Following is an OPM summary of final rules overhauling the Combined Federal Campaign, the official federal workplace charity drive.
Solicitation Period: The Director of OPM will be given the authority to annually set the dates for the campaign period, but that it shall start no earlier than September 1 and end no later than January 15. While the CFC-50 Commission recommended expanding the solicitations period into January to give employees an opportunity to contribute after the holidays, OPM agreed with many comments it received that the CFC solicitation period should not be lengthened. The new rule gives the Director the flexibility to determine the solicitation period from year to year based on the input from the CFC’s stakeholders.
Local Federal Coordinating Committees (LFCCs): LFCCs are still a vital stakeholder to the CFC. Local ownership of campaigns still resides with the LFCCs – their responsibilities are simply altered to focus on campaign promotion and employee engagement, such as reviewing charity applications and finding outreach coordinators and fundraisers at the local level.
Outreach Coordinators: similar to the current marketing functions performed by PCFOs, Outreach Coordinators will be responsible for assisting the LFCCs in continuing to provide expertise in employee engagement and a local touch to the campaign.
Electronic Giving and Processing: Cash contributions are eliminated; however checks will be accepted and processed electronically. This will reduce campaign expenses due to the higher cost associated with processing cash contributions. Our research demonstrates that for the campaigns that have access to online giving, less than 10% of donations came through cash donations in 2012. In addition, electronic giving is exploding in growth, and overall (for the campaigns that possess online giving capabilities), the total of electronic giving is on the rise. Paper Charity Lists and pledge forms will be made available for the first five campaign periods after the rule is implemented. These documents will be made available exclusively through electronic means thereafter. This reduces campaign costs and the CFC’s carbon footprint.
Charity Application Fees: All charities will pay a non-refundable application fee. Those that are approved may be charged an additional listing fee. These will help to recover the administrative costs that charities pay to participate in the CFC. Any additional costs will be covered through distribution fees, similar to the current process of deducting campaign costs from charity distributions.
Payroll Deduction Disbursements: Federal payroll offices will disburse and provide detailed reports to the Central Campaign Administrator that will distribute funds to the charities designated by CFC donors. This streamlines the current distribution process by moving from 150+ CFC financial centers to one or a
