In a wave of new giving and increased participation, donors contributed nearly $56.7 million in philanthropic support to East Carolina University in 2023–24.
Total donations raised include $24.4 million for key campus priorities, $19.9 million for ECU Athletics and $11.8 million for health sciences priorities. Fiscal year giving demonstrated benefactors’ goodwill toward ECU and followed momentum built during the university’s historic Pursue Gold campaign. Pirate Nation saw an increase in alumni programs and alumni engagement in advocacy, networking and outreach within the university’s colleges and programs compared to the previous year.
“We are fortunate to have a growing base of alumni and friends who support this university and care deeply about ECU. The generosity of our philanthropic donors drives our strategic priorities,” said Chancellor Philip Rogers. “Every gift helps this institution thrive and helps us fulfill our mission every day.”
Giving in fiscal year 2024 contributed to the momentum of the university’s historic Pursue Gold campaign. (Photo by George Crocker)
Notable donations during the fiscal year included:
- $4.5 million from Richard Twilley ’89 to establish ECU as a leader in sales education with a commitment to the College of Business (COB). His investment established the Richard G. Twilley Academy of Sales Leadership in the COB and was a highlight of the university’s Pursue Gold campaign.
- $1.5 million from Lance Clark and Heath Clark of Bill Clark Homes to support the Pirates Unite Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence. The investment will advance the planned multi-purpose indoor facility and baseball expansion building. Bill Clark Homes and the Clark family have invested more than $3.5 million in the campaign over the past two years.
- 1 million dollars from the Service League from Greenvillea scholarship program of the School of Nursing. The Service League of Greenville Undergraduate Nursing Scholarship Endowment was one of the first major gifts of the ECU Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm that supports ECU Health and the Health Sciences Campus of ECU.
- A real estate donation from Dennis Ross established an endowment to support the Williams-Ross Purple Pantry. With the donation, Ross supported an important campus cause and honored his friend and philanthropist Dr. Billy Williams.
- Donations from Michael Granet totaling over $100,000 to equip the School of Dental Medicine’s Community Service Learning Center (CSLC) of Brunswick County. Granet invested in and helped the school acquire state-of-the-art equipment for the CSLC that allows the nursing team to create scans for dental imaging instead of taking impressions.
- A gift from the Monet Richardson Community Foundation to establish the Krissy Richardson Memorial Scholarship in the College of Health and Human Performance. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a student pursuing a degree in social work in memory of Kristian “Krissy” Monet Richardson ’20.
“There is incredible work being done at our university, and these gifts demonstrate the willingness of others to invest in our institution and our future,” said Rogers. “These gifts reinforce our efforts to provide transformative experiences for all students and be an engine of access and progress for our region.”
Richard Twilley, right, visits with John Chapman and his class in the College of Business. Twilley invested $4.5 million at ECU to establish the Richard G. Twilley Academy of Sales Leadership at COB. (Photo by Rhett Butler)
Sporting priorities
The university has also broadened its priorities and expanded its support for ECU Athletics. Donations that have supported the campaign’s efforts to raise $60 million for ECU Athletics include donations from TowneBank, the Curtis Struyk family, the Derek Dunn family, Paul and Sybil Trevisan, and Coach Mike and Amanda Houston to ECU Athletics’ Pirates Unite campaign.
Support in setting up
More than 2,800 Pirates donated during the eighth annual Pirate Nation Gives on March 20, exceeding all expectations, increasing participation by 21% and raising more than $8.6 million to support the university. In the first minute of the day, 64 donors made gifts, sparking donations from campus and across the country.
The year also included the closure of ECU’s multi-year comprehensive Pursue Gold campaign, This raised more than $526 million for university priorities. More than 400 individuals, households and organizations have been accepted into ECU’s most prestigious donor societies in recognition of their support.
Pirates connect
Pirate Nation welcomed alumni and friends to events on campus and at gatherings from Wilmington to Los Angeles. For the second year in a row, the ECU Alumni Association (ECUAA) increased its involvement. More than 6,700 pirates participated in 159 events, a 41% increase in attendance over the previous year.
ECUAA also launched its first relief initiative in April. More than 350 people participated in 614 volunteer hours. The total impact of this first initiative resulted in 25 projects and an estimated economic impact of more than $19,500.
MORE BLOGS
