Prior to joining the San Jose Public Library Foundation, Donoghue Clarke had never been on a nonprofit board nor had interest in fundraising. Now, as a current board member and chair of the fundraising committee, he couldn’t be more involved in driving forward the Library’s mission.
Donoghue grew up in Jamaica, and as a young boy, he loved to read: “Like most young people, I first developed love of reading through comic books. My mom bought me my first Superman comic at six years old, which I still have.” As he grew older, he moved onto reading the Hardy Boys. “I had access to those books through the local library and a mobile library that would come to our town.”
The library provided Donoghue opportunities to read as a child, in turn developing his critical thinking and analytical skills. “Reading was instrumental to my development,” he said. Even in college, when Donoghue moved to the United States of America and attended San Jose State University, he still utilized the Martin Luther King Jr. Library to borrow audiobooks.
Donoghue has lived in San Jose since 1998. Outside of the Foundation, he is the Managing Principal of the Ernst & Young San Jose office, but only last year did he discover the Foundation. “The Foundation was an opportunity that came to me through my partner. He had a board seat, and EY is a contributor to the SJPLF,” he said. “I was fascinated by the idea of a nonprofit board. With the nostalgia from my [college days], it was a good opportunity for me to take on.”
Joining the board has proved to be a learning experience for Donoghue. “It is different from how I thought it might be,” he said. “[The SJPLF staff] give me a perspective as to how organizations such as ours obtain support from the government and the industry. I learn from them, but I also bring them experience and a perspective working in the industry myself.”
Additionally, he was nominated as the chair of the fundraising committee. “The fundraising committee is in charge of identifying ways in which we can generate revenue for the Foundation,” he said.
Donoghue admitted: “I didn’t have any experience in fundraising. But at my firm, we’re taught to accept challenges. The wonderful thing is when you give your time to something, you will sometimes be asked to do things outside of your comfort zone,” he said. “My experience in life has taught me more often than not, say yes.”
Donoghue’s occupation as Managing Principal provided him with many skills that qualified him for the board. “I didn’t have experience with attaining money for nonprofit organizations, but I had good administrative skill sets because I run our San Jose office, and I had good judgement and years of experience,” he said.
Moreover, Donoghue recognized the essential role of nonprofit organizations in society. “Industries and the government cannot provide all the social goods that society needs,” he said. “Nonprofits identify those needs and fulfills them, providing individuals a means to give back and participate in society as well.”
Donoghue believes that board members most importantly must be moved to give back to the community. “Some people need to be encouraged, but it needs to be self generated/self motivated,” he said. “In so doing, you can identify what skills you have that can contribute to the board as a whole.”
He added, “You should be able to dedicate the time and commitment.” Being a board member requires only around an average of an hour a half a week, yet the impact they have on the Foundation itself is monumental.
Finally, Donoghue gave a word of advice to anyone thinking of joining the board. “If you’re thinking of applying, ask yourself, why?” he said. “When you give yourself an answer ask why again. It should lead to a level of introspection that validates your choice and makes sure choice is true to yourself.”
Written by Jillian Cheng, Communications Intern