On the path to securing their future financial health, Nate Farley and Whitney Hake found a way to help secure conservation success of Ducks Unlimited at the same time. The young Denver-area couple learned that investing early in life insurance could lower the cost of leaving a legacy not only for each other but also for DU.

"As Whitney and I started planning for our financial future, we realized that we were extremely underprepared in terms of life insurance benefits," Nate says. "We also discovered that millennials can get a significant amount of life insurance coverage for a relatively small sum of money. This is a good way for young people to support DU."

By listing Ducks Unlimited as a beneficiary on their policies, Nate and Whitney could protect their financial futures and cement their conservation legacies at the same time. Through their planned gift, the couple became members of DU's prestigious Feather Society.

"For us, becoming Feather Society members was an easy decision, just as it should be for any young professional wishing to leave a lasting conservation legacy," Nate explains. "Many people have life insurance that is fully paid for by their company, and it costs nothing to name Ducks Unlimited as a beneficiary on that policy."

Nate, who serves on DU's national development and marketing and communications committees, traces his involvement with the organization to a conversation he had with a DU volunteer at a Denver sports show. He and Whitney had just moved to the area, and wanting to make new friends, Nate quickly agreed to help the local committee. "I wish that I had more noble goals, but I joined originally to find some hunting buddies," he says.

A few years later, Nate and Whitney founded and chaired the Denver Sponsor Gala, the top Ducks Unlimited event in the country for two years running. Over the past three years, the dinner has grown from netting $170,000 to more than $810,000. The committee works hard to make this annual event the place to be, especially for young professionals.

"We throw a party for people who are well-connected, and in the process, we teach them about DU," Nate says. "We have committee members who have not hunted a day in their lives, but who still want to be involved."