As an ever-growing field, geoscience has no shortage of needs – for example, the dissemination of current, accurate information to the public, research funding, grants to university students, publications to universities that have lean budgets, K-12 rock kits, young professional career guidance, and the list goes on.
Fortunately, the vision to “give back” has taken hold within the petroleum geology profession. More than $34.6 million has been received by the AAPG Foundation during its history, from more than 15,000 donors.
Of that total, $22.2 million (64 percent) has been received in just the last seven years, from more than 7,100 donors.
Amazingly, more than 900 donors have given consistently to the AAPG Foundation for the last 10 years. Almost 200 of those have given for more than 20 years. The culture of philanthropy is catching on among the AAPG membership – and it even extends beyond life. More than $12 million has been contributed to the Foundation in the form of bequests.
However, the “90/10 rule” (90 percent of gifts come from the top 10 percent of donors) did not hold true here this year, when 90 percent of the gifts came from the top 2 percent of donors.
Drilling deeper, 66 percent of contributions came from AAPG members, and 30 percent of the year’s contributions came from companies.
Some members, about 5.39 percent, gave a donation with their AAPG dues payments – but there are 10,837 individuals who have given to the Foundation at some point but not in the last 12 months. We need these lapsed donors to return to the fold.
We honor the donor – and yet, we ask still.
The challenge to meet and fulfill the mission is there, and a lofty one it is.