportionately affected (www.cia.gov, 2015).”
Applying the five socio-cultural variables from Sriramesh and Vercic (2009) of political
ideology, economic system, the degree of activism present in the culture, culture, and media

4. ICP – COUNTRY/REGIONAL OVERVIEW 4
system, Guatemala scores low in all five aspects. “Guatemala's political history has been one of
authoritarian governments controlled by the military, responsive to the landed elites, and hostile
to the indigenous population (www.nationsencyclopedia.com, 2015).” The political ideology of
the country has been in turmoil since 1960 when a brutal civil war broke out. The war ended in
only 1996. Understanding the relationship between the citizens of this country and its
government and military is critical to the success of any foreign-aid programs. Individuals may
not be willing to financially and emotionally invest in a program that is support, or promoted, by
any governmental entities. Water.org may have to find a way to reach the affected people
through means that do not involve government sponsorship.
Moving through the analysis of Guatemala’s economy, degree of activism, and media
system, it is clear that with such a poor and highly segregated indigenous population that any
attempt of main stream promotion or marketing will not be effective in this climate. There is also
little to no use of media of any kind in the indigenous population. Reaching these individuals in
order to explain the available programs and have them participate will most likely need to occur
on a face-to-fact basis.
Finally, the face-to-face approach for what is seemingly the best method of delivering
information regarding Water.org and its services will require a level of trust between the receiver
of the message and the sender. The cultural climate of the country, particularly with the
indigenous people and their history of being forcibly removed and relocated, will provide
challenges for any Water.org team members or activists. Clearly identifying the stakeholders
(senders) and the audience (receivers) for the campaign will be critical. Establishing the level of
trust that may be needed will take time. The timeline of the campaign may need to be flexible
enough to accommodate any setbacks or delays that may occur while attempting to build
relationships.

5. ICP – COUNTRY/REGIONAL OVERVIEW 5
References
Charity review for Water.org. (2014, July). In Give by the Better Business Bureau. Retrieved
September 10, 2015, from http://www.give.org/charity-reviews/national/human-
services/water-org-in-kansas-city-mo-3948
Guatemala. (2005). In Nations Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 10, 2015, from
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Guatemala.html
Guatemala. (2015, September 9). In The World Factbook. Retrieved September 10, 2015, from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html
Review of Water.org. (2011). In Philanthropedia. Retrieved September 10, 2015, from
https://www.myphilanthropedia.org/top-nonprofits/international/water-sanitation-
hygiene/2011/water-org
Sriramesh, K., & Vercic, D. (2009). The Global Public Relations Handbook: Theory, Research,
and Practice. Routledge, New York and London.
Summary for Water.org. (2015). In GuideStar. Retrieved September 10, 2015, from
http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/58-2060131/waterorg.aspx