Major Gifts and Gift Planning
Sally and Ed Futch Honored for Their Service To DU, Become the First Participants in
DU’s New Charitable Gift Annuity Program
More than 100 friends and admirers were on hand in Galveston on February 19, 2003, to pay tribute to Sally and Ed Futch for their generous support of Ducks Unlimited and its conservation mission. At the dinner, the couple gave $50,000 to become the first participants in Ducks Unlimited’s new Charitable Gift Annuity Program.
The Futches’ passion for the outdoors, conservation, and ornithology led them to Ducks Unlimited. Their association with DU began in 1948 when Ed attended his first local meeting. Ed has served as the local Galveston dinner chairman and sponsor chairman and as a member of the International IWWR Committee. Also, it was his idea to start the Legacy Greenwing Program. Both Sally and Ed were elected DU national trustees in 1998, and have served on the National Development Committee since 1992. They are recognized as being the parents of the Ducks Unlimited gift-planning program—the Feather Society.
Ducks Unlimited is grateful for Sally and Ed’s support. Their most recent gift will be used to ensure that wetlands and the wildlife are there for the enjoyment of future generations. DU would also like to thank dinner hosts and committee members John and Susan Walker, as well as the other members of the dinner committee: Bill and Libbie Ansell; Lee and Gloria Ansell; Brad and Gina Thomas; Don Rouse Sr.; Rusty and Patricia Legg; and Gregg and Carol Rekoff.
What is a Charitable Gift Annuity?
Ducks Unlimited’s Charitable Gift Annuity Program was launched in 2003. This gift planning option provides the donor with a fixed lifetime income, a portion of which is tax-free, as well as an immediate charitable tax deduction. When the gift matures, Ducks Unlimited will receive the remainder assets of the annuity for its conservation mission. For more information about DU’s gift planning program, please contact Jon Rich, director of gift planning, at 901-758-3763 or 800-45-DUCKS.
Major Sponsor Program Changes – Support DU For Life!
On April 21, 2003, the Ducks Unlimited Board of Directors revised the guidelines of the Major Sponsor Program. This revision allows for the application of cumulative membership contributions toward Major Sponsor credit.
Under the new guidelines, individuals making new Major Sponsor pledges will be able to apply previous membership credit to their new pledges. All traditional pledge payment guidelines will continue to apply. Existing Major Sponsors who wish to apply their cumulative membership contributions must commit to upgrade their Major Sponsor membership.
Individuals who become Major Sponsors of Ducks Unlimited will receive a lifetime subscription to the Ducks Unlimited magazine and the Ducks Unlimited Annual Report, the appropriate Major Sponsor pin, a plaque upon completion of their pledge, and invitations to special Major Sponsor events. If you have any questions about the program or would like to join, please contact Andi Holzberger, manager of major gift support, at 901-758-3864.
Join NOW and support DU for Life!
Major Sponsor Membership Levels
Life Sponsor $10,000
Diamond Life Sponsor $20,000
Sponsor in Perpetuity $30,000
Diamond Sponsor in Perpetuity$40,000
Heritage $50,000
Diamond Heritage $75,000
Benefactor $100,000
Legacy $250,000
Gold Legacy $500,000
Platinum Legacy $750,000
Diamond Legacy $1,000,000
Waterfowl Research Foundation and Ducks Unlimited Dedicate
Robert Winthrop Memorial Project
On March 19, 2003, Ducks Unlimited and the Waterfowl Research Foundation honored Robert Winthrop, an avid sportsman and conservationist, by dedicating the Robert Winthrop Memorial Project at Hubbard County Park on Long Island, New York. Winthrop, who died in 1999 at age 95, was a founding member of the Waterfowl Research Foundation and served as Ducks Unlimited’s president from 1955 to 1956.
Robert Winthrop also believed in pressuring the federal government to protect waterfowl nesting areas. As reported in the New York Times, Winthrop and J. C. Boals Jr., a duck-calling champion from Tennessee, decided in 1965 to fight the unrestricted draining of wetlands that was contributing to the decline of the mallard in several states along the Mississippi Flyway. They asked duck hunters to send President Lyndon B. Johnson, a duck hunter himself, postcards with only one word on them: “Ducks.” Boals was to write an explanatory letter to President Johnson, but instead gave his letter to a Congressman, who misunderstood his instructions and delivered it to the Department of the Interior. The White House received 5,460 postcards but no explanation. The eventual discovery of the letter magnified the effect of the lobbying and turned it into a public relations success. The result was a series of laws that has held the annual average loss of wetlands acreage to only a third of what it was in the 1960s.
Long Island, an area Winthrop hunted, has a rich history of waterfowling. Its coastal watersheds constitute an important link in the migratory corridor for waterfowl, especially black ducks and brant. Ducks Unlimited and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation, developed the project to restore 100 acres of salt marsh habitat that had been ditched and drained. The Waterfowl Research Foundation generously provided funding to restore this critical habitat.
Speaking at the dedication, Carroll L. Wainwright Jr., president of the Waterfowl Research Foundation, stated, “What distinguished Bob Winthrop above all was his character. He would love to see the restoration of one of Long Island’s famous salt marshes to its original condition, and he would congratulate all of you who have played a part in bringing about this wonderful project.”