Combined Federal Campaign Overview

Charitable fundraising in the federal workplace (including military installations and offices in foreign countries) can be traced to the late-1940’s but the modern-day version --the Combined Federal Campaign -- had its beginning in 1961 under an executive order issued by President John F. Kennedy. The driving forces behind that executive order were:

1. to gain control over a proliferating number of solicitations;
2. to instill uniformity and stability in federal workplaces where disjointed processes then existed;
3. to address the disproportionately high costs of the diverse campaigns in relation to the funds raised; and
4. to institute payroll deductions as an alternative method of giving.

A local United way community campaign is not permitted to solicit contributions in federal workplace; however, a local United Way and its affiliate charitable organizations may participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).

Today’s Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is conducted annually over a six-week period between September lst and December l5th. The six-week period may vary from place-to-place and, in emergency circumstances (such as military engagements), may be deferred, with appropriate approval.

At the national level, the overall campaign administration is seated in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), under a director and a staff of five or fewer. The national campaign consists of 361 regional campaigns. Each regional campaign is approved in geographic scope by the OPM and each is administered by a Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC); the scope of the local CFC campaign region is Midland County and (beginning in 2004) Ector County, Texas. Each LFCC is comprised of federal/military employees working in the respective campaign region, all such members serving voluntarily and each LFCC responsible for recruiting its own members. Eligible persons interested in becoming LFCC members are invited to contact the LFCC chair:

• Mr. G. “Chito” Ramirez
  Midland Postmaster
  U.S. Postal Service
  P. O. Box 60000
  Midland, TX 79711-9998

The LFCC develops the strategy, schedule, and design of the campaign and hires (through a publicly advertised application process) a Principal Combined Fund Organization (PCFO) — better understood as the Local Campaign Manager. In Midland the PCFO is, and historically has been, the United Way of Midland. The LFCC also solicits and reviews/approves applications from local health and welfare charities wishing to participate in the respective local campaign. Performance and records of the PCFO are subject to an in-depth audit and an evaluative review by the LFCC annually

The OPM solicits and reviews/approves applications from eligible charities with national scope. Over eighteen hundred such charities were approved for participation in the most recent campaign.

Charities approved by OPM and those approved by each respective LFCC are presented to federal/military employees in the local campaign region to select which, if any, of those charities the employee wishes to support with a financial contribution. Contributions may be made in a one-time cash/check form or may be authorized by payroll deduction over the ensuing twelve-month period. Funds collected through a regional campaign (including payroll deductions) are channeled through the Local Campaign Manager for distribution to the charities designated by the contributors.

Successes of the last ten campaigns are:

Year	National Campaign	Midland-Odessa Campaign
1996	$193,634,592	$18,854*
1997	197,125,385	23,912*
1998	206,400,000	24,923*
1999	217,800,000	28,803*
2000	223,956,763	30,411*
2001	241,574,888	22,587*
2002	236,819,066	26,168*
2003	249,227,743	27,945*
2004	256,919,777	36,479
2005	268,500,000	31,760
2006	271,000,000	21,555
*Midland County only

Additional information may be obtained from the 2005-2006 Local Campaign Manager:

• The United Way of Midland
  1209 W. Wall St.
  Midland, TX 79701
  Phone 432/685-7700
  
  
• Or on the CFC web site.