GREENVILLE, N.C. – The ECU Educational Foundation (Pirate Club) achieved the highest single-year fundraising total in its history with generous donors investing $36,743,828 million in new gifts and commitments in 2022, Pirate Club Executive Director Ryan Robinson announced Thursday. The $36.7 million surpasses the previous mark set in 2016 by nearly $4 million.
The department's fundraising efforts in 2022, led by the Pirate Club staff and ECU Director of Athletics Jon Gilbert, include the third and fourth largest gifts in history. The four largest gifts in Pirate Club history have come in the last four years.
"We are so thankful and appreciative to our generous donors for the incredible support we receive annually and for making 2022 a record-breaking year," Gilbert said. "The significant support is a testament to the belief our donors have in ECU Athletics and our 400-plus student-athletes. The scholarship funds raised annually allow us to provide a transformative experience for our student-athletes on and off the field. We are fortunate to have a dedicated and committed Pirate Club staff who are working daily on behalf of all Pirates."
More than 11,000 individuals or businesses chose to contribute to the Pirate Club in 2022 including 5,574 new donors. Contributions to the Pirate Club annual fund in 2022 totaled $6.4 million in support of student-athlete scholarships. Gifts and commitments that contributed to the record-breaking year include endowments/philanthropic support, premium seating and gifts-in-kind and contributing services.
"On behalf of the Pirate Club staff, we want to thank our Pirate Club members who made the choice to invest in ECU Athletics and for making 2022 a historic year for our foundation," Robinson said. "We all faced unprecedented times during the pandemic and to see the outpouring of support from our donors is truly inspiring. The Pirates are a family, and we are all motivated by the generosity and support of the individuals who believe in the momentum of ECU Athletics. We are interested in relationships, not just transactions and we understand that every person matters if we want to take advantage of the incredible opportunity ahead for all of Pirate Nation."
ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club launched "Pirates Unite: The Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence" in May, a $60 million fundraising campaign that will provide critical funds and essential training spaces for all Pirate student-athletes and make an impact on all 18 sport programs and their ability to succeed.
In just seven months, the campaign has generated $15.2 million in investments from 339 gifts. Highlights of the campaign include:
- 57 major gifts ($25,000 or more).
- Five gifts of $1 million or more with two of those coming in over $2 million.
- 23 gifts from $25,000-$99,999, 24 from $100,000-$499,999 and five from $500,000 to $999,999.
"We are positioned for success in a very competitive environment," Gilbert said. "We have several facility enhancements that will transform our athletics footprint, and we simply cannot accomplish these goals without the support of our donors and fans. For the Pirates to continue to compete, we are challenging all of Pirate Nation to engage at all levels."
Pirate Club membership continues to rebound and attract new members following the pandemic with 5,625 current members, an increase of a thousand new members in the past year. The Student Pirate Club (SPC) continued to experience growth with 5,561 members in 2022 including 1,200 new members. Student support increased across the board at football, basketball and baseball games. ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club worked to create designated tailgate and parking areas for student organizations that have helped generate increased student attendance.
"Our student engagement inspires all of us and it makes a huge difference at our events," Robinson added. "It is imperative that we continue to grow our Pirate Club membership which comes with increased engagement and that is a priority in 2023. We have made great strides over the past year, but we need to work diligently to get those individuals and businesses who dropped off several years ago back engaged with ECU Athletics."
The support of Pirate Nation was everywhere in 2022 including a 15 percent increase in football season tickets with 15,835 tickets sold. The Pirates ranked second among all group of five schools in average attendance. The football season-opener against NC State set a Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium record with 51,711 in attendance including a record 13,100 students. Baseball tickets sold out for the first time ever and are trending that way again in 2023.
Sales for premium seats at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium continue to be at an all-time high heading into the 2023. All suites, loges and Trade Club seats sold out in TowneBank Tower for the first time since the building opened in 2019. On the opposite side of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Williams Clark Club had the most seats sold in the area since 2019.
"The pandemic took a toll on college athletic departments across the country, and we are in rare company to come out of it with a 15 percent increase in football season tickets," Gilbert said. "That is a credit to Pirate Nation, the fans that support the Pirates through the ups and downs and are committed to being on this journey with us. We have a lot of momentum headed into 2023 and it's critical that we don't have a drop off in football season tickets."
Another sign of the tremendous support was the increase in Sabre Society members, consisting of individuals or businesses who donate a minimum of $8,250 to the annual fund. The Pirate Club had 167 Sabre Society members in 2022, an increase of 21 members from the year before. In addition, the Pirate Club had 14 Platinum Sabre members, individuals or businesses who give $27,500 or above to annual fund, the most members since 2018.
The Pirate Club also participated in ECU's sixth annual Pirate Nation Gives with an emphasis on sport-specific giving. The day was a tremendous success with $265,000 raised from 909 gifts. Each sports program was challenged to see who could get the most donors to support their restricted fund account. The seventh annual Pirate Nation Gives will be March 22, 2023 and each team will be competing again for the most donors to their funds.
For more information about the Pirate Club, please visit
www.ecupirateclub.com, or contact the offices at (252) 737-4540.
