The Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power and the National Fluid Power Association, two closely linked organizations in the fluid power realm, have made a decision to officially end their partnership agreement as of June 30, 2018. The NFPA, through its Pascal Society, has raised funds from its membership over the past three years, to benefit both organizations.
However, in a letter to Pascal Society donors sent out today, Tricia Fulton, the Chair of the NFPA’s Board of Directors, explained that, due to fundraising pressures, the difficult decision was made to not renew the partnership with the CCEFP next year. NFPA says the decision was a joint one.
According to Fulton, both organizations have recognized that NFPA and CCEFP have
complementary, but different missions:
• NFPA’s mission is to strengthen the fluid power industry by providing an effective industry
forum, accurate industry statistics, opportunities to promote fluid power, and growing an
educated fluid power workforce.
• CCEFP’s mission is to change the way fluid power is researched, applied and taught by championing the nation’s academic fluid power research strategy.
In 2014, when the Pascal Society was formed, members of the CCEFP were invited to make contributions through it—instead of paying membership dues to the CCEFP. Those who made the switch were invited to serve on an industry leadership committees that provided oversight and guidance to the pre-competitive research program of the CCEFP and some of the NFPA Foundation’s other activities.
Both organizations are critical to the continued growth of fluid power, and it is in the industry’s best interest to support both of them. The takeaway here is that the two groups felt they could better target individual donors by focusing on their core missions. As the two slowly move toward being independent of each other, it will be interesting to watch and see how the donor bases for the NFPA and CCEFP begin to differ.
Thanks for highlighting this, Paul. It was a difficult decision, but one that both NFPA and CCEFP feel is best for their respective missions.
I should also point out that the two organizations will remain financial partners through June 2018. Companies that have supported our efforts should continue to support them next year to ensure that the latest group of 10 industry-selected research projects within the CCEFP can be completed. Our university partners and their students are counting on those projects, and NFPA is committed to their successful conclusion.