A Resource for Donors
Charitable Choices emerged out of the effort in the 1980s to open up the world's largest workplace charity drive (the Combined Federal Campaign) to a much greater range of charities. We've always worked to give all charities -- large and small, well-known and unknown, national and local -- an opportunity to communicate to donors why their work is important. Our website -- which we began in the 1990s -- is an extension of that commitment.
Our charity guides are very engaging and easy to use, being organized by the type of work charities do (animal protection, medical research, etc.). We have a unique system for distributing our guides, handing out many of them to federal and military employees as they enter their workplace.
We offer all charities very low-cost ways to communicate with potential donors, especially CFC donors. We also offer in-depth information and guidance about the Combined Federal Campaign.
Learn about How to become part of our guides and website.
Now is the time to review your CFC description
As CFC charities are getting their 2023 campaign acceptances, now is the time to look closely at your CFC description. You can change your description when you pay the CFC’s “listing fee,” after you receive your acceptance.
In the past, you wanted to write as compelling a case as you could about your work and why it’s important…in 25 words.
Even as the CFC raises less, data suggests that promotion still helps many charities in the CFC
With CFC donations down significantly since 2017, many charities are wondering if it still makes sense to invest in reaching out to CFC donors.
Since 2016, the Combined Federal Campaign has declined by 58% (not counting inflation) and lost more than 80% of its donors.
In contrast, the DC-area CFC has gone down much less since 2016, just 31.8%. In 2022, it raised $2 million more than it did in 2018, while the CFC overall is down $20 million since 2018. As a result, the DC CFC now accounts for nearly half the dollars raised through the CFC (46.6%, vs. 28.8% in 2016).
Last fall’s CFC campaign was a mixed bag. Overall giving was $70.6 million, a decrease of 9.5%, the first significant decline since 2019. Overall charitable giving also declined in 2022, but by much less, just 3.4% (both percentages are before inflation).
But the DC CFC campaign went up 9.6%. It raised nearly $3 million more in 2022. The number of DC-area CFC donors also went up by about 3%. This increase in donors is big news. The overall number of CFC donors has plummeted more than 80% since the CFC’s big changes in 2017.
After a small increase in 2020, the Combined Federal Campaign went down about 4% in 2021, raising just over $78 million. After the big declines between 2017 and 2019, this relative stability the past two years is welcome news.
CFC donors increased the average amount they give, up to $808. Donors in DC give even more, an estimated $1,043.* These amounts shows why workplace campaigns continue to be important. Most people give more when they can give throughout the year by using payroll deduction.
Donations through the Combined Federal Campaign declined again in 2018, though not nearly as much as they did the previous year, when the CFC rolled out its massive overhaul of the federal government’s fund-raising drive.
This fall's CFC Campaign keeps moving forward, a big contrast to last year's Campaign, which started extremely late.
The list of eligible charities was issued August 2. Among other things, this allows the website consultants to start testing the online giving portal, which should take about a month. The materials for this fall's campaign were made available online this week.
With the federal charity drive declining since 2010, is it worth it to promote your charity’s work among potential CFC donors?
Two similar charities have answered this question in different ways since 2010, one continuing and expanding its CFC-focused promotion, the second cutting back to the point where it now appears to do little CFC promotion.
The two are Food For The Poor and World Vision. Both are large Christian charities with strong brands that work internationally.
The 2018 CFC fall campaign is far ahead of last year’s campaign schedule, a good sign that this year’s CFC will be much more successful. Last year’s campaign plummeted nearly 40%, a loss of more than $65 million for charities. One key reason: the campaign started far later than normal.
There are times when you wish you hadn’t been right. Unfortunately, those who predicted the negative impact of many of the federal charity drive’s changes could not have been more right.
Last fall -- the year these changes were finally implemented – saw the CFC experience by far its biggest decline ever, both in total dollars given and number of donors.