FAQs
At this time, ECU’s crowdfunding website is for use by ECU faculty members, students/student groups with a faculty/staff sponsor who have a project in need of funding, or University Advancement. These projects must further the mission of ECU by supporting university programs and initiatives, with funds raised deposited into an ECU Educational Foundation (Pirate Club), ECU Foundation, or ECU Health Foundation – Health Sciences fund for appropriate disbursement.
Student projects must be related to the ECU student experience and enhance the student’s education or further the student organization’s mission.
There are many reasons someone should make a contribution to a project through ECU’s crowdfunding website, but feeling passionate about that particular cause will likely be the driving factor. These campaigns vary in impact from community outreach and health outcomes to student success and meaningful research. Whatever your reason for giving, know that you directly support those doing great things at ECU.
- From the ECU crowdfunding homepage or the project page of interest, click the “Give/Support” button.
- Enter the dollar total you would like to contribute to the specific campaign. You can make a one-time gift, schedule payments over a certain time period, or make a recurring gift. (Please note your dollar total is reflective of the payment frequency you choose.)
- Follow the remaining steps to complete the online gift form.
- You may also give by phone: (252) ECU-GIVE (252-328-4483).
- Or mail a check to: (Please make check payable to the foundation in which your selected campaign resides. Include name of the crowdfunding project in the memo line.)
Office of Gift Records
Mail Stop 301
East Carolina University
1000 E. 5th Street
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
Your donation will be designated to the fund associated with the crowdfunding project you have chosen to support. Each campaign is tied to a fund within the ECU Educational Foundation (Pirate Club), ECU Foundation, or ECU Health Foundation – Health Sciences. Upon project completion, funds will be distributed to the college, school, department, center, institute, lab, library, or program leading your selected campaign.
Yes, contributions to campaigns on ECU’s crowdfunding website are tax-deductible to the extent that the law allows. Please consult your tax advisor.
Those who give to a crowdfunding project through the ECU crowdfunding website will receive an acknowledgement of their gift via email. Official gift receipts for all gift types are sent annually from ECU’s Office of Gift Records in January.
Please review our Crowdfunding Roles & Responsibilities for a better understanding of how ECU’s Division of University Advancement will assist you with your crowdfunding project and what expectations there are of you as the campaign manager.
At ECU, we have many colleges and schools, divisions, departments, units and programs where donors can designate their support. Some of these include:
- College, school, department priority funds
- Scholarships
- Centers and Institutes
- Research funds
- Libraries
- Programs like athletics, the arts, and study abroad
These are big picture, broad areas that always need comprehensive funding, which then may be distributed into more specific items. For example:
- Black Sail fund
- Diabetes & Obesity Center Research fund
- ECU Coastal Scholarship
- ECU Pirate Academic Success Center fund
- ECU Tuscany: Italy Intensives Study Abroad fund
- Emergency Medicine Research fund
- Friends of Laupus Library fund
- Marching Pirates
- Summer Theatre
- Voyages of Discovery Lecture Series
Crowdfunding campaigns are geared toward drawing attention to certain initiatives and causes, by supporting that one fund during a designated time frame.
Many crowdfunding campaign managers are new to fundraising and perhaps need some guidance on marketing strategies, too. In an effort to better prepare ECU faculty and staff, or student groups who may be working with a faculty or staff sponsor, University Advancement’s communication team has provided a Sample Marketing Plan to get you started. Note there are some additional pointers to get you thinking about campaign preparation.
When securing larger gifts for your campaign that you may want to publicly acknowledge, please include ECU’s Crowdfunding Marketing Form with your donor paperwork.