Charity Toolkit

Finish Strong with the CFC!

Historically, CFC donations that final week reach multi-millions of dollars! As a participating charity, you can help us promote giving as we near the end of the campaign.

  1. Like, comment on, and share our Facebook posts about the campaign's final push.
  2. Remind your donors of the final day of the CFC through your regular communications, newsletters, and social media.

Use our Finish Strong graphic, Finish Strong animation, I Gave badge, or splash screen in your promotion efforts.

 

Welcome to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). You have completed the first big hurdle - applying and being accepted into this year's campaign. Now it is time to start thinking about how to make the most out of your participation. You can download the CFC Charity Engagement Guide as a resource and keep checking back here as more materials and resources are added throughout the campaign period. Here are five great ways to make the most out of being a part of the CFC:

1. Participate in the Virtual Charity Fair (VCF) Laptop graphic with a hand pressing a play button

As part of the continuing effort to connect federal employees and retirees to the causes they care about through the CFC and to make CFC charities more visible to the federal community, the CFC hosts a Virtual Charity Fair (VCF) to include videos and stories/photos. Viewers can filter by charity name, cfc number, cause area, cause of the week, charity type (i.e., local, national, or international), and if local, by CFC zone.

  • Submit your videos and/or stories and photos using our VCF Submission Portal. Read more instructions about how to submit in the CFC Charity Engagement Guide.
  • For videos, you will need charity name, web address, 5-digit CFC number, your primary cause area, cause of the week, charity type, video title, video transcript, video thumbnail photo, and the video mp4 file (50MB max size). Videos must be 60-seconds or less, be captioned, and comply with the standards in section 508 of the Rehabilitiation Act. Read more about Video Compliance.
  • Don't have a video yet? Learn how to create a compelling CFC Video using just a Smartphone.
  • For stories, you will need charity name, web address, 5-digit CFC number, primary cause area, cause of the week, charity type, photo title, photo file (hi-res, 300 dpi), photo caption, photo credit, story title, story body (limit 750 words).

2. Encourage Volunteering Graphic of a group of people high-fiving

Research has shown that donors who volunteer and make a monetary gift through the CFC give more than those who only make a monetary gift. Here are a few ideas on how you can help spark the volunteer spirit through the CFC:

  • Prepare a flyer or other materials that outline volunteer opportunities within your organization to provide to federal employees when you participate in CFC events. 
  • Reach out to those who pledged volunteer hours the previous year (and released their contact information) and coordinate with them to fulfill their volunteer commitment. You can get this information from the CFC Charity Administration Center. 
  • Consider hosting a volunteer activity or day of service for campaign workers or members of a federal agency.

3. Accept CFC Event InvitationsIcon of a person with a hand raised and a gear beside them

We want this year's campaign to be as successful as possible. One of the ways to do that is through your commitment to attend as many campaign events as possible. Attending campaign events puts your name and mission in front of federal employees and can boost your own organization’s donations. At the same time, you are helping to promote the campaign overall and making sure the agency charity events are well-staffed – nothing is more disappointing than a charity fair with empty tables. 

The CFC is committed to creating a fair and equitable system for inviting charities to attend locally held events. You will work with your local CFC zone Outreach Coordinator to attend their Charity Engagement Briefing to learn how to register for events, receive event invitation, and participate in local CFC events. 

4. Promote Yourself and the CFCGraphic of a hand holding pen and paper

  • Use the CFC logo and You Can Be The Face of Change theme mark to co-brand with the CFC on your materials and social media. You can also utilize our Seasonal Graphics in your own social media posts or email signature:
  • Put the QR code to encourage donors to download the CFC Mobile Giving App or use the CFC Online Giving system on posters and displays you are using at CFC events to encourage donations.
  • If you are interested in aligning with the CFC theme, check out our Identity Guidelines and Messaging Document. 
  • Every year, the CFC assigns a charitable cause to each week of the campaign to engage donors and highlight the important work of the CFC charities. We encourage you to find the week or multiple weeks that pertain to your charity and follow along as we promote on social media and our zone websites. Check out the Cause Week Calendar to follow along. And use the collateral in the Cause Week Section in the Campaign Worker Toolkit to help us promote your cause of the week.
  • Giving Tuesday, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, marks the beginning of the holiday giving season. Use the Giving Tuesday Section in the Campaign Worker Toolkit to make Nov. 29 the most successful online giving day of the campaign. 
  • During the final week of the CFC, we encourage you to follow along as we Finish Strong. Use the Finish Strong Section of the Campaign Worker Toolkit to promote and participate in a countdown of activities to help the 2022 CFC Finish Strong! 
  • Connect with the CFC through social media. Like, follow, comment on, and share our posts. Be sure to follow the national CFC accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) and those of any local CFC zones in which you are located.
  • Get a feel for how we are implementing this year’s theme and how you might be able to do something complementary by reviewing some of our campaign materials:
  • Use our promotional video and the Why the CFC Matters video in your own newsletters, websites, social media, communications, etc.

5. Track your Campaign Progress

Learn more about how the CFC Charity Administration Center is a charity's best friend and what information you can access through your dashboard by watching this short video.

6. Apply for the Combined Federal Campaign

The 2023 application is closed. The 2024 application process will begin December 2023. 

The Combined Federal Campaign invites you to apply to be part of one of the largest workplace giving campaigns in the world, reaching over 9 million potential donors across the country and around the world! Complete and submit your CFC application through the Charity Application Portal: see more information December 2023. Learn more about how to apply via our Charity Application Resources page, by attending the live webinars hosted by OPM, or using the online Charity Application Training which walks you step-by-step through the application process.

For more information, please visit the CFC Charity Administration Center.