CFC Memorandum 2004-03

March 26, 2004

FOR:	MEMORANDUM FOR LOCAL FEDERAL COORDINATING COMMITTEES (LFCCs) AND PRINCIPAL COMBINED FUND ORGANIZATIONS (PCFOs)
FROM:	MARA T. PATERMASTER DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF CFC OPERATIONS
SUBJECT:	2003 CFC Heroes and Innovators

I am pleased to announce that the Office of Combined Federal Campaign Operations is accepting nominations for the annual CFC Heroes and Innovators awards. These awards, presented during a ceremony at the White House, honor Federal employees and campaigns for their outstanding efforts on behalf of the CFC.

We hope you will help us pay tribute to the "unsung heroes" of the 2003 Combined Federal Campaign by sending us your nominations by Wednesday, April 7, 2004. Nominations will be reviewed and selected by a committee composed of LFCC members, local campaign staff, and prior year heroes. This committee will be chaired by Dale Rieck, member, LFCC Chairperson of the Albany Area CFC in Georgia.

The committee will review the nominations and select individuals from each of the following four Federal communities: Civilian, Postal, Military (Uniform), and Military (Civilian). It will also review nominations for campaigns that implemented an innovative strategy that led to increased participation and/or contributions.

These awards are a wonderful way to recognize the accomplishments of the CFC and the individuals who make it happen. We encourage you to replicate this program locally as well. Please help us identify CFC Heroes and Innovators by submitting their relevant information by April 7, 2004. This information may be faxed to the attention of: CFC Awards Committee at 202/606-5056. Please use the attached guidelines.

The recipients of these awards will be announced in April. They will be invited to attend an awards ceremony at the White House in late May. Details on the date and time of the ceremony will be announced shortly.

Thank you for your participation in this program.

Attachments:

Criteria for CFC Heroes

Qualifications for "CFC Heroes" candidates include, but are not limited to:

1. An exceptional commitment to the CFC, as a Federal worker or group of Federal workers, but also a demonstrated commitment to volunteerism on a personal level, outside the workplace. Individuals may have served as campaign managers, campaign coordinators, team leaders, keyworkers, campaign volunteers, or LFCC members; newer employees and more senior ones should be given equal consideration;
2. An outstanding employee or team of employees who has gone beyond the call of duty and made a significant difference during the 2003 campaign;
3. Demonstrated leadership qualities such as the ability to implement change by establishing direction, aligning, motivating and inspiring people. A willingness to take risks.

One page nominations are preferred; two pages are the maximum accepted. Each campaign may nominate up to two individuals for this award. Nominations must include a statement describing the following

1. How the individual made a difference in the campaign with specific examples of his/her campaign achievement(s) and "lessons learned" about his/her experience in the CFC;
2. A description of any relevant personal background or life experiences that have influenced his/her efforts, and;
3. A biographical sketch.

Fax submissions to:
CFC Awards Committee
202/606-5056

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CFC Innovations Awards Criteria and Guidelines for Submission

Campaigns that wish to apply for the CFC Innovator's Award should submit an abstract that tells us your story in a one page narrative statement that answers the questions outlined below. You may add other relevant information that you think others would benefit from when implementing a similar strategy.

1. Describe the innovative strategy and the circumstances that led to its development (i.e., need to increase participation, promote campaign visibility, motivate donors, strengthen campaign oversight or administration, stimulate volunteer involvement, engage the interest of younger workers, promote more collaborations, etc.)
2. What was innovative about the strategy? An innovation does not necessarily mean that it has not been done before. It may reflect an activity that was recently implemented in your campaign which yielded very positive results over previous years. It is important to keep in mind that our interest is in initiatives that led to improvements in campaign performance.
3. What principal aspect of the campaign was improved?
4. What lessons did you learn in the process?

Abstracts will be classified in the following five categories. We have provided you with examples to assist you in selecting a category. Your abstract should indicate the category in the top left margin and if the project or initiative had a name please include this as well. Nominations may not exceed one page.

Categories:

1. Campaign Administration/Management (i.e., LFCC and/or PCFO management strategies that may include: administrative cost containment strategies, merger strategies/implementations; application review processes, improved accountability, strengthened LFCC-PCFO cooperation, strategic planning and evaluation of campaign results, data systems, automated giving initiatives, etc.)
2. Campaign Marketing (i.e., application of marketing methods or technology)
3. Donor and Volunteer Recognition (strategies for motivating donors, maintaining and renewing the volunteer involvement, LE training, etc.)
4. Collaborations (linking employees with volunteer opportunities, involving federal retirees in the campaign, etc.)
5. Other Innovations (this is an open-ended category that looks for practices that address an aspect of the CFC that is not covered in the above categories.)

Fax Submissions to:
CFC Awards Committee
202/606-5056

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