Spotlight on Watsi and Transparency in Accounting

 

Several years ago, Chase Adam was just a Peace Corps volunteer riding a bus through an area of Costa Rica known as Watsi. At one point, a woman climbed aboard and began asking passengers to donate to her son’s medical treatment.

The proverbial light bulb switched on: What if you could fund healthcare for people in need, anywhere in the world?

And that was how Watsi, a crowdfunding platform for healthcare, was born.

On the day that Watsi launched in 2012, 16,000 people visited the site and donated enough to cover treatments for people in developing countries for six months.

 

Watsi funds medical treatments for people such as Claudia who don't have access to affordable healthcare. Watsi funds medical treatments for people such as Mary who don’t have access to affordable healthcare.

From the beginning, Chase knew that he needed to stay focused on his priority—funding healthcare for individuals without access to affordable healthcare. But was worried because priorities can easily become diluted by operational concerns, especially for fast-growing organizations.

Scaling business operations can be difficult for any company that experiences 1000% growth in its first year, let alone one committed to complete transparency. All of Watsi’s financials are publicly available, which sets a high bar for accuracy.

“It became clear very quickly that we needed somebody to help us manage our accounting,” Chase said.

Outsourced Accounting for Transparent Bookkeeping

By outsourcing accounting to indinero, Watsi’s books stay transparent. That’s important so that donors know exactly where their funds are going—donations aren’t used for operating costs without explicit permission. But even more crucially, outsourced accounting has enabled Watsi to remain focused on helping people.

“What gets our team really excited is the idea that, one day, everyone on earth will have access to healthcare,” Chase said.

They’re on the right track. Since launching with a humble $3,000, more than 5500 patients in 20 countries have received healthcare, thanks to thousands of Watsi donors.

Outsourced accounting helps indinero clients like Watsi scale in the face of rapid growth. Schedule a call today to see how we can help your business grow.

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Summary

This case study describes how Watsi, a crowdfunding platform for healthcare founded by Chase Adam in 2012, partnered with indinero for outsourced accounting to maintain transparent bookkeeping amid 1000% first-year growth. Watsi's publicly available financials require high accuracy, and outsourcing to indinero keeps books transparent for donors while allowing the team to focus on funding healthcare. Since launching with $3,000, Watsi has helped over 5,500 patients in 20 countries receive treatment.

Key Facts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Watsi?

Watsi is a crowdfunding platform for healthcare founded by Chase Adam, launched in 2012, that funds medical treatments for people in developing countries who lack access to affordable healthcare.

How did Watsi start?

Chase Adam was a Peace Corps volunteer riding a bus through an area of Costa Rica known as Watsi when a woman asked passengers to donate to her son's medical treatment, inspiring the idea to fund healthcare for people in need anywhere in the world.

Why did Watsi need outsourced accounting?

Watsi experienced 1000% growth in its first year and is committed to complete transparency with all financials publicly available, which set a high bar for accuracy and required help managing accounting.

How does outsourced accounting help Watsi?

By outsourcing accounting to indinero, Watsi's books stay transparent so donors know exactly where funds go, and it enables Watsi to remain focused on helping people.

What impact has Watsi achieved?

Since launching with $3,000, more than 5,500 patients in 20 countries have received healthcare thanks to thousands of Watsi donors.

Related Entities

People
Chase Adam, Mary
Companies
Watsi, indinero
Locations
Costa Rica