John Wood Turns the Page

Wood has high expectations of his beneficiaries, but he encourages donors to maintain high expectations of him. His value proposition is simple: He presents the problem, the solution, and a price tag -- and tracks results. Donate $5,000, and you are guaranteed that a school will be built. Better still, the school will have a dedication plaque that bears your name or whatever name you choose. And you'll receive (via email) reports and digital photos that update you on construction, capture the dedication ceremony, and document how the children are doing. "We believe that if somebody gives us money, he is owed progress reports," says Wood. "He deserves to know how his money is being spent."

There's a side benefit too. Donors who are excited about the impact of their money pass along the emails to friends, colleagues, and family. Their updates become a form of viral marketing for Room to Read. Wood himself composes a monthly email that goes out to more than 2,000 donors, volunteers, and supporters. They are partly letters from the road, partly reports on the organization. "Those emails inevitably lead to new volunteers and even to new donors," Wood says. "They become an immediate feedback loop. We don't send out paper reports, in part because of the expense, but also because it discourages viral marketing."

Wood's next report will be in November from Nepal, after he completes his first-ever trek with donors. "If you send someone an email with the subject line, 'Greetings from Kathmandu,' they're likely to read it," he quips.

So is Wood ready for a break from the dizzying pace of life after Microsoft? Not exactly. "We've helped 100,000 kids gain access to books so far," he says. "That is one one-hundredth of 1% of the illiterate people on this earth. So congratulations. Get your ass back to work."

Christine Canabou (ccanabou@fastcompany.com) is a Fast Company staff writer. Contact John Wood (wood@roomtoread.org) by email.