Forever ETSU
Vintage photos of ETSU's campus through the years, including a photo of Dr. D.P. Culp at commencement in 1970 (above).
Some campaigns raise funds. Others raise the bar.
Forever ETSU did both.
Held April 21-27, Forever ETSU transformed ETSU’s traditional spring “Day of Giving” into a weeklong celebration of gratitude and giving, with special events held throughout the week to celebrate the impact of students, faculty and staff, and the community.
Forever ETSU broke Day of Giving records, raising $826,335 – a 79% increase from the previous record of $462,205 raised in 2024.
Giving across all segments reached a record high, with faculty and staff giving increasing by 97.6% and student giving jumping by 311%.
“In fundraising, numbers often tell the story of success,” said John King, interim Vice President of University Advancement and President/CEO of the ETSU Foundation. “But with Forever ETSU, it’s the stories behind those numbers that reveal the campaign’s impact.”
A Culture of Giving
Aidan Thompson grew up seeing his dad’s ETSU diploma on the wall and dreaming of becoming a Buccaneer.
An Alumni Legacy Scholarship helped Thompson to carry on the family tradition and pursue his studies as a marketing management major at ETSU.
Before he graduated in May 2025, Thompson wanted to give back to ETSU and help raise funds for the scholarship fund that had supported him.
The Forever ETSU campaign allowed him to do that.
Thompson shared his Forever ETSU story on social media as part of “Student Day,” a new addition to this year’s campaign.
“Student Day was my favorite part of Forever ETSU this year,” said Desmond Pierce, Executive Director of Annual Giving. “The campaign helped reframe philanthropy as a lifelong relationship with ETSU — one that begins while students are still on campus. We wanted to invite them into that vision and help cultivate a mindset of giving and connection to ETSU.”
To engage students, University Advancement dedicated an entire day to them and created a new organization called the Student Foundation Ambassadors (SFAs), a group of student leaders and philanthropy advocates who help educate their peers about the positive impact of alumni and donor support.
The 12 inaugural SFAs were an integral part of Student Day, promoting and hosting special events throughout the day. Each SFA member was paired with a mentor on the ETSU Foundation Board, and their Foundation mentors committed to matching $250 for each fund that the SFA members are passionate about.
For students like rising junior Kylie Sparks, the chance to rally students to support a good cause was deeply personal. Sparks is from Greeneville, an area of Northeast Tennessee that was affected by the Hurricane Helene flooding last fall.
“Several roads and a few bridges were washed out in her community, so raising money for the ETSU Buccaneer Student Crisis Fund really hit home,” said Pierce. “She raised $500, knowing it would be matched — doubling the impact to $1,000. That kind of support means a lot to our students.”
Student organizations across campus also got involved on Student Day. Events included "Power Hour" competitions, where student organizations competed to raise funds. During just one Power Hour, students secured more than 150 gifts – surpassing the total number of student gifts raised in 2024.
In addition, Forever ETSU marked the return of the Grad Celebration event, which was held in conjunction with Student Day. Members of the Class of 2025 stopped by to receive their 2025 graduation gift, connect with alumni partners, and enjoy free giveaways.
Gratitude was also a hallmark of Student Day, with stations set up around campus where
students could write thank you notes and record video messages of appreciation to
donors. Organizers collected more than 1,000 handwritten notes, which were mailed
to donors
this spring.
“It was a full-circle moment,” Pierce said. “Watching students express gratitude for the gifts that shaped their ETSU experience — and then seeing them get excited about giving back — was inspiring.”
Game-Changing Engagement
Forever ETSU tapped into another incredible resource at ETSU – the faculty and staff.
“To see how they gave – and that we just had to ask – that speaks to how much our faculty and staff care and see the power of philanthropy to impact the important work that they do here,” Pierce said.
Faculty and staff giving records nearly doubled during Forever ETSU.
Forever ETSU also included 4-2-3 Day on April 23, serving as a day to show appreciation to local businesses, alumni, and friends in the area. The week concluded with a community-wide celebration featuring food trucks, alumni- and student-owned vendors, and live music.
“Forever ETSU wasn’t just a campaign – it represents a lifestyle and connecting everyone who’s part of the ETSU story – from students to donors to alumni to employees and community members,” Pierce said.
Snapshots of Success
687 first-time donors made a gift during Forever ETSU.
Student giving more than quadrupled, making it the fastest-growing segment.
Faculty/Staff giving and Parent giving nearly doubled.
Alumni still gave the most in terms of volume.
Friends of ETSU nearly tripled their support.
918 donors made gifts using new payment systems, such as Apple Pay, Venmo, and PayPal, that were presented as options this year.
Forever ETSU garnered over 100,000 views/reaches on Facebook and Instagram.
Paying it Forward
Grateful for the opportunity a scholarship gave her to attend East Tennessee State University, Taylor Laymon has spent her time on campus using that support as a springboard for service and impact.
The senior from Kodak, Tennessee, came to ETSU on a Global Citizenship scholarship to major in biomedical engineering technology with a minor in math. During her time at ETSU, she has earned other scholarships for study abroad and marching band.
"I was pretty set on the idea of going to a community college and not having the university experience," Laymon said. "But I had a friend who applied for the Roan Scholars Leadership Program, and while she was actively looking into that, I found the Global Citizen Scholars Program. I decided to apply just on a whim, not with any confidence that I would actually get in. I ended up being invited to an interview, and to my surprise, made it into the program."
The rest is history for Laymon, who has poured herself into ways to give back to the ETSU community that welcomed her.
She has served on the Student Government Association, writing legislation for important campus initiatives such as support for Bucky's Food Pantry. She will serve as the SGA Executive Vice President for 2025-26. She is an Expedition Leader, taking prospective students and their families on campus tours and sharing the highlights of her ETSU experience.
So, when an opportunity arose for Laymon to serve on the ETSU Student Foundation Ambassadors (SFA) - a new student-volunteer organization that empowers student leaders to spread the spirit of philanthropy among their peers, alumni, and donors - she was excited to help.
"I would describe the Student Foundation Ambassadors as the ETSU Foundation's way of connecting with students," Laymon said. "I just feel like a lot of what my ETSU experience has contained has been things that have only happened because of donors."
Laymon and her fellow Student Ambassadors played an important role in generating student support for the Forever ETSU campaign. They created videos and social media content, and attended special events on Student Day, held on April 24.
"I believe that the Student Foundation Ambassadors are our future alumni leaders," said Whitney Goetz, Executive Director of the ETSU National Alumni Association. "I'm encouraged by their hearts for philanthropy, their dedication to our institution, and the desire they have to make an impact that will be felt by our next generation of Buccaneers."
For Laymon, it's all about paying it forward for future ETSU students and the community she will serve.
She plans to graduate in spring 2026 and pursue a master's degree in orthotics and prosthetics or a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering so that she can work for a clinic or non-profit that builds prosthetics.
"Multiple people in the Honors College have taught me that it's so important to give back and that it's so important to grow the area that you were raised in by what you have learned from it, so I think that coming back to Sevierville or Johnson City and working in a clinic would be just an amazing impact that l'd love to make," Laymon said.
"I'm thankful for the career that ETSU is setting me up with and the connections they are allowing me to make. Donor support has 100% changed my ETSU experience."
By Melissa Nipper | Photos by Ron Campbell and contributed
Read more incredible stories in the Summer 2025 Edition of ETSU Today. #BucsGoBeyond
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