Julianna Margulies was the star attraction at the Steppenwolf's fundraising lunch, the first of two events on March 12, focused on the roles of women and girls.

On Monday in Chicago, two nonprofit groups held fundraisers, both designed to boost women in professional roles.

Julianna Margulies, star of the CBS drama "The Good Wife," was the draw for Steppenwolf Theater Co.'s Women in the Arts benefit lunch, held at the JW Marriott Chicago. Monday evening, 500 fans of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana gathered at The Four Seasons Chicago to celebrate Girl Scouts' 100th anniversary.

The events were a bit alike and a lot different — in ambience, star power and fundraising ambition.

At the Steppenwolf event, a small dose of Hollywood showed up at a pre-lunch, $500-a-ticket VIP reception. Ms. Margulies, dressed in a silk Jeunesse blouse and YSL pants, mingled with guests, as did Steppenwolf co-founder Terry Kinney and ensemble members Marianne Mayberry and Sally Murphy.

At lunch, about 300 women watched a video clip featuring Ms. Margulies' work, then listened to Ms. Margulies and Martha Lavey, Steppenwolf's artistic director, talk about the star's career. The Steppenwolf event grossed $150,000 to fund the company's Professional Leadership Program, which offers internships and apprenticeships to young people interested in theater careers.

A few hours later, women accustomed to a different kind of spotlight — the Wall Street kind — celebrated the organization that, some say, shaped them as leaders. Joining them were a number of men — many more than at the Steppenwolf event — as well as girls decked out in Girl Scout vests and uniforms.

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The mood was jamboree-boisterous, especially when Deborah DeHaas, a former Girl Scout, announced a paddle raise auction. "How can you resist being part of this?" asked Ms. DeHaas, vice chairman and Central region managing partner, Deloitte LLP. Apparently, not many: The 20-minute paddle raise grossed $163,650, almost twice as much as expected. As a result, the Girl Scouts gave away, rather than sold, the hundreds of boxes of cookies they brought to the dinner.

"We promise to lead the next century," announced current Girl Scout Emily Bartusiak, who told the assembled she plans to be a biochemist or intellectual-property attorney. The dinner grossed $865,000 for programs to introduce girls to science, technology, math and engineering, and to encourage girls to pursue leadership careers. (Crain's Chicago Business was one of the event's eight Gold sponsors.)

There was one moment of silence — when a color guard presented the U.S. and the Girl Scout flags before dinner. All stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Then the color guard retired, and the din resumed.