Support grows for ECU’s mission, strategic priorities in FY ’24

Published Aug 27, 2024 by

Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall

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In a wave of new gifts and increased participation, donors contributed nearly $56.7 million in philanthropic support for East Carolina University in 2023-24.

The fundraising total includes $24.4 million for main campus priorities, $19.9 million for ECU Athletics and $11.8 million for health sciences priorities. Fiscal year donations demonstrated the good will of benefactors toward ECU and followed the momentum built during the university’s historic Pursue Gold campaign. Pirate Nation saw year-over-year increases in alumni programs and in alumni involvement in advocacy, connection and outreach within the university’s colleges and programs.

“We are fortunate to have a growing base of alumni and friends who support this university and care deeply for ECU. The generosity of our philanthropic donors fuels our strategic priorities,” Chancellor Philip Rogers said. “Every gift helps this institution thrive and helps us achieve our mission each and every day.”

Donations during fiscal year ’24 added to the fundraising momentum of the university’s historic Pursue Gold campaign. (Photo by George Crocker)

Notable fiscal year giving 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 has established the Richard G. Twilley Academy of Sales Leadership in the COB and was a capstone 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 proposed multi-purpose indoor facility and the baseball expansion building. Bill Clark Homes and the Clark family have invested more than $3.5 million toward the campaign in the past two years.
$1 million from the Service League of Greenville to createa scholarship program in the College of Nursing. The Service League of Greenville Undergraduate Nursing Scholarship Endowment was one of the first major gifts made through the ECU Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm supporting ECU Health and ECU’s Health Sciences Campus.
A real estate distribution from Dennis Ross created an endowment in support of the Williams-Ross Purple Pantry. Through the gift, Ross supported an important campus cause and honored his friend and humanitarian, Dr. Billy Williams.
Gifts totaling more than $100,000 from Michael Granet that provided equipment for the School of Dental Medicine’s community service learning center (CSLC) in Brunswick County. Granet invested in and helped the school obtain state-of-the-art equipment for the CSLC that allows the care team to provide scans for dental imaging instead of having to take impressions.
A gift from the Monet Richardson Community Foundation establishing the Krissy Richardson Memorial Scholarship in the College of Health and Human Performance. The scholarship will be presented annually to a student seeking a degree in social work in memory of Kristian “Krissy” Monet Richardson ’20.

“Incredible work is happening across our university, and these gifts demonstrate the willingness of others to invest in our institution and in our future,” Rogers said. “These gifts embolden our efforts to offer transformative experiences for all students and to be an engine of access and advancement 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 in the COB. (Photo by Rhett Butler)

Athletic priorities

The university also has advanced its priorities and growth in support for ECU Athletics. Commitments to ECU Athletics’ Pirates Unite Campaign from TowneBank, the Curtis Struyk family, Derek Dunn family, Paul and Sybil Trevisan, and Coach Mike and Amanda Houston are among the gifts that have bolstered the campaign’s effort to raise $60 million for ECU Athletics.

Building support

More than 2,800 Pirates contributed during the eighth Pirate Nation Gives on March 20, surpassing expectations, growing participation by 21% and raising more than $8.6 million in support of university. In the first minute of the day, 64 donors made gifts setting off donations from on campus and across the country.

The year also included the closing of ECU’s multi-year Pursue Gold comprehensive campaign, which raised more than $526 million for university priorities. More than 400 individuals, households and organizations were inducted into ECU’s most distinguished donor societies in recognition of their support.

Connecting Pirates

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 engagement. More than 6,700 Pirates were engaged through 159 events. Participation increased by 41% year-over-year.

ECUAA also launched its first days of service initiative in April. More than 350 people participated in 614 volunteer hours. The collective impact of this inaugural effort resulted in 25 projects and an estimated economic impact of more than $19,500.