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CAMPAIGN FOR THE
NATIONAL GROUND WATER RESEARCH
AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
CASE FOR SUPPORT
May 2012
Prepared by:
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Resource Advancement Inc.
Columbus, Ohio
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................3
II. History and Achievements of the National Ground
Water Research and Educational Foundation ......................................................................4
III. National Ground Water Research and Educational
Foundation Leadership................................................................................................................4
IV. Fund Raising Initiatives and Goals ..........................................................................................5
V. Benefits of the Campaign ....................................................................................................... 13
VI. Summary: Fund Raising Initiatives and Goals................................................................... 14
VII. Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 15
Appendix A:
Board of Directors, the National Ground Water Research and
Educational Foundation and Administration, National Ground
Water Association
Appendix B:
Table of Investments Necessary to Reach a $3 Million Goal
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“Fully half of our planet’s population depends upon groundwater for its
drinking water. Billions more depend upon this resource to irrigate our crops and
provide water for the livestock that sustains our lives. However, we know too
that groundwater is essential for mankind’s enjoyment of an ecological system
that sustains not only his body but his psyche as well.”
—Kevin McCray, CAE
Chief Executive Officer
National Ground Water Association
I.
INTRODUCTION
The National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation (NGWREF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is
an IRS approved public charity established by the National Ground Water Association (NGWA).
The Foundation is organizing a $3,000,000 major gifts campaign directed to groundwater industry members and
those who share concern for mankind’s water resources.
Foundation leaders have agreed that 100 percent of funds contributed in the campaign will be directed solely
to programs. Furthermore, no contributed funds will be expended for fund raising services or for promoting the
campaign.
Specifically, through this campaign, the Foundation’s goals are as follows:
1. Expand its reach and strengthen the responsible use, management, and exploration of the planet’s
groundwater resources.
2. Create and enhance a series of endowments to ensure future funding for its current programs.
3. Create and enhance a series of action funds to provide immediate funding for selected programs.
4. Carry out an expanded program to serve the public and the common good.
In this proposed campaign, the Foundation seeks cash gifts and pledges over a three- to five-year period.
Planned and memorial gifts are also invited.
The Foundation has retained Resource Advancement Inc., a Columbus, Ohio-based fund raising and consulting firm
to manage the campaign.
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II. HISTORY AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE NATIONAL GROUND WATER
RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
The mission of the National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation is to conduct educational
research and other charitable activities related to a broader understanding of groundwater.
Since its beginning in 1994, the Foundation has funded public education initiatives, awarded research projects,
provided thousands of dollars in matching groundwater supply assistance efforts, supported educational offerings,
coordinated lecture series and distributed thousands of dollars in scholarships and awards.
Specifically, it has created the following funds:
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Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecture Series Fund
William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series Fund
Developing Nations Fund
Len Assante Scholarship Fund/Robert N. Farvolden Ph.D. Awards
Groundwater Research Fund
21st Century General Fund
Currently, the Foundation has a total of approximately $1,000,000 in all of its funds.
III. NATIONAL GROUND WATER RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL
FOUNDATION LEADERSHIP
The Foundation operates under a diverse Board of Directors who serve as volunteers without compensation.
The Foundation’s Board of Directors operates under the aegis of the National Ground Water Association (NGWA),
its founder.
In 2011, the Foundation Board completed a formal fund raising feasibility study on behalf of this campaign.
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IV. FUND RAISING INITIATIVES AND GOALS ($3,000,000)
Executive Summary
A. Workforce Development/Scholarships and Lecture Series Fund...............................$1,250,000

William A. McEllhiney Lecture Series

Henry Darcy Lecture Series

Len Assante Scholarship Fund (Includes Robert N. Farvolden Awards)
B. USA Groundwater Fund...............................................................................................$1,000,000

Education and Training

Water Wells for America

Public Education and Awareness
C. Developing Nations Fund................................................................................................$500,000

Groundwater Supply Project Grant Assistance

Education and Training Program Grants
D. Groundwater Research Fund. .........................................................................................$150,000
E. 21st Century Fund........................................................................................................... $100,000
Total....................................................................................................................................$3,000,000
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A. Workforce Development ($1,250,000)
Safe drinking water underlies good health and productivity, no matter where it is consumed around the world. Across the U.S., nearly 45 percent of drinking water is groundwater; around the planet it is closer to half of all
drinking water. To maintain high standards of drinking water safety and supply requires a highly capable and
future-prepared workforce.
Crucial investments to sustain this workforce and the businesses that employ them will be leveraged through
initiatives of the National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation. These investments were
strongly recommended by participants in the fund raising feasibility study authorized by the Foundation in
2011.
The groundwater industry, which provides and protects this most valuable resource, offers numerous and
diverse opportunities for those entering the workforce or considering a career change.
The Foundation bolsters industry workforce development in many ways, including:
1. William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series in Water Well Technology
The pursuit of knowledge over the course of one’s lifetime demonstrates the value of making an investment
that pays the best interest to a committed and capable groundwater professional. Capable groundwater
professionals deal with and solve the challenges of safe and plentiful water supplies. Therefore they make a
difference and provide great assistance to mankind.
The William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series in Water Well Technology is a most worthy
“investment” opportunity for the groundwater professional.
The lecture series focuses on water well design and construction. Each year an outstanding groundwater
professional is invited to share his or her insights and work experiences with the industry. Although
predominantly focused on the U.S., the lecture series has gone international.
Taking part in the lecture series are students in groundwater science, groundwater contractors, foreign
associations of groundwater professionals, academics, water well regulators, and others with a direct
interest in groundwater.
The Franklin Electric Company has underwritten the program’s annual costs for several years.
The campaign seeks to raise sufficient action funds for the short-term continuation of this program and to
create an endowment that can sustain it for the foreseeable future.
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2. Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecture Series in Groundwater Science
This program was established in 1987 honoring Henry Darcy, the French hydraulic engineer whose
work in 1856 established the physical basis for groundwater hydrogeology. The lecture series, now
international in scope, has reached more than 70,000 groundwater students, faculty members, and
groundwater professionals around the globe, giving them insights and perspectives to the planet’s
water challenge of ever more demand for the life- giving gift of water.
Since its beginning, the lecture program has been financially supported primarily by NGWA.
Annual costs for the program have been approximately $25,000.
Recently, previous lecturers in the series have joined together to launch their own fund raising effort in
support of the lecture program.
The campaign seeks to raise sufficient action funds for the short-term continuation of this program and to
create an endowment that can sustain and expand it for the foreseeable future.
3. Len Assante Scholarship Fund/Robert N. Farvolden Ph.D. Awards
To maintain high standards of drinking water safety and supply requires a highly capable and futureprepared workforce. Through this campaign, the Foundation seeks funds to sustain this workforce and the
businesses that will employ them. Providing financial aid to a high school student beginning his or her
higher education in groundwater science and water well technology is an investment in the future of safe
drinking water, as well as a capable future workforce. This fund, named for Len Assante, a former NGWA
president and current Foundation board member, annually awards undergraduate scholarships to assist
those studying in groundwater-related fields.
Dozens of students have been prepared to protect public health and safety with the help of the Assante
Scholarship Fund. Hundreds or more are still in need.
Building on the promise of their undergraduate educations, awards made in judged competitions for papers
and posters among graduate students in groundwater science provide students resources to advance their
research and their education. The Robert N. Farvolden Ph.D. Awards, a subfund of the Scholarship program,
honor the late hydrogeological education leader who prepared hundreds of students for professional
practice.
S.S. Papadopulos & Associates Inc., a groundwater consulting firm based in Bethesda, Maryland, has been
the underwriter of the Awards program.
Because the groundwater industry needs our best young people, the campaign seeks action funds for the short
term to continue its level of funding and to enhance its endowment for long-term sustainability.
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B. USA Groundwater Fund ($1,000,000)
1. Education and Training
Through the campaign, the Foundation plans to respond to the education and continued training needs of
groundwater professionals from all walks of work.
Working with NGWA and its education and training responsibilities, the Foundation will give greater
attention to the need for vocational education and the upgrading of worker skills.
Overall, the Foundation seeks financial support so as to collaborate and to continue to be a comprehensive
resource for business, scientific and technical and for education, related to the groundwater industry and
its professions.
2. Water Wells for America
Daily, we are reminded of the need for safe and plentiful water throughout the world. Often, we assume it
is always someone somewhere else in need. Not anyone close to America’s own homes.
While hundreds, perhaps thousands, of non-profit organizations, non-governmental organizations,
concerned water professionals, and even the U.S. government itself seek to deal with critical water issues
around the world, “water security” for millions of Americans is not assured.
According to the American Housing Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), it is estimated that some 40,000 U.S. households lack safe
groundwater and water well systems. Data on individuals and families living in parts of Appalachia, on
Tribal Lands, and other areas of the country indicate many, many Americans lack safe drinking water and
are exposed to other health risks associated with the lack of safe water.
Through this campaign, the Foundation seeks to achieve the following:
• Further identify and document and report on the potable drinking water needs of America’s
families.
• Plan and collaborate with public and private organizations including NGWA’s more than 45 affiliate
state associations and societies in documenting the potable water needs of America.
• Consider grants to impoverished or catastrophic suffering USA citizens needing replacement or
repairs to potable drinking groundwater supplies.
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3. Public Education and Awareness
A lack of public education and awareness is attributed to many challenges facing safe and plentiful
groundwater supplies throughout the world.
Past Foundation initiatives, including funding support for Water: H2O=Life, an international touring
science museum exhibit to be seen by upwards of 7 million, convey only a portion of the important
messages to be adopted as behaviors.
Measurable improvements in educating the private well owning public about reducing human exposure to
contaminants in their drinking water, including protecting source waters, are achievable.
Public and private sector organizations use National Groundwater Awareness Week (AW) and Protect Your
Groundwater Day (PYGD) as touchstones around which to build national, state and local outreach about
the importance of groundwater protection, as well as periodic well testing and water well stewardship. To
educate private well owners, the Foundation seeks resources to build upon the combined 100+ national,
state, and local partners and combined 500+ websites supporting these events.
The campaign seeks to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders with a common interest to join
forces to achieve a shared goal. The Foundation proposes to facilitate such a campaign in local areas
focusing on raising the awareness of well owners about certain water well, water quality and groundwater
protection issues. Foundation resources will be invested in consulting services for campaign planning,
campaign implementation, and pre- and post-campaign testing; provision of selected campaign materials
including a campaign guide and electronic or printed information resources to be supplemented by locally
relevant information and materials; and preparation of an evaluative report on the campaign and its
results, so as to provide insights for future successes.
Water Well Journal, the oldest and most widely respected trade magazine of the water well professions,
reaches an audience of 25,000. This nationwide network of water well experts is ideally suited to help
educate private well owners about water well, water quality, and groundwater protection issues that can
reduce risks to their drinking water supplies. The Foundation, through the campaign, will update, reprint, and
distribute NGWA’s Public Awareness Toolbox: A Simple Guide to Raising Public Awareness, to all 25,000 WWJ
subscribers; print a series of Consumer Information Sheets on groundwater protection, water quality, and
response to emergencies in WWJ for use by contractors with the public; exhibit at the NGWA Groundwater
Expo and Annual Meeting and four regional groundwater shows in the United States equipping water well
system contractors to educate the public; and conduct a public awareness equipping workshop at the NGWA
Expo and the four regional shows as opportunity provides.
The Foundation proposes to partner with Project WET, a well-established K-12 school program offering nongovernmental organizations opportunities in advancing water education.
The campaign seeks to raise $1,000,000 in both action and endowed funds to support the above programs.
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C. Developing Nations Fund ($500,000)
1. Groundwater Supply Projects.
According to a 2010 report of the World Health Organization/UNICEF, almost 900 million people, 85
percent who live in rural areas, do not have access to an adequate or safe drinking water supply.
World Vision Inc., an international Christian humanitarian organization working in more than 100
countries, states that the lack of clean water has a devastating effect on families, particularly children.
• Every 21 seconds, a child dies from a water-related illness.
• More than 2.7 billion people have inadequate or non-existent access to proper sanitation.
• When a community gains access to clean water, its child mortality rates decline by half.
Stimulated by a Foundation board member who personally takes on projects for needy communities
outside the United States, in 2006 the Foundation created the Developing World Projects Fund, now
referred to as the Developing Nations Fund.
The fund provides small assistance grants to develop water well projects in developing economies around
the world without access to plentiful supplies of potable groundwater, thereby improving the quality of life
for people.
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Since the fund was established, nearly $50,000 has been granted to fund water well construction or repair
projects in seven nations, including the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Kosovo, Malawi, Mexico, and
Uganda.
The Foundation will continue to provide matching grants for groundwater supply projects on a case-bycase basis.
2. Education and Training Programs
Because many new wells fail due to lack of proper maintenance or a shortage of parts, the Foundation will
begin to focus on ensuring the “sustainability” of well construction or repair projects.
Accordingly, in collaboration with other major organizations concerned with water, the Foundation will
establish an Education and Training Program. Through this program, the Foundation will offer education
and training and promote water well construction guidelines in communities throughout the developing
world. It is envisioned that this program will use matching grants to support this program, similar to the
use of funds for groundwater supply projects.
In its work for both Groundwater Supply Projects and the Education and Training Programs, the Foundation
will be guided by basic “commitments” adopted in December 2011 by the Rural Water Supply Network.
1. We recognize the rights of all citizens to enjoy secure water services, regardless of location, lifestyle,
gender, age, disability, ethnicity or income.
2. We will do everything possible to ensure that the services we deliver are equitable and sustainable,
providing lasting service with no time limits.
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3. We will take full account of all water users’ needs for close and unrestricted access, adequate
quantity and acceptable quality of water, high levels of reliability, affordability, and a realistic burden
of management responsibility.
4. We recognize the multiple uses of water, and the multiple sources from which users take their water
for domestic and livelihood purposes.
5. We are committed to high quality of design, implementation (of both software activities and
construction), and post-construction activities.
6. We will continue to develop, promote, and adhere to specific standards and codes of good practice
in rural water supply, and build close links to other development sectors which affect or are affected
by this sub-sector. We will continue to enhance our own individual and organizational learning and
professional development.
We will advocate for:
A. Increased and better-targeted finance for capital investments and for post-construction financing
through local governments to address the sustainability of rural water services.
B. Greater transparency and accountability in regard to progress in rural water provision and service
performance.
C. Special efforts to raise the profile of rural water, including development of post-2015 targets and the
possibility of an International Year of Rural Water Supply.
In effect, the Foundation will create a new paradigm for the Developing Nations program, promoting the
“sustainability” of well construction or well repair projects rather than the construction of single water well
installations.
Through this campaign, the Foundation seeks to raise at least $500,000 in both action funds and to enhance
the endowed funds for long-term funding support.
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D. Groundwater Research Fund ($150,000)
In 2006, the Foundation created the Groundwater Research Fund to finance new research considered
important to a greater understanding of groundwater resources and water well systems.
Over the years, the Foundation has awarded micro grants to projects stimulating new knowledge, information,
programs, and products to advance groundwater science and technology.
Through this campaign, the Foundation seeks additional financial support for the Groundwater Research Fund.
These funds will support the following:
1. A new and expanded grant program focused on everyday problems and issues confronting the
groundwater industry
2. A new grant program for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in groundwater or water
well technology studies. Ultimately, these programs enhance a student’s employability and can
result in the undertaking of unique and highly beneficial research projects. Solutions and insights
support healthier people, a healthier planet, and effective public policy.
3. Grant programs to support cutting-edge research projects
4. Grant programs to fund research in support of public policy decision-making.
5. Supplemental grant programs to selected organizations and agencies conducting important
groundwater research.
Through the campaign, the Foundation would like to raise $150,000 to bolster the Groundwater Research
Fund.
E. 21st Century Fund ($100,000)
The 21st Century Fund (general fund) allows donors to make unrestricted and undesignated gifts to give
Foundation leaders the flexibility to respond to new opportunities consistent with the Foundation’s mission. A dramatic example of the effective use of 21st Century Fund assets was the Foundation’s 2007 investment
in groundwater interpretation within the 7,000-square-foot exhibit Water: H2O=Life, which opened in 2007
at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Organizers of the exhibit anticipate that more
than 7 million people will view the exhibit as it travels over the next several years to museums in San Diego,
Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Toronto, Singapore, São Paulo, Canberra, and others.
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V. BENEFITS OF THE CAMPAIGN
• Workforce issues and concerns will be addressed in a far more comprehensive way; new initiatives will be
created and highly regarded programs such as the William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series, the
Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecture Series, the Len Assante Scholarship Fund, and the Robert N. Farvolden
Ph.D. Awards will receive stable funding, thereby ensuring their future and further strengthening the
provision, protection, management, and remediation of groundwater.
• New funding will available for groundwater professional educational and training programs.
• The Developing Nations Fund will be expanded to include education and training programs for those
working and/or residing in developing nations. Immediate action funds will get this program off and
running within the foreseeable future. Groundwater Supply Projects will receive funds needed for their
immediate use and enhancing its endowed balance. As a result, additional funding will allow for more
projects and funding at greater levels. Also, through the education and training programs, there will be
a new focus on water well “sustainability” through increased attention to training, regular maintenance
activities, and the promotion of water well construction guidelines for developing countries.
• More complete data on the potable water needs of special populations in America, including the poor, the
elderly, low and moderate income families, particularly those in rural America and Native Americans, will
be available for planning purposes. In addition, financial support to replace or repair groundwater drinking
water supplies will be made available to U.S. citizens suffering from catastrophic events and/or poverty.
• The Foundation’s Public Education and Awareness Program will be considerably expanded.
• NGWREF’s Groundwater Research Fund will be expanded considerably with additional and supplemental
funding available to conduct research, surveys and other inquiries for everyday groundwater concerns, e.g.,
groundwater sustainability, as well as for cutting-edge research projects. In addition, groundwater students
will have a greater opportunity to apply for funds for academic projects.
• A successful campaign will result in increased regular giving to support the mission and activities of
the Foundation. In addition, the 21st Century Fund, the Foundation’s general fund, will grow and the
Foundation's overall public relations program will be strengthened.
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VI. SUMMARY: FUND RAISING INITIATIVES AND GOALS
Workforce Development/Scholarships
and Lecture Series
$1,250,000
USA Groundwater Fund
$1,000,000
Developing Nations
$500,000
Groundwater Research Fund
$150,000
21st Century Fund
$100,000
Total:
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$3,000,000
VII. APPENDICES
Appendix A
Board Members and Administration
National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation
President
Steve Schneider, MGWC
Schneider Equipment Inc.
Saint Paul, OR
Secretary
W. Richard Laton, Ph.D., PG, CPG
California State University Fullerton
Santa Ana, CA
Vice President
Arthur E. Becker MGWC, CPG
SGS North America Inc.
Environmental Services Div.
West Creek, NJ
Treasurer
Daniel T. Meyer, MGWC
Gregg Drilling & Testing Inc.
Signal Hill, CA
Directors
Leonard Assante, CWD/PI
St. Michaels, MD
Ronnie Hensley
Gicon Pumps & Equipment Ltd.
Abernathy, TX
John S. Christ
Baroid Industrial Drilling Products
Hamilton, OH
Ben Primost CWD/PI
Pickwick Well Drilling Company
Farmingdale, NJ
Griffin Crosby Jr., CWD/PI
Crosby Well Drilling Inc.
Lake Wales, FL
Robert Reichart, CWD/PI
William W. Reichart Inc.
Hanover, PA
Kathryn Eades
Eades Drilling and Pump Service
Hobbs, NM
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Administration
Kevin B. McCray, CAE
Chief Executive Officer
Paul E. Humes, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
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APPENDIX B
Table of Gifts Necessary to Reach $3 Million Goal
Number of Gifts
Amount
Total at This Level
Cumulative Total
1
$500,000
$500,000
$500,000
2
$250,000
$500,000
$1,000,000
2
$150,000
$300,000
$1,300,000
3
$100,000
$300,000
$1,600,000
2
$75,000
$150,000
$1,750,000
5
$50,000
$250,000
$2,000,000
10
$25,000
$250,000
$2,250,000
20
$20,000
$400,000
$2,650,000
25
$5,000
$125,000
$2,775,000
Numerous
under
$5,000
$225,000
$3,000,000
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601 Dempsey Rd.
Westerville, OH 43081-8978
Phone/ 614 898.7791
Fax/ 614 898.7786
Web/ www.NGWA.org
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