Pirate Nation Gives surpasses expectations

Donations came from campus and across oceans as more than 2,300 Pirates answered the call to support East Carolina University during Pirate Nation Gives.

The seventh annual day of giving on March 22 surpassed expectations and raised more than $11.8 million in support of university priorities, including student scholarships, health care initiatives, athletics, and faculty and program support. It was the final Pirate Nation Gives to be held during the Pursue Gold campaign and continued the steady course of the university’s ambitious effort to raise $500 million.

“Thank you, Pirate Nation, for being part of an outstanding day of giving at ECU. We asked for you to be all hands on deck for the university, and you rose to every challenge,” Chancellor Philip Rogers said. “Your gifts and enthusiastic support of ECU allow the university to fearlessly pursue our mission. Because of you, ECU will provide more access to a top-tier education and continue providing innovative initiatives to transform and uplift the region we call home.”

The generous support shown by all of Pirate Nation was led by Pat ’67 and Lynn Lane, annual supporters of Pirate Nation Gives. Their leadership gift will support the EC Scholars program and the Honors College.

Notable gifts this year include:

• Keith Beatty ’73, who has endowed access and athletics scholarships with a gift of more than $980,000;
• ECU Trustee Cassie Burt and husband Travis, who have committed to a professorship;
• Todd Ervin ’94, who gave $25,000 toward the Todd & Elizabeth Ervin College of Business ROTC Scholarship Endowment;
• Cheryl and John Oliver, who provided a Pirate Nation Gives challenge gift of $25,000 in addition to a bequest and planned gift in support of the Coastal Studies Institute;
• Darrell Roberts, a technology systems student, who has donated $5,000 to start a scholarship in the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology program;
• Nicholas Steward ’07 ’11, who established a scholarship endowment in the College of Nursing in memory of his wife, Christina Hill Steward ’07.

Students, faculty and staff participated in Pirate Nation Gives through a variety of on-campus initiatives aimed at building engagement. Students accounted for 20% of the day’s donors. Hundreds visited tables at the campus student centers and the College of Business Student Technology Center to share social media posts, snap up philanthropy cords, thank donors and support the cause.

Leaderboards on the Pirate Nation Gives website tracked support for areas of campus and encouraged giving with a competitive spirit. Numerous social media challenges gave participants the opportunity to win bonus money for their favorite ECU area or fund.

For more information about the many ways to give to ECU, visit ECU University Advancement.

ECU is in the public phase of the Pursue Gold campaign to raise half a billion dollars. This ambitious effort will create new paths to success for Pirates on campus, across the country and around the world. Donor gifts during the campaign will keep us constantly leading and ready to advance what’s possible. Learn more at pursuegold.ecu.edu.

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