Meet John Dougherty - our Corporate Giving and Finance extraordinaire! John is a true Philadelphian, cheering for our sports teams throughout the seasons and joining friends to discover new neighborhood establishments as we grow as a city. He joined Giveadelphia for a pretty awesome reason: to be apart of something in the community that could spread awareness to amazing, local non-profits.
John, we couldn't be happier that you are a part of Giveadelphia. Is Philly home?
Yes! I am a suburbs native. I went to Radnor High School and grew up in Newtown Square. I came back to Philadelphia after attending the University of Pittsburgh and made my latest educational stop at Villanova University to get my MBA. Now I'm settled in Washington Square West - the best neighborhood in the city!
Philly is obviously close to your heart, can you tell us more about why you joined Giveadelphia?
I joined Giveadelphia to be apart of something that felt personal and could spread awareness to amazing, local non-profits in our community. The non-profits that we plan on partnering with all do incredible things, but don't necessarily get the publicity that they deserve so shedding a light on their work and bringing people together is something that I take pride in.
You're obviously driven by community. How do you think Philadelphia encourages this type of familiarity?
What I love about our community is that most people are probably already connected with one another, whether that's knowingly or unknowingly, via one or two degrees of separation. That's half the fun in figuring out the shared interests and connections our community has with one another. For being such a large city, Philadelphia is small when you really peel back our networks. With that being said, the more relationships and connections our community can facilitate with one another, the stronger it can be. When the initial email went out announcing Giveadelphia, I got texts from friends and family saying "How do you know so and so?", "I didn't know you knew him/her!" It's these one or two degrees that make it our community personable. It's what Philly is all about.
What does a day in the city look like for you? Outside of Giveadelphia - I'm a Commercial Banker at Citizens Bank where I help small and mid size businesses plan for their strategic and financial goals. I love to consume any type of content (podcast or TV) regarding entrepreneurship, business and professional development. Trying to understand what motivates successful business men and women and learning about each of their failures and successes has always been fascinating to me. Okay, okay, but outside of work! When I'm not working, you can typically find me somewhere in the city rooting for one of the Philadelphia sporting teams or trying out a new pop-up beer garden, exploring the food and restaurant scene, or going to a brewery/distillery with friends. Anything with an awesome experience and a great product is something to me that's worth checking out. I also love playing golf with family and vacation to Nova Scotia, Canada in the summers. Sounds like you know your way around town. What spots do we need to put on our list? If you haven't been yet, check out Dirty Frank's at 13th and Pine or Jim's Steaks on South Street. If you're in need of brunch, look no further than The Cambridge. Take us back to a Philly moment. What tops the list? I got to party on Broad Street for the Eagles Super Bowl... I know that has only happened once, but can't we make it a recurring thing?
You're a rockstar, John. Thanks for telling our community more about you and why you are a part of Giveadelphia!
Interested in connecting with John? Follow him on Instagram (@jfdoc) or connect with him on LinkedIn.