Join our team
Come do the work that gets a scholar through the door
The William H. Douglas Foundation helps students reach the college of their choice regardless of socioeconomic background. That takes people — advocates who stay with a student, directors who govern well, and partners who fund the work. There are three ways in, and all three are below.
You'd be joining people who already stand with our scholars
Who we are
What it's actually like to work here
We're a small California 501(c)(3) doing unglamorous, high-stakes work: sitting with a family and a financial aid letter until it makes sense. Here's how we operate.
We walk alongside, we don't hand off
Nobody here passes a student to a portal and calls it support. An advocate stays with a scholar through the whole arc — applications, aid, offers, and the first year after.
Access is the whole point
Every decision gets measured against one question: does this help a student reach the college of their choice regardless of what their family can pay?
We are careful with young people's information
We work with minors, so consent, confidentiality and documentation aren't paperwork — they're the job. If that sounds like overhead rather than duty of care, this isn't the right fit.
Culturally relevant, not culturally neutral
Our scholars should see themselves in the people guiding them. We build a team that reflects the communities we serve, and we expect everyone to keep learning.
Who we're looking for
The four things we screen for
Whether you're applying to intern, to govern, or to fund the work, we're looking for the same underlying qualities.
People who follow through
The single most useful trait here. A promise made to a seventeen-year-old is a promise, and our reputation with families is built one kept commitment at a time.
People who are good in a room with a teenager
Warm, direct, unpatronising. Able to deliver hard news about money or admissions without either sugarcoating it or crushing someone.
People who write clearly
Financial aid, deadlines and admissions are genuinely complicated. Being able to explain a complex process in plain language is a core skill, not a bonus.
People who open doors
Employers, campuses, funders, congregations, community groups. If you can make an introduction our scholars couldn't make themselves, you're useful here.
Students — intern as a Fellow
Placements matched to your academic interests, alongside working professionals, with an advocate beside you.
Apply to be a FellowBoard of Directors
An active, voting seat on the board of a growing 501(c)(3). Limited seats, awarded on review.
Apply for a seatLegacy Partners
Sponsor the Foundation at a published level and fund the whole arc of a scholar's path to college.
See the packagesThe video starts automatically without sound. Use the sound control to listen.
Students — intern with us as a Fellow
Join our team of young professionals as we assist scholars in navigating their world in a positive and culturally relevant environment. You'll gain professional knowledge, skills and contacts — and introductions to employers offering part-time and career positions.
Prefer the full overview first? Read about the internship program.
Where our scholars and Fellows have gone
Serve on our active Board of Directors
This is a working board with a real vote, not an advisory list. Directors set direction, approve the budget, hold the Executive Director accountable, and help open the doors our scholars can't open themselves.
The William H. Douglas Foundation is committed to a leadership role in advocating and assisting in the inclusion of underrepresented African American youths into post-secondary academic institutions — fulfilling our mission through coordination, collaboration, and communication between admissions professionals, students, parents, elected officials, private enterprises, and the community at large, to create a clear gateway to admissions, retention, and graduation.
We are especially looking for experience in:
- Fundraising
- Marketing
- Business development
- Education
The William H. Douglas Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Organization.
$5,000
Annual gift, per director
1 vote
A seated director votes on board matters
Limited
Seats open by request, if not already filled
How seats are awarded
Board positions are available on request only, and only if they have not already been filled. Submitting this application does not create a seat or a vote — our governance committee reviews every application against the openings we actually have and the skills the board currently needs.
The $5,000 annual contribution is due with your application and is final. Dues are non-refundable, whether or not a seat is awarded — seats are limited and are granted only on review. Your contribution is a gift to a California 501(c)(3) and is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Governance, not management
The board sets direction, approves the budget, and holds the Executive Director accountable. It does not run day-to-day programs.
A real vote
Seated directors vote on the matters that come before the board. This is an active, working board — not an advisory list of names.
A real time commitment
Board meetings plus committee work. We'd rather you tell us honestly what you can give than accept a seat you can't serve.
An annual contribution
Directors make an annual gift of $5,000, due with your application and final once paid. This gift is what lets the Foundation credibly solicit contributions from other funders.
What a director is responsible for
Taken from the Foundation's board duties. Read these before you apply — they are what you are agreeing to.
Secure the resources
The board's foremost responsibility is securing adequate resources for the Foundation to fulfil its mission, and ensuring there are sufficient funds for the annual budget.
Govern, and hold the Executive Director accountable
Serve as a trusted advisor to the Executive Director as she develops and implements the strategic plan, and contribute to her annual performance evaluation.
Approve the budget and meet fiduciary duties
Approve the annual budget, audit reports and material business decisions, and be informed of and meet all legal and fiduciary responsibilities.
Measure what the Foundation actually achieves
Review the outcomes and metrics that evaluate the Foundation's impact, and regularly measure performance against them — including reviewing the agenda and supporting materials before every meeting.
Recruit the next board
Help identify and recruit other directors, articulate the prerequisites for candidates, orient new members, and periodically evaluate the board's own performance.
Represent the Foundation
Clearly articulate the mission, accomplishments and goals to the public, act as an ambassador, and garner support from the community.
Serve on a committee
Serve on committees or task forces, take on special assignments, and partner with the Executive Director to ensure board resolutions are carried out.
Uphold legal and ethical standards
The board is ultimately responsible for the Foundation's adherence to legal standards and ethical norms.
What we look for in a director
- A track record of board leadership, and leadership stature in business, government, philanthropy or the nonprofit sector.
- Savvy diplomatic skills and a natural affinity for cultivating relationships — persuading, convening, facilitating and building consensus among diverse individuals.
- Personal qualities of integrity and credibility, and a passion for improving the lives of African American students.
- Accomplishments that help attract other well-qualified, high-performing directors.
Code of conduct
Every director agrees to these. They are not aspirational.
- Confidentiality
- There is no discussion of the confidential proceedings of the board outside the board room. Scholar, family, personnel and board information stays inside the role it was given for.
- Respect among directors
- There is no criticising of fellow directors or their opinions, whether inside or outside board meetings. Disagreement belongs in the meeting, on the substance.
- No personal advantage
- The Foundation is never used for the personal advantage of a director, or that of their friends or relatives.
- Conflicts of interest
- Declare any conflict as it pertains to your position on the board, and abstain from voting where it would be inappropriate.
- Attendance
- Attend board meetings and remain aware of what is planned. Persistent unexcused absence is treated as a governance failure, not a scheduling detail.
- Child safety and records
- The Foundation works with minors. Directors comply with its policies on student privacy and child safety, and complete the background check required of anyone in a role touching that work.
The board today
Executive Advisory Board · 3-year terms
- Executive DirectorPennie Douglas
- ChairPennie DouglasInterim, until filled
- Vice ChairOpenVacant — accepting applications
- TreasurerPaula GoldenTerm ends 2028
- SecretaryDonna WeldonTerm ends 2026
- Student RepresentativeOpenVacant — accepting applications
2 seats open: Vice Chair, Student Representative.
When the board meets
Four times a year. You are expected at all of them.
- July 29Annual meeting — in person
- October 27Conference call7:00–8:00 pm
- January 19Conference call7:00–8:00 pm
- April 20Conference call7:00–8:00 pm
Dial-in details are provided to seated directors in the board portal.
Funders and institutions we work with
Become a Legacy Partner
Legacy Partners fund the whole arc — coaching, campus tours, scholarship navigation, and the advocate who stays with a scholar through it. Choose a published level below, or talk to us about a custom or multi-year commitment.
Legacy Partner packages
One-time sponsorships. Multi-year commitments receive priority recognition and locked pricing.
Patron
$1,000
Adopt-a-Cohort
$2,500
Baton
$2,500
Orchestra
$3,500
Maestro
$5,000
Bronze
$7,500
Silver
Leadership$10,000
Presenting
Leadership$15,000
Title
Premier$25,000
Diamond
Flagship$50,000
Platinum
Flagship$100,000
What every Legacy Partner receives
- Recognition on our website and in Foundation materials
- Named recognition at Foundation events
- An impact report showing what your support produced
- Employee engagement and volunteer opportunities for your team
- Support for CSR, ESG, CRA and community-benefit reporting
- A tax-deductible contribution to a California 501(c)(3)
Recognition scales with the level you choose and is confirmed in your partnership agreement. Prefer to sponsor a specific event, cohort, or college tour — or to give in kind (venue, food, supplies, services)? We build custom packages.
Choose your level and check out
No account needed. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Talking to a company, a family foundation, or a donor-advised fund? Write to giving@whdfoundation.org and we'll put a proposal together — including multi-year and in-kind structures.
Partners & supporters
