|
We are not part of the Combined Federal Campaign and we receive no part of what you
give through the "CFC." But we still think it is a great way to give to charities.
If you are a federal or military employee, we encourage you to give through the
CFC. Here’s why:
- You have the right to choose to support a tremendous range of charities.
You didn’t always have this right. A generation ago, you could only give to a handful
of long-established charities. Now you get to decide not only which charities
you want to support, but which types of charitable work you want to support.
You can support basic services like food programs and homeless shelters. Or you
can support charities that work to change policies that you think cause hunger or
homelessness. You can support research on diseases you care about. You can support
education to help more people avoid these diseases. You can focus on protecting
animals or the environment. You can focus on charities that help your community,
your country or your world. You get to choose.
- By giving through the CFC, you can think through and plan your giving. You’re
not just responding to one appeal and then another appeal. You can think about what
makes sense for you and your family. How much money do you want to give over a full
year? Which types of charities do you want to support? When you give through the
CFC, you can choose to support several charities through one payroll deduction gift.
- Every charity eligible to receive CFC donations must meet 10 accountability standards,
such as an annual audit. The CFC also tells you exactly how much each charity
spends on administration and fund raising.
- The CFC’s overhead is low, thus nearly all your money goes to the charities.
Many people have an image of the CFC as a huge operation, but it is not. Nationally,
fewer than 10 people administer the CFC. Most of the work is done by individual
federal employees who agree to act as CFC key workers during their work day. The
cost to run the DC-area CFC is about 7%. In contrast, direct mail or telephone solicitation
can cost 50-100 percent.
- Having your gift deducted from your paycheck is a great, nearly painless way
to provide a real boost to the charities you choose to support. Having just
$10 deducted from your pay every two weeks adds up to a donation of $260 over the
year. Plus, because more than a million people give through the CFC each year, your
gift adds up. The average CFC charity gets a big boost from the money they receive
through the CFC each year.
- 6. Donations to CFC charities are tax deductible. CFC charities are all “public
charities.” Plus, by giving through the CFC, you get a handy record of your giving
every year.
Because more than 80 percent of the money given to charities comes from individuals,
gifts made by people like you are their lifeblood.
The critical question is not whether to give through the CFC, but how much
to give and which charities to support. The purpose of this website
is to give you more information that will help you make this decision.
|
