2008 Combined Federal Campaign Innovators

Coastal Georgia CFC

When the campaign learned that one of four combat brigades of the 3rd Infantry Division would be deployed to Iraq during the entire campaign period, the Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC) developed a broad reaching marketing approach. This included establishing contact with the new commanding general, who was very supportive, and adjusted kick-off events on the base to coincide with his schedule. The CFC was highly visible on post thanks to informational articles placed in the weekly post newspaper, an interview with the LFCC chair and CFC director for closed circuit television, and large CFC signs and banners.

Prior to the start of the campaign, an LFCC member and her daughter, both employed by the Department of Labor, agreed to be video taped to promote the CFC. The video told the story of how the family was helped by a CFC participating agency when the daughter required extensive surgery at age five for a tumor. Thankfully, she fully recovered from this operation. The video was short, simple, and inspirational. In addition, many Labor employees personally knew both individuals and could appreciate the personal impact the charity made on the family.

The efforts paid off. Participation at Ft. Stewart and the Hunter Army Airfield increased significantly to 45% and the on-post goal was exceeded by 137%.

Kitsap and Mason Counties CFC

In response to the economic climate, new events and emphasis areas were added to the local campaign. For example, greater emphasis was placed on charity representatives attending the regional and local events to share with donors the benefits to their organizations from donations to the CFC. Through the work of the Principal Combined Fund Organization (PCFO,) private sponsorships were secured to cover the costs of the printing of the CFC Charity List, production of a local video, and the expenses of a CFC softball tournament and Dance Contest.

The campaign also produced events to bring attention to the needs of the community and to promote an increased level of contribution. A new event in 2008 was the "Bite of CFC", where employee groups selected a theme and served small portions of food for a contribution to the campaign. More than a dozen employee groups set up booths and served everything from traditional and ethnic food to ice cream sundaes. Other events included the CFC Dance Contest, a CFC Auto and Motorcycle Show, the Office Olympics, a Dodge Ball tournament and more

In all, the efforts led to the campaign exceeding its goal of $2,000,000.

CFC of the National Capital Area (CFCNCA)

The campaign worked with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to develop a solution for expanding e-giving in the CFC environment. Several factors were considered for this project. First, the system had to be able to identify which USPTO employees are located in the CFCNCA area. Second, it had to be able to authenticate user identification at the Federal agency level and securely pass the potential donor over to the campaign's e-giving platform. Third, it had to be able to save data that could be provided back to the payroll system. Finally, it had to be a confidential way to give. No individuals handled pledge cards after they are completed and no social security numbers were needed anywhere in the system.

The pilot was developed in less than a six week period in the spring of 2008 for testing and was deployed in October. Bolstered by marketing efforts, giving on the system exceeded all expectations. By the end of the 2008 campaign, more than 1,400 used the e-giving system, pledging more than $850,000.

CFC of the North Puget Sound

The campaign chair participated in a discussion during the 2008 National CFC Workshop that focused on innovations to target the younger demographic and educate them about the importance of the CFC. Ideas included using forms of media and celebrity personalities with whom young employees would identify.

The next week, the chair just happened to be watching Nashville Star which is an all-country music version of American Idol. There was an active duty sailor who had reached the finals of the competition. The chair contacted the Navy unit in Tennessee where the contestant worked and introduced the idea of having the finalist star in a commercial to promote the CFC. The Navy agreed and made a 30 second commercial. The campaign distributed DVD copies of the commercial and distributed it over the internet.

At the same time, the LFCC focused on increasing donor participation, even if each individual gave a smaller amount. The rationale was to make them become familiar wit the program so that they may support future campaigns when economic times were better. The results achieved were phenomenal - the campaign raised 13% more the 2007 campaign. It also increased the Navy participation rate and saw its average gift rise by more than $27.

CFC Overseas

For the Department of Defense personnel assigned to the U.S. Central Command, giving to their charity of choice through the CFC can be a challenge. Many areas are active combat zones with frequent rotation of troops into, out of, and within the vast command area. It is sometimes difficult to provide these potential donors with campaign information or a CFC volunteer to talk to. In addition, deployed troops do not carry around cash and often do not even have their check books with them. To help overcome this unique challenge, the CFC-O offered a fully automated Credit Card Giving option. This gave personnel the flexibility needed to make a paperless contribution by searching the online charity database and making their gift via credit card.

The user-friendly system was easily accessed via the CFC-O website. It allowed a contributor to make an informed pledge quickly and easily, as well as gave the contributor the choice of making a one-time donation or a monthly allotment, which is a significant option for Reservists and National Guard troops who often cannot give via payroll allotment.

Over 1,200 contributors raised $313,589 with an average gift of $251. These donations are immediately processed - which is a huge benefit when dealing with the U.S. Central Command, where it can take up to eight weeks to ship pledge cards out of the combat zones.

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