Delta Waterfowl Forms Planned Giving Department to Deliver More for Ducks and Duck Hunters

Benson, Shields will lead new initiative to increase philanthropic impact

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — Delta Waterfowl has launched a new dedicated Planned Giving Department to help visionary conservation supporters secure a lasting legacy for ducks and duck hunters. Delta welcomes Bob Benson and J. Pierce Shields as senior directors of planned giving to lead the new initiative. 

“The strategic expansion into planned giving marks a significant milestone for Delta Waterfowl,” said Eric Lindstrom, Delta’s chief development officer. “Pierce Shields and Bob Benson are talented leaders who bring extensive expertise and experience in legacy giving. They will work closely with Delta’s fundraising team and supporters to expand opportunities for long-term philanthropic impact. Ultimately, that leads to more ducks and better duck hunting.”

Planned Giving allows visionary individuals to secure the future of waterfowl hunting and conservation through thoughtful estate gifts such as bequests, land holdings, charitable trusts, IRA beneficiary designations, appreciated securities, and more. These gifts often provide meaningful tax advantages while ensuring resources flow to support Delta’s conservation programs and endowments in perpetuity.

For Delta Waterfowl, expanding the business of planned giving is essential because fulfilling the mission of using science-based solutions to produce more ducks, conserve prairie wetlands, and ensure the future of waterfowl hunting requires sustained, long-term funding. 

“Planned gifts create an enduring foundation to help fund multi-generational efforts such as wetland habitat conservation, duck production, and public access initiatives that outlast any single campaign or fiscal year,” Lindstrom said.

Benson, a native of western Pennsylvania, moved to Texas in 1993 to dedicate his career to wildlife and natural resources conservation. He has been a leader in this space for several conservation organizations over the past three decades. He’s also an avid outdoorsman.  

“I look forward to helping Delta grow a vibrant planned giving program and to fostering meaningful relationships with benefactors to secure and steward legacy gifts to support important conservation work long into the future,” Benson said.

Shields, who holds J.D. and LL.M. degrees, is a lifelong waterfowl hunter raised in the marshes of Delaware Bay. Most recently, he has worked as a national director of advancement for the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Second Amendment Foundation.

“Planned giving transforms personal legacies into permanent protections for the ducks, wetlands, and hunting traditions we all cherish,” Shields said. “It ensures that future generations of waterfowlers will experience the same abundant flights and wild places that have defined our passion for over a century.”

Delta invites our members, partners, and friends across North America to explore how a planned gift can align with your values and support Delta's vital conservation work forever. For more information or to discuss your legacy options, visit our Planned Giving page at deltawaterfowl.giftlegacy.com or contact bbenson@deltawaterfowl.org or pshields@deltawaterfowl.org directly.

Delta Waterfowl is The Duck Hunters Organization, a leading conservation group founded in 1911 that uses science-based solutions to produce ducks, conserve prairie wetlands, and ensure the future of waterfowl hunting in North America. Visit deltawaterfowl.org.