Trinity College was renamed Duke University following a gift for endowment from James Buchanan Duke in 1924.  What most people do not know is that the bulk of the endowment was paid through a bequest.  Planned gifts have set the trajectory for Duke’s future growth and success.  Gifts from donors like you propel us further forward—keeping Duke among the world’s most premier universities.

As we are midway through Duke Forward, our $3.25 billion seven-year, comprehensive fundraising campaign, we want to thank you and share the impact gifts like yours have made on the university today and how they will continue to support its future.

Please enjoy the 2014 campaign report which highlights how a range of gifts are moving Duke forward. You’ll find student stories, videos, and statistics about the impact of gifts in the past year.

In addition to the report, here are a few other Heritage Society highlights as of June 30, 2014:

• 3,147 Heritage Society members with the youngest member giving at the age of 17, and the oldest at the age of 108
• 812 new planned gifts toward the campaign goal of 1,200, valued at $143.8 million
• 179 new bequest intentions totaling nearly $67.2 million
• $34.6 million in other planned gifts

We’ll continue to share gift planning news, impact stories, and donor profiles throughout the year right here on our blog.

We are grateful to have you as part of our Duke family and wish you all the best in the new year. Please feel free to contact us if we can be of service in any way.

About the author

Phillip Buchanan

phil.buchanan@duke.edu

Phil is a veteran of development and gift planning who considers it a privilege to help good people celebrate the joy of giving. He served as Duke’s senior philanthropic counsel until his retirement in April 2021 and helped donors, professional advisors and Duke Development officers evaluate the best options for making a charitable gift to Duke. He has been featured in publications such as BusinessWeek  and Kiplinger’s.