How One 'Angel' Saved A Chicago Nonprofit Watchdog

Chicago IL

15 March, 2021

6:13 PM

Description

CHICAGO — Was it the wine? We drank two or three expensive bottles over dinner, which he chose because, thankfully, he was paying. Or was it the company? My work partner had Irish Catholic roots, like he did on his mother's side, so they played the parish and parochial school geography game with gusto. [COMMENTARY] Or maybe, just maybe, it was his appreciation of our mission: Combining investigative journalism, public policy advocacy and civic engagement to push good government reform in Chicago, the suburbs and Springfield. We'll never know the answer because we never asked, he never told us, and now one of Chicago's most successful investors and generous philanthropists—the major donor who helped revitalize the Better Government Association—is no longer with us. Richard Driehaus, who rose from modest means on Chicago's Southwest Side to make hundreds of millions of dollars in financial markets, and contribute tens of millions to an eclectic portfolio of causes and interests, died of a cerebral hemorrhage on March 9 He was 78. Richard will be best remembered for the vintage homes, and the art, architecture and car collections he shared with the public; the awards he sponsored; the academic programs he endowed—many of the above bear his name—and, of course, the spectacular summer extravaganzas he hosted at his Lake Geneva estate. But my memories of him are more personal. Richard had been supporting the BGA's investigative journalism awards for several years when I took over leadership of the struggling organization in 2009. The legendary, almost century-old anti-corruption nonprofit had fallen on hard times and needed a huge cash infusion to regain its stature. Richard knew that, and like most generous donors, he also knew that an "angel" willing to write a big check was often the key to a nonprofit's future—the difference between success and failure. So he agreed, early in my tenure, to join me and my first hire, COO Rita McLennon, for a dinner meeting. And after a wide-ranging food-and-wine-laced discussion of his passions and our vision for revitalizing the BGA, Rita and I shot the moon: We asked Richard to consider jumpstarting us with a one million dollar contribution. $1 million. Full stop. Ears perked. Eyes focused. Shallow breaths. His answer, after a few seconds? "That sounds about right." Yessssss!! That million dollars, from a savvy investor who knew how to pick winners, affirmed the value and importance of our work, and opened the door to other local philanthropists who admired Richard's success and were willing to follow his lead. That's what an "angel" contribution is supposed to do: Validate the cause, and get the attention of other potential donors. The BGA I walked into in 2009 had only two inexperienced employees and a budget of less than $300,000. But thanks to Richard and many others we were able to expand over the next decade to a seasoned and talented staff of 30 full, part-time and contract employees, and a budget of almost $3 million The BGA once again was a watchdog with sharp teeth and a loud bark. Richard was indeed our "angel," and I hope he is now among other angels, looking down with a smile and his distinctive high-pitched laugh at earthlings like us—and there are many—whose success in the nonprofit space is a direct result of his big heart and his prodigious generosity. Andy Shaw covered politics and government at ABC 7 and ran the Better Government Association. He now chairs the CHANGE Illinois Action Fund board. [email protected]