Federal employees who pledge time through the Combined Federal Campaign “are expected to engage in such voluntary activities on their own time” but agencies can help by partnering with CFC charities to support such arrangements, an OPM memo says.
The memo carries guidance on a change in CFC policy effective with last fall’s campaign, in which employees were encouraged to consider volunteering time in addition to–or in some cases, what would be instead of–monetary donations. CFC donations have been declining steadily for many years despite the government’s continued encouragement for financial giving and even though it allows employees some time during working hours for promotional activities.
It said that donations of time have benefits including “creating a sense of connection to the charity through volunteerism that may identify other needs, such as monetary donations”; and “providing greater assistance and support to chosen charities.”
“Research shows that volunteer activities are more likely to boost employee morale than other agency-sponsored team building activities. Therefore, when appropriate, OPM invites federal agencies to explore opportunities to assist organizations and teams with coordinating volunteer team-building activities with CFC-participating charities,” the memo said.
The participating charities have been screened to ensure that they meet the CFC public accountability standards, added the memo, which includes attachments relating to the pledging process, adopting a volunteerism program, and best practices.
