‘It’s more rewarding than what I did at Microsoft’

In 2006, John Wood wrote Leaving Microsoft To Change The World, a memoir of his journey from fast track corporate life to opening libraries across the world. He talks to DNA about the different kinds of challenges and rewards that come his way, and how to run an NGO like a business

Where does your belief in education as a key to transforming lives stem from?
At a young age my passion was reading.  I used to stay up late well after my parents thought I was asleep reading under my sheets with a flashlight.  Today, reading is still one of my favorite hobbies and I love helping other children gain access to books and education. I know my professional success would not have been possible were it not for the encouragement and support of my family and the quality of education I received — which is why I strongly believe that education is the ticket out of poverty in the developing world.

Your venture has been described as “all business, all heart”. Was the combination of business and philanthropy a conscious choice?
Having been groomed at Microsoft, I couldn’t help but think in terms of a business model. I’d never worked for a non-profit before, so, in setting up the organisation, I went with what I knew. I wanted to be sure the organisation would succeed, and this meant bringing in the ideals of scalability and full disclosure, as any good business plan would include. The children and communities in which we work are our “clients,” and the educational resources we provide are the “products.” Our donors are, in a sense, our “stockholders,” and our goal is to distribute as much product as possible, while keeping our stockholders happy.

Many nonprofits start with people passionate about their mission, but they forget that they need to think of themselves as a business in order to set themselves up for success. It’s a harsh reality, and one that I’ve seen take its toll many times over.

When did you realise that your Microsoft days were over, and life had changed forever?
In the beginning, I thought I would continue working at Microsoft and only dedicate my leisure time to working on Room to Read projects. But when I began spending more time focusing on helping establish libraries in Nepal than on my “real job,” I know I had to make a decision to either continue on my career path or follow my passion.

It was not an easy decision to leave Microsoft — to say goodbye to a well-established life and lifestyle for a great unknown — but I just knew that I had to do it. What’s funny is that I work more today than I ever did at Microsoft; I fly around the world four or five times a year, and I am only home in San Francisco on 20 per cent of the time.  Yet my work with Room to Read is a much more rewarding experience.  I don’t think anything could be closer to Nirvana for me than being in a rural village on the day the parents, elders, students, and teachers come together to celebrate the opening of a library or school.   

Where does Room to Read fund its work from, and what are your plans for the future?
Room to Read has been fortunate to have the support of corporations such as Goldman Sachs and The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation (both of whom funded the literacy pilots in India), in addition to many other corporations as well as individuals. The majority of our funding actually comes from individuals and family foundations, and our entire Development Team works diligently to connect with current donors and introduce our work to new donors throughout the world. We are blessed to have a network of 40 volunteer chapters in all corners of the globe — these chapters bring in millions of dollars annually for us. We plan to expand this network and broaden our donor base exponentially. Additionally, our work with corporations is on an amazing rise, especially as we tap into the various international markets.