Thanks to our Charity Partners

Your invaluable service to society once again earned the trust of our local federal employees in 2011, inspiring them to donate over $1.6 million from our region - thank you for all that you do!

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How Does the CFC Work?

Click on the following links for information about:

General Overview
The Application Process
Local Applications
Distribution of Donations
Campaigning

General Overview

The CFC is the only official workplace charitable fundraising program allowed in federal government offices. During a six-week time frame between Sept. 1st - Dec. 15th of each year, the local CFC is promoted and federal employees are given the opportunity to designate a payroll deduction, cash or check donation to any of over 2,000 charities.

Donations are distributed the following year, beginning in late March. All donation decisions are made by the donors; some charities may receive several thousand dollars, while others may not receive any in a given year. Designations are paid based on funds received.

The application period occurs once annually in the winter or early spring (depending upon your applicant classification) and every organization must re-apply each year to participate. Organizations must meet a series of standards, which includes: being in operation for at least one year, be categorized as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization by the IRS, provide real and verifiable services, and a variety of other requirements. See the Application Process section below to determine whether or how you should apply, or go to the national Office of CFC Operations web site for regulations and more info.

• National or international charities apply in December - January to the Office of CFC Operations in Washington D.C.
• Local charities apply to local CFC offices in February - March.

Applications are then reviewed by a committee of federal volunteers to verify eligibility. Approved charities are published in a charity list booklet that is distributed to all federal employees within a CFC territory. To see a copy of the most recently completed charity list, please go to our Campaign Toolkit page. Charity lists are usually completed in the July/August timeframe.

Please see the About Us page for more information about our local campaign.

CFC Application Process

• The 2012 application period for national organizations is
  Dec. 1, 2011 - Jan. 17, 2012.
• The 2012 application period for local organizations is
  Feb. 10 - Mar. 9, 2012.

Charitable organizations wishing to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) must complete an application form annually. Depending on the type of charity you are will dictate the appropriate form. As you consider applying for the 2012 CFC, please review the following:

Step 1: What is the scope of my organzation's services?

• If your primary service area covers 15 or more states or a foreign country, you are a national or international applicant. 
• If your primary service area is within our CFC boundaries or the serves the entire states of Oregon or Washington, you are a local applicant. 
• If your charity serves Oregon or Washington outside of our CFC boundaries, you must obtain an application from the local CFC office to reach employees of that region. Go to the National CFC web site and “Local Campaign Information” for a list of other CFC offices.

Step 2: Which application should I use?

• If your organization is not associated with any federation, such as United Way, Earth Share, Community Health Charities, etc., then you should apply as an independent organization. 
• If your organization primarily funds member charities and has 15 or more qualifying members, like the groups above, then you should apply as a federation. 
• If your organization is a member of a federation, and you wish to be listed with that federation, then you should contact your federation office and apply through them.
• An organization cannot apply in more than one category.
• For official requirements and definitions for determining if you are an "Independent Organization" or a "Federation" please visit: OPM Website - 2012 CFC Applications

To Apply as a Local Organization

The application period for the 2012 Pacific Northwest CFC opens February 10th. Please do not submit applications prior to this date.

The application must be mailed to arrive or be hand-delivered by no later than 5:00 p.m., March 9, 2012, to:

Attn: CFC Application
Ron Johnson, LFCC Chair
Oregon Federal Executive Board
620 SW Main Street, Suite 330
Portland, OR 97205

Federations - If you wish to list 15 or more of your members for participation in the CFC, you must distribute, collect and review for approval completed CFC Local Federation Member Applications from each member you wish to include. Unless you are new to the local CFC, please send to the Oregon Federal Executive Board (OFEB) only your federation application and those applications from new members in your federation or those members that did not participate in the CFC the previous year. By regulation, however, you must keep all of your federation member applications on file for three years.

Questions?
Contact Ron Johnson at 503.326.2060/rjohnson@oregonfeb.us or
Jeff Sargent at 503.326.3030/jsargent@oregonfeb.us.

To Apply as a National or International Organization

See OPM Website - 2012 CFC Applications

Distribution of CFC Donations

Charities with designations from the 2011 campaign will receive a letter in mid-March of 2012 detailing the dollars pledged or donated to their organization. This letter included the name, contact information, and donation amount of donors who agreed to have that information released. The first payment from 2011 donations will be sent on or about April 1, 2012 and will continue through March of 2013.

Mailing Address Changes for CFC Funded Organizations

If your charitable organization is receiving CFC funds and your mailing address changes, please contact Lenny Logan at United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, 503.226.9315 or lennyl@unitedway-pdx.org. More than one piece of evidence is required for verification; a simple voice-mail or e-mail will not suffice. Your notification is important, as it will help you to continue to receive timely donation payments.

Campaigning

The Pacific Northwest CFC strives to give each charity the opportunity to present their organization's work to federal employees. It is our goal to be unbiased in our promotion of member charities. The charity list, which all Federal employees receive during the campaign, provides a brief description of your charity's services and gives contact information. Other ways to get involved are to:

Attend charity orientation. These will likely be scheduled for the summer of 2012, after charity application decisions have been made.

Promote the CFC through your channels. You may already have federal employees or relatives of federal employees that follow your organization. Announce that you are in the CFC in your newsletter, on your website, and in other communications media. Don't forget to share your five-digit code, so that potential donors won't have to look for it!

Sign up for Speakers Bureau. We distribute the Speakers Bureau list to campaign coordinators and post it on this website. If you are a participating charity, you can be added to the list. The welcome letter and application form are found below:

2011 Pacific NW CFC Speakers Bureau Welcome (PDF)
2011 Pacific NW CFC Speakers Bureau Form (MS Word)

Agencies select charities from this list to speak at meetings and special events during the campaign. You will be emailed prior to the campaign to request contact information for this list. 

Note: Signing up for Speaker's Bureau does not guarantee a speaking engagement. If you are contacted to speak, please clear any promotional materials you would like to distribute with the agency leadership through your campaign coordinator prior to your visit.

CFC regulations prohibit charities from soliciting Federal agency personnel for speaking engagements or other promotional activities at Federal agencies. Agencies must invite you to their facility.

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