Prediction Didn’t hold up AI assessment confidence: 85% certainty 3/5 debate potential 1/5

Harrison: Charity Water Expects 35% Growth and Over $70M Revenue

Scott Harrison · Charity: Water's Scott Harrison: You must master the skill of storytelling to scale · Apr 5, 2023 · at 45:17

Scott Harrison, founder of Charity: Water, outlines the organization's projected growth and revenue powered by its monthly subscription program.

0:00 / 0:09exact quote · 10.0s

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“Last year we grew 37%. This year we're gonna grow another 35%. We think we're gonna do over seventy million dollars this year. Help almost one and a half million people get clean water.”

quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →

The claim, plainly

Charity: Water grew 37 percent in the previous year and projects 35 percent growth to exceed $70 million in revenue and provide clean water to nearly 1.5 million people.

a quote alone can be ambiguous, so this restates it with the references and context of the conversation around it resolved. AI-written; the tape below the player is the source.

Assessment

The claim projected that in 2023 Charity: Water would exceed $70 million in revenue (with ~35% growth) and bring clean water to nearly 1.5 million people. According to Charity Global, Inc.'s IRS Form 990 filings and Candid/GuideStar reported impact data, both targets were missed by substantial margins. For tax year 2023 (which was an abbreviated 9-month short fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, due to an accounting period change), total revenue was $47,274,968 (even annualized, this reflects ~$63 million, short of the >$70 million target). Furthermore, the net increase in people served with clean water in calendar year 2023 was 655,131 (rising from 16,835,671 to 17,490,802), missing the ~1.5 million projection by more than 50%.

Charity Global, Inc. IRS Form 990 (FY 2023 short year ending September 30, 2023) reported total revenue of $47,274,968.
GuideStar/Candid reported cumulative people served increased from 16,835,671 in 2022 to 17,490,802 in 2023, representing 655,131 net people served in 2023 versus the ~1.5 million projected.

Checked against

[1] candid.org [2] ctfassets.net [3] ctfassets.net [4] ctfassets.net [5] propublica.org [6] ctfassets.net [7] plaincharity.com [8] guidestar.org

"Charity Global, Inc." "2023 Audit Report" OR "2023 Form 990" "revenue" "Charity Global, Inc." "December 31, 2023" OR "September 30, 2023" audit report "total revenue" Charity Water 2023 form 990 total revenue "Charity Global, Inc." "47,274,968" "Charity Global, Inc." "Form 990" "2023" "Total revenue" OR "Contributions" "Charity Global, Inc." "short year" "September 30, 2023" revenue Charity Water 2023 annual report people served clean water "charity: water" "2023 Annual Report" "clean water" OR "people"

assessed as of 2026-08-27

This assessment is an AI reading of a public statement, made against the cited references with the confidence shown. It can be wrong. The quote, the tape and the references are all on this page; if something is off, use report an error below. full disclaimer →

Mentioned

Charity: Water

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Disclosure

Harrison warns founders against adopting the 100% public donation model

“I can't even tell you how hard that was, and how I talk other people away from doing that now.”

Scott Harrison Nov 28, 2023 ▶ 14:56 Scott Harrison & Charity: Water, five years later | Masters of Scale

Assertion Not checkable as stated

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Scott Harrison Nov 28, 2023 ▶ 18:40 Scott Harrison & Charity: Water, five years later | Masters of Scale

Disclosure

Harrison: I advise other nonprofit founders against the 100% donation model

“I can't even tell you how hard that was, and how I talk other people away from doing that now.”

Scott Harrison Apr 5, 2023 ▶ 21:27 Charity: Water's Scott Harrison: You must master the skill of storytelling to scale

Insight

Harrison: Guilt-based charity marketing fails to build advocates

“Charities use shame and guilt to market their wares. They made people feel terrible about what they had, hoping that they would respond. You remember those Sally Struthers commercials from the eighties, and the kids, and slow motion looking sadly at the camera…”

Scott Harrison Apr 5, 2023 ▶ 29:39 Charity: Water's Scott Harrison: You must master the skill of storytelling to scale

Assertion Not checkable as stated

Harrison: 17% of 'The Spring' Video Viewers Became Monthly Subscribers

“And we put this thing out and it crushes it. I think 17% of the people that watch the video convert to subscribers.”

Scott Harrison Apr 5, 2023 ▶ 44:02 Charity: Water's Scott Harrison: You must master the skill of storytelling to scale

Disclosure

charity: water intentionally built its brand on hope, not shame

“We are on all the platforms now trying to reach people with the mediums that they are consuming every single day and reach them with true stories, but also a brand that is aspirational and hopeful, not a brand based on shame and guilt.”

Scott Harrison Nov 28, 2023 ▶ 13:10 Scott Harrison & Charity: Water, five years later | Masters of Scale

Harrison: Charity Water Expects 35% Growth and Over $70M Revenue

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