Ingram's December 2022

2022 • Philanthropist of the Year

in line with our Catholic faith,” Terry says. “We do donate to a number of schools for those who can be assisted with a hand up—basically, services for those at risk really have our attention. The experience and evangelization of faith is very import to us.” When you have a passion for almost everything, it’s easy to identify a need. “Our giving is pretty broad-based,” Peggy says. “We certainly focus on organizations where we are involved, primarily, where we have a passion and generally where we believe in the leadership of that organiza tion and the fact that they are using best practices. But it can be the gamut from religious institution, social service agen cies, the arts and culture, health care, and education. We don’t simply focus on one area like so many foundations with their philanthropical focus. Terry and I are far more liberal in our giving as far as who we give to and the causes, but we do have a passion always, for those we donate to.” Two-way consensus, then, isn’t hard to achieve. “When things pop up, we do talk,” Ter ry says, “but typically, we look at what was done in previous years, and unless there is something meaningful that has come up, we’re close in line to previous years.” The task is simplified somewhat by their diverse interests. Their engagement logbook, past and present, includes service to more than 100 civic, educational and non-profit charities, yet you can count on one hand the number of organizations where their service and support have overlapped. “I’m involved in some organizations where Terry is not; sometimes he’s in volved in something I’m not, but he’s certainly willing to support those when I bring them up,” Peggy says. “We do talk, but he has certain things he’s ultra-pas sionate about and wants to give to, and I support those, as well. We do try not to have surprises, but generally, we’re both passionate about the same things.” But their gifts are not entirely unre stricted. Terry Dunn didn’t assume leader ship of a multi-billion-dollar construction company without a keen grasp of metrics, and he draws on that experience when as sessing impact. “With any major commitments we do want to see measurement; we want to see that the charity is viable and has an im pact,” he says. “The bottom line on mea

suring what they are doing and how they are using money donated to them is ex tremely important. Basically, you get reports, in some cases quarterly reports or annual reports, but again, we want to know how many lives are being impacted: are they impacted from a quality stand point and in a positive way.” The metrics, then, become “very im portant. It’s almost like investing in a business—investing in a charity with a re turn, doing the good they promised to do. Accountability is very important.”

age others to share in that opportunity. We have a great legacy as a city, but the challenge going forward is how to move toward truly becoming that City on a Hill vs. where we are today.” Peggy points to the remarkable growth of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, which now manages more than $5 billion in assets, as an indicator of increased philanthropic spirit. Much of that growth has come from a kind of de mocratization of philanthropy, with the region securing more small donors, and becoming less reliant on titans of com merce with names like Bloch, Hall and Helzberg to lead the way. “I think you can look at that founda tion and growth there to know that Kan sas City still, on a per-capita basis, is one of the most philanthropic communities in the nation,” she says. “Perhaps there are, as you say, more people giving and per haps not as recognizable as certain specif ic names. A quieter giver, I suppose, but I do think people are extraordinarily gen erous. When I work on capital campaigns, I’m amazed at finding folks who we’ll approach who I sometimes don’t even know, but they give generously to caus es they believe in. I think Kansas City is holding its own.” Carrying that Kansas City spirit into a new generation, the Dunns have worked diligently to instill their level of commit ment to four children— Patrick, Brian, Katie, and Michael. “At some point, when we mature from this life, we hope to have left a foundation that our children will oversee and be in volved in,” Peggy says. “Even at this stage of our lives, we’re trying to educate and en courage philanthropy with them. Really, if our kids can live lives of charitable giv ing and philanthropic focus, I think that would be a great legacy.” “I’m a believer,” Terry says, “that you can plant many trees, but those who en joy the shade need to be to the mothers and fathers of that going forward. We try to be as invisible as we can be, but hope we can impact somebody else who follows in those footsteps to invest in areas of the greatest need. As far as my own legacy? I’m not concerned. When I’m in the grave, it really doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, if we can inspire others to pick up the baton on their own, that’s the legacy I’d be very interested in.”

Ingram’s Philanthropists of the Year

2021: Mick and Marlys Haverty 2020: John Sherman

Of Philanthropy and Legacy They haven’t just been part of a Kan sas City legacy of giving; they have helped shape it. The metropolitan area has long enjoyed a reputation for being a nation al leader in philanthropy, and the Dunns would like to see that reputation stand. But in a post-pandemic world, with the threat of deep recession looming, there are reasons to worry. On the upside, “I can think of a num ber of individuals over the last 10 years who have been able to create wealth and reinvest in their own foundations, many of them quite substantial, but who are not interested in advertising what they are doing,” Terry says. “The other side is, we need to be very aware that the engagement level of Corporate America is somewhat meandering. We must make sure we are engaging the business leaders of today to be proactively engaged with time, talent and treasure and giving back to this com munity. That would be an area I think that deserves dialogue and encouragement. “I believe we are always changing and don’t think we can drive the car backwards by looking in the rear-view mirror. We have to look forward, we have to encour 2019: Shirley and Barnett Helzberg 2018: Kent and Charlie Sunderland 2017: Bill Dunn, Sr. and Henry Bloch

26

I n g r a m ’ s

December 2022

Ingrams.com