Our department or agency has employees that were directly affected by a disaster. Do we need to seek authorization to collect funds from Federal employees to be given directly to these employees and/or their surviving family members?
A request for donations under either the CFC or a special solicitation is made on behalf of charitable organizations that are tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of Internal Revenue Service regulations. The CFC regulations do not cover workplace solicitations made on behalf of individuals or their families. As a result, your department or agency does not need OPM's authorization for a solicitation to permit collection of funds for this purpose. However, Federal employees may only solicit funds for fellow employees in need subject to established ethics requirements and non-CFC solicitation requests affecting Federal buildings. We strongly encourage you to contact your agency's ethics counsel or General Counsel if you are planning such an activity.
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