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The mission of the CFC is to support and to promote philanthropy through
a voluntary program that is employee-focused, cost-efficient and effective
in providing all Federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality
of life for all.
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The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the only authorized solicitation
of Federal employees in their workplaces on behalf of approved charitable
organizations.
The CFC began in the early 1960's to coordinate the fundraising efforts of
various charitable organizations so that the Federal donor would only be
solicited once in the workplace and have the opportunity to make charitable
contributions through payroll deduction.
Federal employees continue to make the CFC the largest and most
successful workplace philanthropic fundraiser in the world. Continuing a
long-standing tradition of selfless giving, in 2006, Federal employees raised
over $271 million dollars for charitable causes around the world.
Structure of the CFC
The CFC is made up of local campaigns that organize the annual fund
raising effort in Federal workplaces in the United States and abroad.
Each local campaign is managed by a Local Federal Coordinating Committee
(LFCC), which serves as a "Board of Directors" for the local campaign.
The LFCC is comprised of Federal employees and representatives of labor
unions with Federal employees as members. The LFCC is responsible for
the oversight of the local CFC. In conformance with CFC regulations and
policies, the LFCC makes admission determinations for local charities and
selects a Principal Combined Fund Organization (PCFO) to administer the
day-to-day operations of the campaign and to serve as its fiscal agent.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulates the CFC and
provides guidance and oversight to the local campaigns (LFCCs and
PCFOs).
Public Accountability
OPM is accountable for assuring Federal employees that their designations
are honored and distributed to the charitable organizations of their choice.
OPM achieves this in several ways.
OPM maintains strict eligibility and public accountability criteria that all
participating CFC charities must meet. For details, see CFC Regulations in
5 CFR Part 950 at http://www.opm.gov/cfc/opmmemos/index.asp.
OPM annually makes admission decisions for all national and international
charity applicants and it resolves local charity admission appeals. OPM
sets strict requirements and provides on-going guidance for the activities
and conduct of the LFCC and the PCFO. The fiscal integrity of the
campaign is verified by OPM compliance audits and the annual review of
local campaign audits that PCFOs are required to have completed by an
independent CPA.
The CFC Charity List
The Charity List is a paper or web-based display of national, international,
and local organizations that have met CFC eligibility requirements. A
sample charity listing is shown below with key elements shown in italics. Key
elements include: the organization's new five-digit CFC code, the legal
name in parentheses shown if it is "doing business as" under another name,
the employer identification number (EIN), a 25-word statement of purpose
(except in abbreviated listings), its administrative and fundraising expense
rate (AFR), and its Service Categories (Taxonomy Codes).
Sample Charity Listing:
11405 ABC (Alpha-Charity) (800) 555-5555 www.abccharity.
org EIN#12-3456789 ABC Charity attacks the causes of
hunger and poverty by promoting effective and innovative
community-based solutions that create self-reliance,
economic justice, and food security. 15.8% P,S,K
New five-digit charity codes
The CFC code is entered on your pledge form to designate the
charities of your choosing. Beginning with the 2007 Combined
Federal Campaign, all participating charities will now use a new
five-digit CFC code assigned by OPM. Pledges made using the
former four-digit codes cannot be honored. OPM is assigning
these new codes to each participating charity in order to
improve efficiencies in the campaign. For further information
or comments, contact your local agency CFC representative or
OPM at cfc@opm.gov.
Making Informed Giving Decisions
The EIN, AFR, and the Service Categories are included to help donors
identify organizations that meet their interests and performance standards.
The EIN is issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It can be used
for obtaining additional information about an organization from the IRS
(877-829-5500). Please Note: Some organizations may be covered under
an umbrella organization's tax exemption status and EIN or may not be
required to have an EIN.
The AFR represents the percentage of dollars spent on administering the
charity. It is calculated as a percentage of the organization's total support
and revenue. OPM, as well as the philanthropic community at large, remains
concerned about excessive AFR levels. The philanthropic community
generally considers an AFR in excess of 35 percent to be problematic.
Potential CFC donors should carefully review the circumstances applicable
to the potential charities of their choice to be certain they fully understand
and accept the AFR situations for such charities before donating to them.
Each situation is unique. Donors may contact the charity directly and/or
industry oversight organizations in order to better to understand the
financial status, service delivery record, and governance policies of the
charity before donating. A listing of oversight organizations is available at
http://www.opm.gov/cfc/Donors/Giving.asp
Additional designations may be completed on a second pledge form.
Except for documented expenses for the operation of the local CFCs and
uncollected pledges, all contributions are distributed as designated.
You cannot designate to an organization that is not listed in this Charity
List. Adding organizations not listed, or "write-ins", or is prohibited by
CFC regulations and donations to such organizations will be treated as
undesignated funds. In addition, pledges made using the former four-digit
codes cannot be honored and will be treated as undesignated funds.
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Affiliated organizations receive services from a Federation that supplies
common fundraising, administrative, and management services to its
member organizations. Charitable organizations participating in the CFC
as a member of a federation may pay dues or fees to that federation as a
service charge. Independent organizations are not members of a federation
and participate in the CFC on their own.
For additional information on a particular federation and any dues/fees paid
by its members, either contact the federation, its members, or review the
federation's annual report.
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If you wish to designate all or some portion of your contribution to a
federation, please record that federation's corresponding code number
on your pledge form. The federation name will be listed at the top of the
list of the federation's member organizations. Contributions designated
to a federation will be shared in accordance with the federation's policy.
If you wish to designate all or some portion of your contribution to an
affiliated federation member organization, please record that organization's
corresponding code number on your pledge form.
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You may wish to designate to an independent organization that is not
affiliated with a Federation. Simply enter that organization's five-digit code
number on your pledge form.
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All funds contributed to the CFC that are not designated to a specific
organization or federation will be treated as undesignated funds and
distributed to all organizations listed in the CFC Charity List in the same
proportion as they received designations. Organizations that do not
receive designated dollars cannot receive any portion of the undesignated
distribution.
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If you wish to have your contribution distributed proportionately among all
international organizations that received designated gifts, you may do so by
entering five number ones: 11111 on your pledge form.
The Service Categories (Taxonomy Codes) categorize the types of services
that most charitable organizations offer. Charities self-select up to three
alpha-codes (shown below) for inclusion in the CFC charity list. Charities
that did not select at least one category are assigned "Z" for the "Other"
category.
The 26 service categories are derived from the National Taxonomy of
Exempt Entities (NTEE) classification system. This system, developed by
the National Center for Charitable Statistics, is widely used in the non-profit
community.
Service Categories (Taxonomy)
A Arts, Culture, and Humanities
B Educational Institutions & Related Activities
C Envir. Quality, Protection & Beautification
D Animal Related
E Health - General and Rehabilitative
F Mental Health, Crisis Intervention
G Disease, Disorders, Medicinal Disciplines
H Medical Research
I Crime, Legal Related
J Employment, Job Related
K Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition
L Housing, Shelter
M Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief
N Recreation, Sports, Leisure, Athletics
O Youth Development
P Human Services - Multipurpose and Other
Q International, Foreign Affairs, National Security
R Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy
S Community Improvement, Capacity Building
T Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Foundations
U Science & Technology Research Institutes, Services
V Social Science Research Institutes, Services
W Public, Social Benefit: Multipurpose, Other
X Religion Related, Spiritual Development
Y Mutual/Membership Benefit Orgs., Other
Z Other
For additional guidance on selecting charities, visit the CFC website at http://www.opm.gov/cfc/html/qfd.asp
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No. Participation in the CFC is strictly voluntary.
Coercion is forbidden. You have the right not to be improperly influenced
regarding your decision to give or not to give through the CFC. Prohibited
practices include, but are not limited to: supervisors soliciting the employees
they supervise; setting 100% participation goals, providing and using
donor lists for purposes other than the routine collection and forwarding of
contributions and installment pledges, establishing personal dollar goals
and quotas, and developing and using lists of non-contributing employees.
If you prefer, you may donate to the CFC anonymously by placing your
confidential gift in a sealed envelope.
Civilian employees may register complaints about coercion with the LFCC
and contact their personnel offices; military personnel should contact their
commanding officers.
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By designating where your CFC contribution will go, you ensure that your
donation goes to meet the needs that you feel are most important. You may
designate the organizations of your choice where indicated on your pledge
form by entering the five-digit code and the amount you wish to pledge.
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Payroll deduction makes it convenient for you to give by letting you spread
your contribution across the entire year. Last year, more than 90% of all
CFC funds raised were made through payroll deduction. Payments on
payroll deduction pledges begin on the first pay period beginning in January
and conclude with the last pay period beginning in December. There is no
simpler way for you to make good things happen for so many people than
to contribute using payroll deduction. Payroll deduction helps you care for
your community and your world.
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Donors should keep a copy of their pledge form, as well as their pay
statements, as a receipt of their pledge. A Federal employee who makes
a one-time (cash, check, or money order) contribution must maintain a
bank record or a written communication from the local campaign showing
the name of the organizations contributed to, the date of the contribution,
and the amount of the contribution. Every effort will be made by the local
campaign to provide a receipt to donors, but it is the responsibility of the
donor to request such a receipt from the local campaign. Donors that do
not receive a receipt should contact the local campaign to obtain one. Local
campaigns can be found using the Campaign Locater search feature on
the CFC website at http://www.opm.gov/cfc/Search/Locator.asp
Donors should consult a tax adviser to determine if additional verification of
the donation is required by the IRS.
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Historically, campaign costs nation-wide have averaged ten percent.
These funds were spent on printing materials, training volunteers, auditing
contributions, and other administrative expenses. All local campaign costs
are reviewed and approved by the LFCC governing the local campaign.
On average, this cost is low compared with other fundraising campaigns;
therefore, every dollar you pledge goes a very long way toward helping
others.
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On-line pledging and e-giving, in general terms, means that donors have
the additional pledging tools of the charity list and pledge form available
to them "on-line" or on the internet or intranet. Currently, several local
campaigns are participating in pilot projects that offer on-line charity lists
and secure pledge transactions through the Employee Express (EEX) HR
System. Other campaigns have web-based charity lists and downloadable
pledge forms. If you would like to have access to on-line giving tools
such as these in your area, or have comments to share, please contact
OPM at cfc@opm.gov, Attn: Online Giving or your local campaign. Local
campaigns can be found using the Campaign Locater search feature on
the CFC website at http://www.opm.gov/cfc/Search/Locator.asp
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For more information about the CFC, including details on the public
accountability standards for participating charities, how to contact your
local CFC campaign, and more, visit the CFC Home Page at
www.opm.gov/cfc.
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