Combined Federal Campaign CFC FAQs

Yes. Through CFC All-Around Giving, a federal employee can give to any organization that has been approved by a Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC)—irrespective of geographic boundaries.

OPM will accept a "dba" documentation issued by either the IRS or the state. If a nonprofit organization elects to do business under a name that is different from the one on its IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, it must obtain "dba" documentation through either the IRS or the state and submit it with the application. While a charitable organization's eligibility status will not be decided based on the name, the name by which it is listed in the CFC Charity List, should the organization be found eligible, will depend on official documentation from the IRS or state sources. Additionally, all charitable organizations are required to include their Employee Identification Number (EIN) in their 25-word statement regardless of whether they are listed under their legal name or a "dba".

The fee structure is based on tiers for different types of organizations. Tiers refer to the size of the applicant organization in terms of total revenue as reported on the submitted IRS Form 990 or the pro forma IRS Form 990. Total revenue may be found on page 9, line 12, column A of the required IRS forms. The CFC rules, as noted in 5 CFR §950.107, allow for upfront application fees and listing fees as well as distribution fees to be assessed against pledges received. Listing fees are paid only by organizations approved to participate in the campaign. Tier I Organizations are those that report $1 million or more in revenue. Tier II Organizations are those that report $250 thousand or more in revenue, but less than $1 million. Tier III Organizations are those that report less than $250 thousand in revenue.   APPLICATION FEES Nat'l/Int'l Federation $1,575 Nat'l/Int'l Federation Member Org. $400 Nat'l/Int'l Independent Org. $570 Local Federation $630 Local Federation Member Org. $255 Local Independent Org. $340   LISTING FEES Tier I Nat'l/Int'l Organizations $2,270 Tier II Nat'l/Int'l Organizations $555 Tier III Nat'l/Int'l Organizations $370 Tier I Local Organizations $635 Tier II Local Organizations $135 Tier III Local Organizations $20

Yes. 5 CFR §950.102(a)(1) states new federal employees must be provided information about the CFC at their orientation and must be allowed to make a pledge within 30 days of starting duty. While provision of CFC information applies currently, the requirement to allow immediate pledging will apply to new hires hired after September 1, 2017.

OPM published CFC regulations in April 2014 to streamline many of the program's operations, including how charitable organizations apply to become part of the program. The regulations, which go into effect on January 1, 2017, were issued to ensure the continued growth and success of the program by improving donor participation, CFC infrastructure, and standards of transparency and accountability.   The cost of the campaign will be recovered primarily through application fees paid by the charitable organizations that apply for participation in the CFC. Additionally, upfront application fees will require that charities properly adjust for campaign costs in their own accounting, something that the current process of cost deduction does not reflect. Prior to 2017, the overhead administrative costs of much of the CFC program were paid out of donor contributions through the campaign. OPM maintains that more transparency with respect to administrative overhead would be beneficial to the program, to the donors, and to the charitable organizations that receive donations through the CFC. In addition to defraying costs, an application fee will discourage those organization that receive no benefit from the campaign from applying, thereby reducing administrative costs, and increasing the number of dollars that reaches participating charities. It is in the spirit of these recommendations that OPM proposed to restructure CFC cost recovery.

The Loaned Executive program was initiated in 1971 by Presidential Order. A Loaned Executive is a Federal Employee that is "loaned" by their agency to work on the CFC. Loaned Executives are usually relieved of all work duties for the period they are working on the CFC. The role of a Loaned Executive is to conduct all solicitations among the federal employees in a campaign area. They are usually trained by the Outreach Coordinator (OC) and work out of the OC’s space during the campaign period.

The CFC is composed of 38 campaign zones in the US and overseas. Each zone has a unique listing of charities that includes local organizations in their area. While each zone’s Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC) approves its list of local charities, these charities are listed for consideration by all federal employees. For the list of eligible charities in your area, please use the CFC Pledging System.

No. CFC regulations do not allow for in-kind donation, nor are fundraising events permitted for the CFC.

In accordance with 5 CFR §950.601(a)(1), the application period is during a period between December and January, as determined by the Director. Please look at the CFC Calendar of Events.

Yes. The CFC regulations, set forth at 5 CFR §950.102, state that the CFC is the only authorized solicitation of employees in the Federal workplace on behalf of charitable organizations. No other monetary solicitation on behalf of charitable organizations may be conducted in the Federal workplace. The CFC regulations do not apply to the collection of gifts-in-kind, such as food, clothing and toys, or to the solicitation of Federal employees outside of the Federal workplace as defined by the applicable Agency Head consistent with General Services Administration regulations and any other applicable laws or regulations. Heads of departments or agencies may establish policies and procedures applicable to solicitations conducted by organizations composed of civilian employees or members of the uniformed services among their own members for organizational support or for the benefit of welfare funds for their members. Such solicitations are not subject to CFC regulations and, therefore, do not require permission of the Director.