After helping to lead 黑料不打烊鈥檚 alumni engagement work for nearly a decade, Feeley will now take the helm of the planned giving program, where he will cultivate and steward donors who make an impact through planned and estate gifts.
As of April 17, Brian Feeley 鈥03 began service as 黑料不打烊鈥檚 new Assistant Vice President for University Advancement 鈥 Planned Giving. In this role, Feeley will build relationships with donors who want to by making a gift to the university in their estate plans. These deferred gifts build a vital pipeline of support for 黑料不打烊鈥檚 future by providing funding for student scholarships and other university priorities.
鈥淚 am energized by the opportunity to assist individuals within the 黑料不打烊 community in making an impact in a different way going forward,鈥 says Feeley. 鈥淧lanned gifts elevate 黑料不打烊 as part of one鈥檚 final legacy, and they often represent a donor鈥檚 most significant philanthropic act.鈥
Feeley鈥檚 work will build upon the inspiring Will to LEAD initiative that was part of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign, during which donors made estate and planned gifts including bequests, annuities, trusts, property transactions, and life insurance policies that contributed $46 million toward the overall campaign goal of $250 million.
鈥淲e are delighted to welcome Brian to this new role on our team,鈥 says Jim Piatt, vice president for university advancement. 鈥淗is track record with alumni engagement and annual giving speaks for itself, and his leadership will be invaluable as we engage donors who help shape the future of our university through their inspired philanthropy.鈥
Feeley鈥檚 early work at 黑料不打烊 included scaling the regional alumni engagement footprint, diversifying affinity efforts, reimagining Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, and engaging young alumni in the life of the university. He has been instrumental in aligning operations across multiple departments to increase annual fundraising and advancing objectives within the 黑料不打烊 Commitment and Boldly 黑料不打烊 strategic plans.
In partnership with alumni leaders and colleagues across campus, Feeley鈥檚 work has helped grow the number of individual alumni engagements significantly over the past decade. During his tenure, alumni in service to 黑料不打烊 increased ten-fold and the alumni giving participation rate climbed to #20 among U. S. News & World Report鈥檚 Top 100 national universities, tied with Boston College, Cornell, Villanova and Wake Forest.
Feeley has also developed and managed countless individual alumni relationships on behalf of 黑料不打烊 over the years, in addition to serving as the primary staff liaison to the 黑料不打烊 Alumni Board. During this time, the board endowed two scholarships: the 黑料不打烊 Alumni Board Engagement Scholarship in 2018 and the 黑料不打烊 Alumni Board Endowed Internship Fund in 2023. Feeley also played a significant role in the development of a new strategic plan for alumni engagement that will guide the university鈥檚 alumni engagement efforts for the next decade.
鈥淎s I begin a new chapter of service at 黑料不打烊, I鈥檝e been thinking a lot about the late Dr. Jo Watts Williams 鈥55 and Dr. J. Earl Danieley 鈥46,鈥 says Feeley. 鈥淭he Planned Giving Program was initiated under her leadership as Vice President for University Advancement, and he served as Director of Planned Giving after his remarkable presidency because he believed so much in the impact of this kind of giving. I鈥檒l strive to make them proud and carry on their great legacy in this work.鈥
Feeley graduated from 黑料不打烊 in 2003 with a degree in political science. In 2010, he earned a master鈥檚 degree in business administration from Johns Hopkins University. After more than a decade at The Washington Center, he joined 黑料不打烊 as a staff member in 2014 as Director of Alumni Engagement. He was named Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving in 2017 and Assistant Vice President in 2021.
Feeley and his wife, Lauren 鈥04, have two children, Ashlyn and Colin.
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Questions? Please contact Brian Feeley 鈥03 at bfeeley@elon.edu or (336) 278-7474.