THE ART OF DRINKING WATER
For funders, partners, and board governance.
Philanthropy through voice
Executive Summary
The Art of Drinking Water is a women-centered emotional wellness nonprofit that guides women from exhaustion to restoration—and from restoration to leadership—through storytelling, stillness, and voice.
What began as a quiet moment—a stack of unopened water bottles on a desk—has become a four-season storytelling and wellness movement. Through narrative audio, reflective journaling, and guided stillness, women are invited to name depletion, receive care, and step into leadership from overflow rather than empty sacrifice.
This is not just a podcast. It is philanthropy through voice—a structured way to resource emotional restoration, preserve lived stories, and build leadership rooted in care.
The Need & Why This Work Matters
Women—particularly women of color—carry disproportionate emotional, relational, and leadership labor across families, workplaces, and communities. Much of that labor is invisible, unspoken, and unsupported.
They are seeking space.
The Art of Drinking Water creates that space through repeated, accessible moments of pause—supported by voice, story, and gentle structure.
The Four-Season Framework
The program unfolds in four emotional phases, each containing eight chapters/episodes—an arc from depletion to overflow:
- Season 1 · The Flow Within (Dry) — recognizing depletion and telling the truth about exhaustion
- Season 2 · The Refill (Gentle Rain) — rest, boundaries, nourishment, and learning to receive
- Season 3 · The Flow Forward (River) — calling, courage, identity, and moving in alignment
- Season 4 · The Source (Ocean) — wholeness, legacy, leadership, and living from overflow
As the work scales, core materials will be offered in multiple languages so access is not limited by language, background, or identity.
Programs & Offerings
- 32-episode narrative audio journey (podcast + private feeds)
- Four audiobooks (one per season)
- Interactive journal + guided reflection tools aligned to each chapter
- Women’s story circles (small cohorts guided through the four seasons)
- Workshops & retreats for community groups, nonprofits, and corporate ERGs
- Future Water Women facilitator pathway to train community leaders to host circles
AODW is a home for stories that are often minimized or rushed. We protect story as legitimacy—not content.
Who We Serve
- Women navigating burnout, transition, or identity shifts
- Black women and women of color serving as leaders, caregivers, and community anchors
- Faith-based women’s ministries and community groups
- Nonprofit staff and helping professionals carrying invisible emotional labor
- Corporate ERGs (Women, BIPOC, Caregivers, Emerging Leaders)
Access commitment: A meaningful portion of participants will receive partial or full scholarship support, underwritten through philanthropic funding and partner sponsorships.
Funding Model: Philanthropy-First
The Art of Drinking Water operates under a philanthropy-first funding model. We are not selling products for profit.
Journals, ritual items, and reflection supports are provided as part of funded programming—subsidized, donated, or distributed at cost-recovery when appropriate.
Primary revenue sources include:
- Foundation and private grants
- Individual donations and aligned giving
- Program sponsorships underwriting participant access
- Institutional partnerships (nonprofits, faith-based orgs, corporate ERGs)
Three-Year Financial Snapshot
Projections reflect philanthropic support, institutional partnerships, and sponsored programming—not product sales.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $342,000 | $485,000 | $645,000 |
| Total Expenses (content production, travel, lodging, scholarships, facilitator stipends, infrastructure) |
$348,000 | $430,000 | $565,000 |
| Surplus / (Deficit) | ($6,000) | $55,000 | $80,000 |
A modest Year 1 deficit reflects upfront infrastructure and content development typical of new nonprofits. Surpluses in Years 2 and 3 are directed toward reserves, expanded scholarships, and deeper program delivery.
Use of Funds
- Storytelling & audio production (episodes, audiobooks, editing, accessibility)
- Scholarships & access (circles, retreats, materials, participant support)
- Facilitator support (training, stipends, program coordination)
- Workshops & retreats (travel, food, lodging, space fees)
- Infrastructure & compliance (insurance, bookkeeping, governance systems)
Funds are budgeted, tracked, and used with integrity. Board-approved policies and documentation support transparency and funder confidence.
Infrastructure & Readiness
The organization maintains a private leadership portal called The Reservoir, housing: board packets, governance policies, grant materials, program libraries, meeting archives, and stewardship documentation.
Why This Exists
Women are holding entire worlds together from an empty place. The Art of Drinking Water offers a well—a way to tell the truth about depletion, receive care without shame, and step into leadership with a full heart and anchored spirit.
When funders invest here, they are not just supporting a program. They are supporting a movement, a narrative shift, and a legacy of women who finally drink their own water.