The CFC Today - A Time for Transformation

  • Published
  • By Combined Federal Campaign
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  The CFC today is known to be the most inclusive workplace giving campaign in the world with the number of participating charities estimated at over 20,000 nonprofit charitable organizations worldwide. The charities supported through the CFC range from nascent community groups to large, well-known charities.

Partnerships with nonprofit organizations are a core part of the CFC structure. In each of the 320 CFC areas throughout the country, local and national nonprofit organizations collaborate closely with committees of Federal campaign workers to design marketing strategies for the campaign and to process the receipt and distribution of Federal employee contributions to the charities they choose.

CFC also directly involves participating nonprofit organization leaders in the design of new policies and programs that are shaping the future of the Combined Federal Campaign. These partnerships are promoting greater direct giving from Federal employees to local and national nonprofits while helping nonprofit organizations use these contributions to leverage financial resources from other sources.

CFC campaigns are delineated geographically along county lines. While the structure of the campaign and parameters of responsibility established in the early 1980's remains essentially the same, an emerging trend is for greater collaboration among campaigns through the merging of local campaign operations and other arrangements. Each campaign is managed by a group of Federal employees who work with experienced nonprofit executives in their communities to generate contributions and distribute them to eligible charities. This partnership provides an opportunity for Federal workers to become involved in their communities and adds great value to the Combined Federal Campaign for both Federal employees and the participating nonprofit organizations.

The increase in the number of participating charities over the past decade has been great. The number of participating national Federations increased from 3 to 27 and the number of national and international charities has grown to over 1,600. Many federations also operate a network of local affiliated federations which participate in the CFC locally.

Today, the vast majority (75%) of the charities that participate in the campaign as national organizations do so as members of national Federations. While it is estimated that the total number of CFC participating charities in the country exceeded 20,000 in 2004, national organizations and Federations alone received over 45% of the $256 million recorded in campaign contributions in 2004.

Contributions have also increased steadily. Despite dramatic downsizing in the Federal workforce during the 1990's, the amount received in donor contributions rose steadily -- with half of the nearly $5 billion in contributions raised since results were recorded in 1964 received in the last ten years since 1990. This upward trend in giving continues strong. In 2001 alone following the September 11 terrorist attacks, Federal donor's contributions rose by 8% over 2000 for a total of $241 million, the largest increase in 12 years. By 2004, contributions increased to $256 million.

New opportunities abound with the use of new technology. What seemed impossible just a few years ago is now entirely possible and will be more commonplace five years from now.

The proliferation of this technology campaign-wide presents a rare strategic occasion for the CFC to become an even more efficient campaign in the future. The CFC Program is endeavoring to bring these advances to donors as well. For example, nonprofits are lending their expertise in web-based philanthropy to bring new efficiencies to giving in the Federal workplace through the use of automated giving.

Without a doubt, the ability to apply web-based technology while preserving donor trust represents among the greatest challenges facing the CFC as it moves into the 21st Century.