Combined Federal Campaign application deadline January 31, 2018.
Do you want to find more local supporters and donors?
Does your nonprofit need more long-term, sustainable funding that you can build year after year?
The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) may be one answer!
The CFC is a terrific opportunity for small and medium-sized nonprofits to find more supporters – locally and around the U.S. – and to build a source of long-term contributions.
The CFC is the workplace giving program for federal employees in the U.S., including postal workers, military, Forest Service and BLM workers, and many, many more. Anyone who works for the federal government can participate and make donations to your organization through payroll deduction. Read more about the CFC and how it works in the FAQs below.
Click here to contact me for information on how to apply AND to get information on how to maximize your return once you’re accepted.
For more information on how to apply, including definitions, fees, required documents, and more, click here to go to the CFC’s “How to Apply” page.
To start your application, click here to go to the CFC Charity Administration Center.
To watch a CFC-produced training video on the 2017 application process, much of which applies this year, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPCwqFkAAZc.
FAQS
What is the Combined Federal Campaign?
The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the workplace giving program of the Federal government. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) oversees it and all Federal employees are eligible to participate. The structure is similar to United Way in that it is based on a payroll deduction system (see “What is Workplace Giving?” below) and there are kickoff events at many agencies and workplaces. Often United Way runs the CFC campaign.
The difference with CFC is that employees must designate the organizations to receive their donations. United Ways often aggregate the contributions and then distribute them to member organizations or make grants to community agencies or a combination of the two.
Also, recent changes to the CFC mean that federal employees can designate ANY organization that participates in the CFC, whether they are local or not, to receive their donations. So your supporters’ friends and family members who live in other states can also donate to you if they choose.
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What is Workplace Giving?
Workplace giving refers to a system in which employees of a company or government agency sign up to have a set amount deducted from their paychecks each month for charitable purposes. There are several models of workplace giving, the most well-known of which is the United Way.
Under the United Way model, contributions go to the local/regional United Way organization, which then distributes funds either through grants or to member agencies, or a combination of the two. Donors are generally not able to designate which organizations receive their contributions.
In other places, there are other types of federations and umbrella organizations that participate in workplace giving campaigns. These are often organized around a particular issue area (for example, environmental or animal welfare organizations) or a geographic location (for example, a state Community Shares organization). In this model, as in the CFC, donors designate the organizations they want to support with their charitable contributions.
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How can your organization participate in the Combined Federal Campaign?
Most charities participate as “local independent” organizations. The application deadline for these organizations for the 2018 CFC is January 31, 2018.
In 2017, the OMB began using an online submission form. This is much easier for everyone than the volumes of paper we had to send in previously! Click here to go to the CFC Charity Administration Center and start your application.
Note that there are application fees and listing fees for the CFC. They are on sliding scales and are nonrefundable. These fees are listed under “Fee Structure” on the CFC page here: https://cfccharities.opm.gov/#/applicationForCharities/.
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What are the minimum criteria to apply to and participate in the Combined Federal Campaign?
Below are the application criteria for all charities:
- You are a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization in good standing with the IRS;
- You are a human health and welfare organization providing services, benefits, or assistance to, or conducting activities affecting human health and welfare;
- You report to an active board of directors, the majority of which is not compensated;
- You have a staffed facility or dedicated portion of a residence that is “open for business” a minimum of 15 hours per week, with a dedicated phone line specifically for your organization (cell phones are acceptable as long as they are dedicated to organizational use).
In 2017, the CFC relaxed their financial criteria/documentation. The new criteria include those below. Note that a full audit is not required for organizations with revenue of under $250,000.
A. If your annual revenues exceed $250,000 (as shown on your most recent Form 990) you must:
- Be audited annually by an independent certified public accountant (CPA) and provide the audited financials as part of your application.
AND - Use the ACCRUAL method of accounting in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). You must have certified this on your most recent IRS Form 990.
B. If your annual revenues are less than $250,000 and more than $100,000 (as shown on your most recent Form 990) you must:
- Have either an audit or a review of your fiscal operations completed annually by an independent certified public accountant (CPA).
AND - Use the ACCRUAL method of accounting in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). You must have certified this on your most recent IRS Form 990.
C. If your annual revenues are less than $100,000 (as shown on your most recent Form 990) you must:
- Certify that your organization has controls in place to ensure that funds are properly accounted for and is able to provide accurate and timely financial information to interested parties.
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What is the timeline for the Combined Federal Campaign?
The campaign season officially begins sometime in September and runs through mid-January; however, local organizing agencies can set their own starting and ending dates.
After the campaign ends, contributions are distributed quarterly, likely beginning in April.
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How does the Combined Federal Campaign work?
There are kickoff events in many large workplaces and in some smaller agencies. These usually coincide with the beginning of United Way campaigns, but may also be held throughout the campaign season.
Federal employees can look up charities and will make all pledges online. They designate, via a code provided on the website, which organizations they want to receive their contributions and also choose a monthly amount to donate.
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How can you raise as much as possible through the Combined Federal Campaign?
First, you’ll need an outreach strategy. Hoping that people see YOUR organization’s entry in the hundreds, if not thousands, of entries in the CFC listings will not be successful.
Here are a few things you can do to make your organization stand out:
- Contact the local coordinating agency (note it may be at a distance away) and offer to help organize an event with other local participants and agencies.
- Identify your allies in your area, including unions, civic organizations, and your own supporters and donors, and reach out to them as soon as you know you’re part of the CFC.
- Make up fliers that prominently display your CFC number.
- Attend any events. If there aren’t any, why not set some up?
Wild Moon Consulting has worked with many organizations on effective outreach strategies for workplace fundraising campaigns. If you need help planning an outreach strategy, contact us when you get notification that you’ve been accepted.
