Tell us your name and a little about yourself.
Doug White. I am a long-time leader in the nation’s philanthropic community, an author and an advisor to nonprofit organizations and philanthropists. I am the former Director of Columbia University’s Master of Science in Fundraising Management program, where I also taught board governance, ethics and fundraising.
I have recently completed my fifth book – “Wounded Charity,” to be published by Paragon House in October – on the allegations of mismanagement made in January 2016 against Wounded Warrior Project. My research shows that the allegations were either false or misleading.
Why did you become an entrepreneur in the first place?
Yes, writing is entrepreneurial – it is my own business in a very real way. And I decided to do this, in addition to my own consulting activities, because I am in sole charge of what I want to say about important issues affecting the worlds of nonprofits and philanthropy.
As an entrepreneur, how do you deal with fear or rejection?
I get rejected all the time. If an author or a consultant can’t handle rejection, he or she ought to work for someone else. The thing is, though, rejection is a positive thing. While we don’t want rejection or failure, and while we don’t work toward either as a goal, since it’s inevitable the smart thing to do is learn from it. “Woe is me” is not part of the entrepreneur’s lexicon.
What’s the name of your company? What exactly does your company do, how do you help people?
I am not incorporated – I’m a stand-alone, and I help people – or at least it’s my intention to help people – by combining the experiences I’ve had with what I’ve observed, and then sharing that with people who help others – the people who run nonprofits and the people who philanthropically support nonprofits.
What were the biggest challenges you have faced and how did you overcome them?
People who don’t take me seriously is one thing. This is not their problem, though. I have to be humble about that, knowing that my job is to work hard to persuade others of the value of what I bring to the table. You overcome a challenge by being honest about it and hitting the real issue head on.
