ECU concludes Pirate Nation Gives 2023

East Carolina University’s Division of University Advancement led 2023’s Pirate Nation Gives to success on March 22.

Chancellor Philip Rogers said the tradition of Pirate Nation Gives has been increasingly successful since it began six years ago.

“Pirate Nation Gives is a newer tradition at East Carolina University and has become a successful way for our alumni and students to get involved in giving back to the university,” Rogers said.

The donors of the Pirate community come together for Pirate Nation Gives each year to support the programs that have helped themselves achieve their goals, Rogers said.

In addition to students and staff, Rogers said alumni play an important role in fundraising and giving back to their alma mater each year.

“Our donors make a huge impact on the success of our university, and we are fortunate to have very generous and dedicated alumni who not only give monetarily but also of their time mentoring our students,” Rogers said.

Strategic Initiative and Campaign Manager for University Advancement Nicole Stokes said she is the co-chair of the Pirate Nation Gives Committee and oversees a group of around 50 staff members dedicated to maximizing student and alumni involvement during Pirate Nation Gives.

The focus for this year’s day of giving, Stokes said, was participation and to have “all hands on deck.” Students were encouraged to celebrate the day whether they donate a sum of money or not, Stokes said.

“Ever since we’ve come back to campus as a full, united university, we’ve had opportunities for students to come out to the student centers and post on social media about Pirate Nation Gives or to sign thank you cards to donors that do participate,” Stokes said. “Of course, if a student wants to make an entry-level gift to the university, we’re more than happy to have them as part of our philanthropic family.”

After participating in at least two of these opportunities, students could receive a free Chick-fil-A sandwich, Stokes said.

There were games around campus for students to participate in to send money to the program of their choice, Stokes said. Hide and Seek PeeDee is one of the games students could play, Stokes said.

“Students follow clues on social media from the university to find a stuffed PeeDee doll,” Stokes said. “Once they find that and follow the instructions on the form, they can have a thousand dollars donated to an area on campus of their choosing.”

Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Christopher Dyba said Pirate Nation Gives started very small, but has gained a lot of attention through social media over the years.

Pirate Nation Gives has contributed a significant amount of money to ECU’s Pursue Gold Campaign, the university’s comprehensive fundraising plan that is currently in its final year, Dyba said.

“Every year we continue to raise more and more dollars,” Dyba said. “We do have some big donors that save their gift and want to be part of this day of giving, so a big number has been contributed to the larger campaign.”

All donors have the choice of where their fundraising gift goes, Dyba said. Anyone can also donate to the Treasure Chest Student Emergency Fund, Dyba said, a resource for students in financial crises who cannot pay all of their expenses to attend college.

Smaller donors like students or alumni are who make Pirate Nation Gives special, Dyba said. Gifts from all members of the Pirate community go a long way, he said.

“If we can get an alum, a student or a community member to make their first gift to ECU for example, that’s the purpose of this day,” Dyba said. “We don’t want to get lost in the big fundraising numbers. We also want to celebrate, have some fun and, perhaps, have some people begin their own personal tradition of giving.”