Planned giving opportunities provide our members and supporters with the chance to help secure the future of ducks and duck hunting – The “Delta Waterfowl Legacy Fund” will help secure gifts and pledges to keep Delta on solid financial ground for the next generation and beyond. If you are considering Delta as part of your estate plan, please feel free to contact us and share any questions you may have. We may be able to help you and answer any questions about the Legacy Fund or a specific program of interest to you.
For more information on Delta Waterfowl's Legacy Fund please contact J.D. "Pepper" Petersen at 888-987-3695 or pepper@deltawaterfowl.org.
Tennessee Man First to Join Delta’s Legacy Fund
Louis Pope first learned about Delta Waterfowl while visiting a display booth during the Wings over the Prairie Festival in Stuttgart, Arkansas, the cradle of U.S. duck hunting.
It was the late 1990s, and Delta was a mere shadow of the conservation organization it is today. Its membership program had just been launched and barely topped 1,000 supporters. Delta was in the early stages of its predator management program. There was no such thing as a Delta Waterfowl banquet. And the award-winning magazine you hold in your hands was a photocopied newsletter.
But as Pope talked ducks and duck hunting with Delta’s Rob Olson and Jim Fisher, he knew these “Northern Boys” spoke his language.
“I knew from the get-go that these were my kind of guys,” said Pope of Fayette County, Tennessee. “They had the fire. You could see it.”
Over the years, Pope had been a member of numerous conservation groups, and he thrived on learning all he could about the outdoors. But he had a special reverence for ducks and duck hunting, making him a perfect fit for Delta Waterfowl.
Pope, who owns a hunt club in Arkansas, became one of Delta’s first members in Arkansas and soon learned all he could about its conservation programs: Hen Houses, Adopt-A-Pothole and Predator Management. Through the years, he continued to support Delta and witnessed the organization’s growth and program impact.
During a recent visit with Delta Senior Vice President John Devney, Pope told him he had developed his estate plan, and that he’d be leaving Delta his duck club/farm, a specially managed property that encompasses some of the best hunting ground that Arkansas has to offer.
Someday, Delta will work with a conservation-minded buyer and use the proceeds of the sale to support its efforts on the breeding grounds. Through his generosity and work with Delta Waterfowl, Pope is ensuring a brighter future for waterfowl and waterfowl hunting.
“God has blessed me with more than I could have ever imagined, and I’m just so pleased to be able to give back to a duck organization that gives so much back to ducks and duck hunters,” said Pope. “I really feel good about this.”
If you have already included Delta in your estate plans, please let us know. We’d like to learn about your decision and recognize you for your commitment. Not only will your gift make a meaningful difference for Delta, but your estate can recognize substantial tax savings through a carefully thought-out plan.
If you have yet to develop a plan but would like more information about giving opportunities to Delta’s Legacy Fund, please contact Delta Waterfowl's J.D. "Pepper" Petersen. He can be reached at either 888-987-3695 or pepper@deltawaterfowl.org. Pepper will be happy to work with you, your attorney and financial advisors to develop a plan that meets your long-term financial objectives and helps fulfill our mission.