Friends of Duke Chapel

Contributors to the Chapel’s funds and endowments are recognized as Friends of Duke Chapel. Your support and generosity are greatly appreciated. Friends' gifts ensure that Duke Chapel remains one of the most active university chapels in the country.

Make an unrestricted gift to the Chapel Annual Fund and help to:

support vibrant worship at Duke Chapel
connect students, staff, and faculty with the city and residents of Durham
send students on foreign and domestic mission trips
engage the greater Duke University community through programs addressing the challenges of Christianity, faith and service.

View the unrestricted gifts solicitation (PDF).

Funds and Endowments

Make a gift to the Friends of Duke Chapel Fund, which enables the Friends of Duke Chapel organization to support a wide range of Chapel ministries and ongoing programs, such as radio broadcasts of Chapel worship services. Gifts to this fund are distributed with the assistance of the Friends of Duke Chapel Advisory Board.

Make a gift to the Chapel Development Fund, which is the primary source of contributed support for the maintenance and improvement of the Chapel building. Projects supported by this fund include the cleaning and restoration of carved organ screens in the Choir Chancel.

Make a gift to Duke Chapel PathWays and provide support for the Chapel's ecumenical student ministry. This vital program offers life-changing opportunities to more than 300 Christian undergraduates at Duke to hear and respond to God’s call in their lives on campus and beyond, through study, counseling, and service.

Make a gift to the Wells Endowment for Student Ministry, honoring Dean Sam Wells and the Rev. Dr. Jo Bailey Wells, which was created to ensure financial support in perpetuity for the PathWays program. View the brochure.

Make a gift to Duke Chapel's Faith Council and support interfaith engagement that deepens individual expressions of faith while building bridges across religious and cultural divides.

Make a gift to the Chapel Choir and Music Endowment that supports Duke Chapel’s internationally renowned choir. Composed of students, faculty, staff, congregational members, and area residents, the choir is an integral part of Chapel worship. The Chapel Choir also presents an annual performance of Handel’s Messiah as well as an inspiring Spring Oratorio.

Other Ways to Give

Send a Check

Checks can be made payable and sent to: Duke University Chapel, Box 90974, Durham, NC 27708-0974. Please include instructions in the Memo line as to where your gift should be directed.

Bank Draft

Electronic bank drafts are a convenient, secure and paperless way to make regular gifts and contributions to Duke Chapel. Please call (919) 684-2338 for more information about setting up an electronic bank draft.

Make a Pledge

Pledges are an excellent option for those who want to give to the Chapel but are not yet ready to do so. To make a pledge, please email the Staff Assistant for Development or call (919) 684-5955.

Give Stock

The gift of stock is another way to contribute to Duke Chapel. For more information and instructions, please email the Office of Alumni & Development Records or call (919) 684-2338. Please be prepared to provide the name of the stock and the number of shares to be transferred, as well as the designation for the gift: Duke University Chapel. Also note that, unless otherwise indicated, a stock broker must be contacted in order to initiate the transaction.

Notification of a stock gift can also be given directly to the Chapel Development office at (919) 684-5351.

Planned Giving

Duke University offers a number of customizable gift planning options that help donors further the ministry and mission of the Chapel, while also fulfilling personal financial goals. For example, a Legacy Giving plan may:

generate a current income tax deduction
provide a life income for yourself and/or loved ones
reduce or eliminate income, capital gains and estate taxes
provide a larger gift to the Chapel than was previously thought possible.

Planned gifts come in a number of forms, including:

gifts of securities
real estate
tangible property
residences or farms with retained life interest
life insurance
life income gifts,
charitable gift annuities
charitable remainder trusts
pooled income funds
testamentary gifts
bequest gifts
charitable lead trusts.

To learn more about Legacy Giving and other gift planning options at Duke, visit Giving to Duke or call the Office of External Relations at (919) 660-3456.

Why Become a Friend of Duke Chapel?

Duke Chapel was founded on faith and philanthropy. Every stone, every fragment of stained glass, every inch of gracefully carved wood bears the mark of a generous benefactor and stands as a testament to people of faith and vision.

Today, the Friends of Duke Chapel are helping the Chapel to grow its ministry as it continues to serve the Church, students, the city of Durham, the greater Triangle region, and the greater Duke community. Through inspiring worship and music, a dynamic and diverse religious life on campus, respectful and enriching engagement in the community, and uniquely thought-provoking events that fulfill the University’s motto of Eruditio et Religio, the Friends of Duke Chapel ensure that Duke Chapel remains faithful to its mission in a rapidly changing world: Keeping the heart of the University listening to the heart of God.

Friends of Duke Chapel receive:

a full color, twelve-month academic year Calendar of Chapel Events
a subscription to the Friends of Duke Chapel magazine, published and mailed three times per year
an invitation, with the purchase of tickets to the Chapel Choir's performance of Handel’s Messiah, to a special luncheon preceding the Saturday performance; reserved seating and parking are included in the ticket price
an invitation to a spring event.

Please note that for Duke Alumni, unrestricted annual gifts to the Chapel are counted in the Duke Annual Fund.

History

The Friends of Duke Chapel organization was formed in 1974 to provide a direct tie between those interested in the Chapel and its programs and services. Through the years Friends have elected officers, formed committees, hosted events, and gladly shared their gifts and talents. Their commitment offers a sense of belonging to the Duke Chapel community and provides the support the Chapel needs to remain a profound influence on and off campus.

Some of the initiatives supported by the Friends of Duke Chapel include:

assisting in the construction of handicap-accessible entrances to the Chapel
creating a Chapel lounge for family members during weddings and funerals
supporting weekly radio broadcasts of Sunday worship
assisting with the design and implementation of the Chapel’s sound system
purchasing music, robes, hymnals, and platform risers
paying musicians and artists to perform in Chapel services and programs.

Board

President
Gina Harrison

Vice President
Anthony Sease, E ’91

Immediate Past President
Patricia Philipps

Advisory Board
Jean E. Carr WC ’61
G. Paul Carr
Leigh Edwards, T ’09, D ’11
Gus Grant, MD
Steve Harper
Nancy Jirtle
Anna R. Jones
Karen Rhodes, T ’92
Ella Jean Shore, D ’56

Emeritus Member
William E. King, PhD, T ’61, G ’63, G ’70

To learn more about the Friends of Duke Chapel, please read the Friends of Duke Chapel By-Laws. To learn more about serving on the Friends of Duke Chapel Board, please email the Director of Development or call (919) 684-5351.