For more information about the Combined Federal Campaign, please visit the Federal Government's
CFC home page.
Why give to the CFC?
You accomplish so much with your CFC gift
This year, many local, national, and international voluntary charities will benefit from your thoughtfulness and generosity. A few minutes of your time today can mean meals for hungry children, relief for families in need of counseling, further work on cures for diseases, comfort for the dying, access to water in the Third World, environmental protection, and better lives and renewed hope for millions of people in our global community. The CFC for Southeastern Michigan serves nine counties: Huron, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Sanilac, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne.
You control where your gift will go
All federal employees have the right to contribute or not to contribute to the CFC. The choice is yours. Through your designation, you ensure that your donation goes to meet those needs that you feel are most important. All charities have a five-digit code; four-digit codes are no longer valid. You may indicate your choice by designating in the boxes provided up to five organizations; if you wish to donate to more than five organizations, you can ask for a second pledge form. Except for documented expenses for the operation of the local CFCs and uncollected pledges, all contributions are distributed as designated. Each Local Federal Coordinating Committee, comprised of federal employees, must approve and monitor these costs.
Please do not designate any organization not listed in the official CFC brochure. Write-ins are prohibited and cannot be accepted. If you desire, you may donate to the CFC anonymously by placing your confidential gift in a sealed envelope. For contributors who prefer not to designate a specific charity or federation. Undesignated gifts will be distributed proportionately to all organizations that received designated gifts.
Payroll deduction lets you help all year long
Payroll deduction is your key to substantial giving by letting you spread your contribution across the entire year. Last year, more than 95 percent of all CFC funds raised was given through payroll deduction. Payments on payroll deduction pledges begin on the first pay period in January. Because there is no simpler way for you to make good things happen for so many people, payroll deduction ensures your continuing role in the care and stewardship of your community and your world.
OPM provides CFC oversight
The US Office of Personnel Management (http://www.opm.gov/cfc/) makes the final decisions on all charities eligible for the National List. It also is the final administrative level for appeals on national and local applications, provides guidance and technical advice on regulations, and has the authority to conduct compliance audits on any CFC fiscal records.
The Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC) is our "Board of Directors"
The actual decisions regarding the inclusion of charities in your local campaigns rest with the LFCC. The 2008 LFCC is composed of Federal employees and representatives of labor unions with Federal employees as members. The management of your local CFC is by your colleagues in Federal service within the provisions and policies established by OPM.
The Principal Combined Fund Organization (PCFO) manages the CFC
Every year, the LFCC selects one of the voluntary organizations involved in the CFC to manage the campaign and serve as fiscal agent. OPM sets strict requirements for this role. Annual audits are required of the PCFO by an independent CPA.
A proud record of low fundraising costs
Through the outstanding oversight efforts of the federal employees on each LFCC, approximately 10 percent of the funds raised nationwide are spent on printing materials, training volunteers, and auditing contributions.
Because this cost is so low compared with other fundraising campaigns, every dollar you pledge goes a very long way toward helping others.
The voluntary spirit of giving is guaranteed
Remember, any contribution you make should be freely given. You have the right not to be improperly influenced in making your decision regarding the making or withholding of contributions in the CFC. Coercion is forbidden.
In order to guarantee this voluntary spirit, the Office of Personnel Management has identified several practices that are not permitted, including but not limited to: supervisory solicitation of employees supervised; setting of 100 percent participation goals; providing and using contributor lists for purposes other than the routine collection and forwarding of contributions and installment pledges; establishing personal dollar goals and quotas; developing and using lists of non-contributors.
Civilian employees who wish to register complaints about coercion should consult with their personnel offices; military personnel should contact their commanding officers.
How do federal employees decide which charities to list in the catalog?
Charities applied either at the national or local level. Charities with documented programs in fifteen states or a foreign country or several parts of a foreign country applied directly to the Office of Personnel Management. Only those charities certified by OPM are listed on the CFC website in the National and International Charities sections.
Local charities that help residents in their area or adjacent counties applied to the LFCC, the "board of directors" of our campaign. The local charities listed under the heading "Local Charities" have met OPM requirements for local eligibility.
If you would like more information about the finances, services, benefits or programs an organization provides, you may call the organization directly at the telephone number provided in the Charity List or visit their home page, if available.
Contributions, less uncollected pledges and the LFCC approved administrative costs, are remitted at regular intervals by the Principal Combined Fund Organization in accordance with CFC regulations.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
You cannot deduct a cash contribution, regardless of the amount, unless you keep a bank record (such as a cancelled check, a bank copy of a canceled check, or a bank statement containing the name of the charity, the date, and the amount) or a written communication from the qualified organization. The written communication must include the name of the organization, the date of the contribution, and the amount of the contribution. This will not affect the tax-deductibility of the CFC contribution.
If you make a contribution by payroll deduction, regardless of amount, you do not need an acknowledgment from the qualified organization, but you must keep: (1) a pay stub, Form W-2, or other document furnished by your employer that proves the amount withheld, AND (2) a pledge form or other document from the qualified organization that states the organization does not provide goods or services in return for any contribution made to it by payroll deduction.
What is Charity Guide and how do I use it?
The following information has been taken directly from the official Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) brochure. Charitable organizations appearing in this brochure have complied with regulations governing admission to the CFC. The one brochure is composed of a National List, approved by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and a Local List, approved by the Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC). Charitable organizations and federations eligible for the National List have elected to appear either in the National/International section of the National List or in the International section of the National List based on the scope of their programs.
What is a Federation?
A federation is a group of voluntary charitable human health and welfare organizations established for purposes of supplying common fundraising, administrative, and management services to its members. Each federation is listed with its member organizations as the first organization. If you wish to designate all or some portion of your contribution to a federation, please record that federation's corresponding code number on your pledge form. Contributions designated to a federation will be shared in accordance with the federation's policy. If you wish to designate all or some portion of your contribution to a federation member organization, please record that organization's corresponding code number on your pledge form.
Unaffiliated Organizations
You may wish to designate to a specific organization or organizations not affiliated with a federation (unaffiliated organizations). If you wish to designate all or some portion of your contribution to an unaffiliated organization, please record that organization's corresponding code number on your pledge form.
International General Designation Option
If you wish your contribution to be distributed proportionately to all international organizations that received designated gifts, you may do so by recording the code letters identified below on your pledge form.
11111I request that my gift be shared by all international organizations listed in the "International Section" of the "Charity List" in the same proportion that international organizations received designations.
Undesignated Funds
Even if you choose not to designate to a specific charity or federation, your contribution will still be accepted. Funds contributed to the CFC, but not designated to a specific organization or federation, will be distributed to all organizations in the CFC brochure in the same proportion as they received in designations.
Organizations which receive no designated dollars cannot receive any donations.
