Major changes to Combined Federal Campaign proposed by OPM

The Office of Personnel Management has taken steps to revamp the Combined Federal Campaign in an effort to curb falling participation in the federal employee charity drive, according to the Federal Times.

In a 53-page draft obtained by the newspaper, OPM proposed rules based on recommendations in a report released by the CFC-50 Commission, a group of former lawmakers.

The new rules include consolidating 184 local federal coordinating committees into larger regional committees, eliminating cash donations and holding CFC drives between Oct 1. and Jan. 15, instead of from Sept. 1 to Dec. 15.  Other ideas include creating a permanent structure to “streamline and facilitate solicitations tied to disaster relief” and creating new rules regarding auditing requirements for small non-profit organizations.

OPM Director John Berry praised the draft rules. “They will make the CFC more efficient, more transparent, more accountable and more relevant to federal, postal and military service personnel who want to make the biggest impact with their donations,” he wrote in the document.

According to the Federal Times, the proposed rules need to be signed off by the Office of Management and Budget before the draft will be available in the Federal Register for public comment.

In 2011, the CFC raised $273 million in pledges, with a 24 percent participation rate, according to the Federal Times. In an informal poll conducted by Government Executive in September 2012, 60 percent of respondents said that they would not contribute to the 2012 CFC, with only 28 percent saying that they intended to donate. 

(Image via Pixelbliss/Shutterstock.com)