Major Gifts and Gift Planning
Numerous Major Sponsors Support DU's Chesapeake Bay CARE Initiative
In May more than 220 Ducks Unlimited volunteers and supporters gathered at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront to learn more about DU's Chesapeake Bay CARE Initiative. The evening's program included presentations by DU Chairman of the Board John Tomke, Senior Group Manager of Conservation Programs Dr. Alan Wentz, and Regional Biologist Spencer Waller. The enthusiasm generated that evening helped DU sign up 16 new Life Sponsors, three Diamond Life Sponsors, and two Sponsors in Perpetuity.
The goal of the Chesapeake Bay CARE Initiative is to enhance, restore, and protect habitats critical to Chesapeake Bay waterfowl, other wetland-dependent species, and people. Major Sponsor commitments toward Chesapeake Bay CARE will benefit habitat programs in both Chesapeake Bay and the Prairie Pothole Region. Chesapeake Bay is the nation's largest estuary, draining 64,000 square miles. The bay's wetlands support more than a third of the Atlantic Flyway's wintering and migrating waterfowl, including black ducks, mallards, canvasbacks, and Canada geese. The majority of the diving ducks that visit Chesapeake Bay are raised in the Prairie Pothole Region.
Ducks Unlimited would like to thank event cochairmen Richard C. Riggs and Henry G. Hagan for their generous commitments, and all the new Major Sponsors, including Sponsors in Perpetuity Henry G. Hagan and Robert Lepczyk; Diamond Life Sponsors Edwin Hale, Bill Meredith, and Rick White; and Life Sponsors Greg Barnhill, Mike Batza, William Boyd, C. Edmund Connelly, Edward (Ned) Grassi, Wayne C. Johnson, James King, Roland Mackenzie, John McDonald, P. Anthony Meredith, William R. Miles, Terry Randall, Mike Reid, George Rich, Peter Van Dyke, and Howard Wolfe.
For more information about DU's Chesapeake Bay CARE Initiative, contact Phil Poux, DU director of development, at 410-224-6620 or ppoux@ducks.org .
Hog Island Shoreline Restoration Project in Virginia Dedicated in Memory of Cary and Chip Brierre
On March 19, a portion of the shoreline on the Hog Island Waterfowl Management Area in Surry County was dedicated in memory of longtime DU volunteers Cary and Chip Brierre of Glen Allen, Virginia. Cary and Chip were killed in an airplane crash in December 1999. Days before his death, Chip had pledged to become a Life Sponsor at a DU conservation seminar. There was an immediate response by many of Cary and Chip's friends to complete their Life Sponsor pledge and memorialize the Brierres with a project in their name.
These generous donations enabled DU to assist the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to help restore shoreline that had deteriorated from erosion and damage from Hurricane Isabel. The 300 feet of riprap on this peninsula in the James River will protect the shoreline from erosion, providing improved habitat for thousands of ducks, geese, and shorebirds and a scenic landscape to be enjoyed by all visitors to the wildlife management area.
Ducks Unlimited would like to thank the DU Virginia Major Sponsors responsible for this restoration and memorial to Cary and Chip Brierre: Jeffrey W. Black of Midlothian, Beverley and Susan Crump of Richmond, Elaine and the late Biggy Hunt of South Boston, Rich and Joyce Johnson of Richmond, Gayle and Henry Miller IV of Richmond, Thomas and Cheryl O'Connor of Suffolk, and Michael Sandusky of Charles City.
Support DU Today and Plan for DU Tomorrow
As a dedicated Ducks Unlimited member, you have the opportunity to help assure a living legacy of quality wetland habitat by becoming a member of DU's Major Sponsor program through either a current cash gift or a planned gift through the Feather Society.
Ducks Unlimited's Major Gift Program today recognizes more than 6,000 members. With your Major Gift pledge or upgrade, you are making a significant commitment to the cause of wetland conservation. These gifts allow DU to meet current goals of restoring critical habitat throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico for waterfowl and the hundreds of species that call our wetlands home. For new and upgrade pledges, all cumulative giving credit is applicable. Although most individuals fulfill their commitment through event attendance and gifts of cash, other options include gifts of stock, real estate, and other assets. (All gifts of property are subject to Ducks Unlimited's approval.)
Individuals who make a Major Gift commitment will receive a lifetime subscription to Ducks Unlimited magazine, recognition in the Ducks Unlimited Annual Report, an appropriate Major Gift pin and decal, and a personalized plaque upon completion of their pledge. As DU's most active philanthropists, Major Sponsors are also invited to a number of events and activities that keep them informed of DU's conservation goals and achievements and actively involved in the organization.
By making a planned gift to Ducks Unlimited's Feather Society, you can help ensure the health and welfare of our continent's treasured and vital wetlands for future generations. Increasing numbers of dedicated conservationists are making that commitment. Today, there are more than 4,900 members who have made commitments to the Feather Society, totaling over $190 million.
Gifts large and small are making a real impact, and there are many ways to support DU in your estate plan. Several of the vehicles used in estate planning are mutually beneficial and provide attractive tax savings for both the donor and their family. Popular options include:
Charitable Gift Annuity • Life Insurance • Real Estate/Property • Retirement Plan • Trusts • Will
Membership in the Feather Society is a great way to help maintain, enhance, and conserve critical habitat, while leaving a legacy for your children, grandchildren, and the generations that follow. Let Ducks Unlimited work with you and your attorney and financial advisors to help you arrange a gift plan that best suits your goals and needs.
The need for wetland conservation is great. We hope you make the decision to join Ducks Unlimited's Major Sponsor program today. For more information on the Major Gift program, please contact Anita Tyler, manager of major gift stewardship, by phone at 901-758-3871 or by email at atyler@ducks.org. For more information on the Feather Society or for a personal proposal on the benefits you will enjoy by planning a charitable gift for DU, please contact Jon Rich, director of gift planning, at 901-758-3763 or jrich@ducks.org .
DU Dedicates Illinois Wetland Honoring Michael Hitchcock
On July 20, more than 100 Ducks Unlimited supporters dedicated the Hitchcock Wetlands in honor of Michael Hitchcock Sr. of Lewiston, Illinois. A member of Ducks Unlimited for more than 15 years, Hitchcock contributed $40,000 to the restoration of this wetland site, which qualifies him as a Heritage Sponsor. This gift is the largest individual donation made to a DU project in the state of Illinois.
In addition to Hitchcock's generous gifts, he helped Ducks Unlimited establish a partnership with Caterpillar Inc. of Peoria, Illinois, to help restore this project and other wetland restoration efforts in the Illinois River watershed. Bulldozers, hydraulic excavators, and multitrain loaders are used to excavate ground, grade roads, and dig ditches. Caterpillar underwrites the cost of the use of these machines from Altorfer Rents and has given DU $120,000 to restore Illinois River habitat.
The Hitchcock Wetlands is part of the 1,383-acre Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area located three miles west of Canton. This vital waterfowl area serves as a roosting site for migrating ducks and geese and also provides breeding habitat for mallards, wood ducks, and blue-winged teal. Since 2000, DU and its partners have invested more than $7 million in wetland conservation work within the Illinois River watershed. DU has identified another $1.8 million of immediate wetland conservation needs in the Illinois River valley.
Ducks Unlimited is grateful to Michael Hitchcock, Caterpillar, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for their generous support of wetland conservation work within the Illinois River watershed.
Gerald Black Makes Lead Gift for DU's Florida Initiative
Attendees at the annual Florida DU state convention celebrated the launch of DU's Florida Wetlands Conservation Initiative with a lead gift of $100,000 from Gerald Black of Lakeland, Florida. The check was presented at an awards banquet held on April 22. DU Benefactor and former Regional Vice President Jared Brown made an additional commitment to the initiative at the event.
The Florida Wetlands Conservation Initiative will protect, restore, and enhance 32,000 wetland acres in Florida over the next five years at a cost of $14 million. Florida's wetlands provide critical habitat for migratory and locally raised waterfowl, as well as a variety of other fish and wildlife. A primary focus of this initiative will be conserving peninsular Florida's wetlands and raising funds for habitat conservation projects on northern breeding areas that are important to waterfowl that visit Florida.
For additional information about the Florida Wetlands Conservation Initiative, please contact Brett Baker, director of development, by phone at 843-377-0667 or by email at bbaker@ducks.org.