About the CFC

Prior to the 1950s, fund raising in the federal workplace was "an uncontrolled free-for-all," according to the official history of the Combined Federal Campaign.

The Combined Federal Campaign takes place every fall, usually from mid-September through December. Employees receive a pledge card and often a "catalog" that lists all eligible charities – more than 4,000 in the DC area.

Most charities are raising less through the Combined Federal Campaign, some a lot less.  As a result, many are cutting back on CFC promotion. But if you’re still raising significant money through the CFC, data on CFC giving is showing that now is not the time to do that.

The results of the 2014 Combined Federal Campaign were released on a Friday afternoon without a press release, which unfortunately tells you something about how the CFC did in 2014.

Since 2009, when the amount raised by the CFC started to go down, the average national charity has lost almost half of its CFC support, dropping from about $75,000 to $41,000.

To be eligible for the Combined Federal Campaign and thus for this website, charities must meet 10 accountability standards. They must: 1. Reveal the percentage spent on fund-raising and administrative costs.

One of the best ways for charities to raise money short of the church collection plate is workplace fundraising. By far the biggest workplace fundraising drive in the country is the federal government’s Combined Federal Campaign, which raised more than $72 million in 2022.