2024 Pirate Club Updates

Pirate Club Members:

As we begin 2024, the Pirate Club staff wanted to update you on a few items and get you prepared for the year ahead. We have great excitement and anticipation for what we can accomplish in the next 12 months. We are thankful for the amazing support we receive from our Pirate Club members and are extremely grateful for all that you have done.

We invite you to explore the 2024 Pirate Club Membership Packet here, and to get involved in any capacity to move the Pirate Club and ECU Athletics forward. When individuals and businesses make the decision to give, it is not about making a donation. You are truly making a difference in the lives of our student-athletes, and you are providing the resources necessary to compete at the highest level in the American Athletic Conference.

ARRRGH YOU A PIRATE? Revised REP Program
One of the main goals of the Pirate Club in 2024 is to increase membership. Membership has stayed relatively flat following the pandemic and it is imperative we continue to increase our overall numbers.

You will see a new marketing initiative, ARRRGH YOU A PIRATE? later this month to encourage individuals to join the Pirate Club at any level and raise awareness of the IMPACT FUND and its importance to ECU Athletics. The IMPACT FUND is vital to the success of ECU Athletics with an anticipated $8 million-plus scholarship bill.

Donations to the IMPACT FUND not only give donors an annual membership, priority in terms of tickets and parking, they directly impact the ability of the Pirate Club to fund scholarships. Becoming a Pirate Club member is an annual commitment for as little as $8.33 a month or $100 annually. We have monthly payment plans that can be set up by calling the Pirate Club offices. Please check out the 2024 Pirate Club Membership Packet for the different levels you can join.

As part of the ARRRGH YOU A PIRATE? program, we are making updates to our Rep Program. We are opening the program to all current Pirate Club members to increase overall reach to recruit new members to join the Pirate Club.

Under the new program, current Pirate Club members can recruit new individuals and businesses to become members and priority points will be issued to your account. Once a new member joins, the existing Pirate Club member will fill out a form online here and they will receive five priority points.

We need to ensure that all fans and supporters of the Pirates are annual Pirate Club members.

Pirate Club Pledge Day
The inaugural Pirate Club Pledge Day will be on Jan. 23. This is a special event to encourage membership renewal at the beginning of each year. On this day when a pledge is made, you will earn double priority points on what is paid to your membership on Pirate Club Pledge Day. You can pay in full or start a monthly draft for up to 12 months. There will be prizes and giveaways throughout the day via the Pirate Club social media channels. Anyone who has renewed their membership on or before Jan. 23 will be eligible for prizes!

Support the Pirates in Charlotte
The Pirate Club will be hosting a pregame social at Flying Saucer in Charlotte on Saturday, February 3 prior to the men's basketball game in Charlotte. The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. and we have reserved a space for Pirate fans. Please RSVP here! Tickets for the game are available through the Charlotte Athletics Ticket Office.

Pirates Unite Campaign Update; New Benefits
Our staff couldn't be more thrilled about the Pirates Unite Campaign, the support of so many individuals and businesses, and the progress that has been made in 19 months. We have a commitment to excellence within our athletics department and this campaign will allow us to transform the experiences of our student-athletes for the years ahead.

We understood when the campaign was launched that it was the largest undertaking of its kind in ECU Athletics and Pirate Club history. We also were fully aware all the funds needed to be raised before we could begin the individual projects. The Minges Coliseum Renovation was completed after it was fully funded, and we are getting close on other projects.

As we speak to potential donors, our message is simple. This is an opportunity to invest in our student-athletes now and in the future. We need your help to get to the finish line on the Isley Indoor Performance Center and the expansion of the current baseball building. We have surpassed 50 percent of our $60 million goal and have secured nearly 80 percent of the investments needed on the indoor facility and approximately 70 percent on the baseball building expansion.

As we kick off 2024, we are announcing new benefits for donations to the campaign which also include double priority points.

To learn more about "Pirates Unite: The Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence," please visit the website and see the different projects. You can also contact any Pirate Club staff member by clicking here.

Pirate Club trip to West Point
We are in the initial stages of planning an overnight trip to West Point, New York for the 2024 ECU Football game against Army. We will receive date of the game in mid-February when it is released by the conference and then release final details. The package will include a charter flight, hotel room for one night, tickets to the game and an invitation to a special event on Friday night.

In addition, when the schedule is finalized, we will be sending out additional away game football tailgates in conjunction with ECU Alumni Association.

Football Season Tickets
Mark your calendars for Feb. 5 when 2024 football season tickets go on sale. New sales and renewals will begin, and the priority deadline is set for April 8. Dates for the conference games are expected to be released in mid-February. Stay tuned for new incentives for season-ticket holders.

Pirate Club Executive Committee
We are extremely fortunate and thankful to have an engaged Pirate Club Executive Committee who provide tremendous leadership throughout the year to the Pirate Club and ECU Athletics.

The Pirate Club Executive Committee elected new officers in December. The Executive Committee is led by President Sean Smith of Charlotte, Executive Vice President Lance Clark of Bill Clark Homes, Immediate Past President Tony Cannon, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Greenville Utilities Commission. Longtime Pirate Club member Glenn Hall was elected as Director Emeritus.

Current members include Meredith Hinton (Greenville), Richard Twilley (Davidson), Sandra Warren (Washington), Harold Varner III (Charlotte), Kenneth Blizzard (Kinston), Landon Minges (Greenville), Margaret Henry (Raleigh), Gary Dunstan (Kitty Hawk) and Todd Mitchum (Greenville).

During the final meeting of 2023, new members were elected to begin serving in 2024. New members for 2024 are:

Mickey Foster (Pinehurst) – Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Graduate of East Carolina University.
Tom Brown (Greenville) – Vice President, Brown & Wood Automotive. East Carolina University graduate.
Tomekia Blackmon (Greenville) – COO/Clinical Director, Corrine's Case Management. ECU women's basketball letterwinner and graduate. Elected to ECU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
Brett Oliverio (Greenville) – Owner of Sup Dogs
Wes Johnson (Powder Springs, Ga.) – Retired owner of a product development, marketing and sales company. ECU College of Business graduate.
Dekota Marshall (Jacksonville) – Owner of 1^st & Goal Hauling, Inc. Former ECU Football letterwinner and graduate.

We are looking forward to working with all the new members to help navigate ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club forward through the rapidly changing collegiate landscape.

Donor Advised Funds
Giving to the Pirate Club and ECU Athletics from your Donor Advised Fund (DAF) is simple! You can recommend a grant from your fund to the ECU Educational Foundation by providing the following information to the sponsoring organization:

Legal Name: ECU Educational Foundation, Inc.
Federal Tax ID: 56-6061192
Mailing Address: 304 Ward Sports Medicine Building, Mail Stop 158, 1000 E Fifth St., Greenville, NC 27858-4353
Gift Designation: Name of ECU Athletics' campaign, sport program, or fund where the grant should be directed

Each sponsoring organization has forms for recommending these grants, which you can access online or by contacting your DAF sponsoring organization. That organization will distribute the grant directly to the ECU Educational Foundation to support Pirate Athletics.

Donor Advised Fund (DAF) contributions and IRA contributions to capital campaigns, facility, endowments, and sport-specific and departmental excellence funds are eligible to receive priority points associated with the gift. Payments for annual fund and premium seating should be paid through other methods. Donor-advised funds may not be used for anything that will provide a personal benefit.

Because donors receive a personal benefit for annual fund and premium seating payments (access to a premium area and/or ability to purchase seats in a specific area and quantity), these are not eligible grants from Donor-advised funds.

Thank you for continued support of the Pirate Club and ECU Athletics.

Ryan Robinson
Pirate Club Executive Director

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