Author: Carter McNamara

In marketing and media awareness terms, the “Rule of 7” states that before a customer or donor actually makes a purchase or a gift, they need to be “touched” in some way before they will act.

“Touched,” means contact by: a piece of mail, an email, a radio discussion, an advertisement (print or electronic), a conversation, and any other conceivable method of communication.

Since the numbers of communications are increasing, marketers are now saying that you must include opportunities in your plans to reach people 21 times … before they will do what you want them to do, because they (mentally) tend to screen out two of every three of your efforts.

So what does this mean in terms of the CFC solicitation period that we are in now?

It means that you need to expand your efforts to generate CFC awareness. If you’ve been following my CFC posts you know how strongly I emphasize the need to use all 12 months to generate awareness of your participation in the CFC.

That’s what you should have been doing; but, if you haven’t, generations of college students have proven that cramming is better than doing nothing at all.

So, what follows are some techniques that can help you expand your visibility and, thereby, increase your contributions in the latter part of the CFC campaign.

CFC Donors: You thanked those donors … who released their names and contact information to you in the last CFC. So, for those you can contact, contact them again. Thank them again for their continued support, and share with them how their payroll deduction gifts really make a difference to the people that you serve.

General E-mail list: Use your in-house email list to communicate with all those folks about all of your year-end giving opportunities … including the CFC, and any other workplace giving campaigns in which your non-profit participates. That way, your donors get to choose what method(s) they want to use to support your organization.

Media Releases: NPOs that have opportunities to get media coverage during the holiday season should make sure to include mention that you’re in the CFC … and include your CFC ID number.

Signage: If your nonprofit has street exposure, put a sign in your window with the CFC logo and your 5 digit ID.

Vehicles: If you have vehicles with your nonprofit’s name on them, get magnetic signs printed that have just the CFC logo and your CFC 5-digit code. CFC donors who see your vehicles will easily recognize what that logo and number represent.

In All Of Your Communications make it clear that your organization is in the CFC, what your 5 digit code is, and that you very much appreciate the support of all of your Federal donors and volunteers.

Face Time Counts: This is the oldest adage in leadership and sales, because it’s the most important. Have you trained your staff that, when talking with their friends, they should ask them if they have any “Federal connections” … people to whom they are close and who are in the Federal government – spouses, siblings, parents, neighbors, friends, etc. As Stephen Covey outlined in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” you achieve higher levels of success by focusing your efforts on your “Circle of Influence” … start where you already connections.

Relationships Are Key. That simple three-word sentence is the mantra of all fundraising. It takes a great deal of effort, thought, capability, energy, resources, and committed people to actually develop a sustainable, growing, and effective development program, but that mantra is the key, the basis of all successful development efforts … including workplace giving and the Combined Federal Campaign.

Don’t think of all of those awareness-generating techniques as just one-shot deals, and certainly don’t think of the CFC as an ATM machine.

If you take the time and do the work to develop relationships with your CFC donors, they will support you for many years. Don’t, and they won’t !!

Next month’s post: Update on the proposed CFC regulations and the Congressional Hearing.

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We’re taking a short break … for some turkey.
See you next Tuesday.
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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $4.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

Thank you for what you do.

If you’re reading this blog, I’m going to make the educated assumption that you’re probably involved (directly or indirectly) with non-profit fundraising. Regardless of the particular role you have, you make a difference in the lives of your non-profit’s beneficiaries whether they are called clients, members, students, citizens, or are non-human (water, animals, plants, trees, etc.).

My favorite quote about fundraising is by Mother Teresa, who always recognized the value and importance of fundraising in relationship to all the other components of her work: “It takes oil to keep the lamps burning.”

We are now at the mid-point of the 2013 CFC campaign solicitation period, and this is when the CFC donors are pledging their gifts for so that their favorite charities can “keep the lamps burning.” I thought it would be valuable for you to get a glimpse into what a typical CFC donor experiences during the course of a CFC campaign.

During the summer, each Federal agency recruited its CFC team, and the various campaign roles were staffed (campaign manager, communications chair, logistics chair, team captains, and key-workers – the Federal employees who directly solicit their coworkers).

In the early fall, each Federal agency conducts their Campaign kickoff, where the agency head and a few selected charities are invited to share their stories, and all employees are invited to attend. The program will include the video message from the President of the United States, (the videos started with President Carter and have been made by all Presidents since). Here’s the link to the President Obama’s CFC message (it’s short – 2:07).

If you watch it, you will see the consistent themes of thanking the Federal work force for all that they do, thanking them and encouraging them to participate in the CFC because of the difference it does make, and emphasizing that there is a list of thousands of charities from which they can choose.

While giving and participation is always encourage, there is never pressure to support any particular charity and indeed that is against multiple CFC regulations.

The CFC is always evolving and, where there is a printed “Catalog of Caring,” for many regions that is now available online — it lists national and international charities, and has the local list that is unique to that particular regional CFC.

Each federal employee will also be given a pledge card, or the link to its electronic version; and, regardless of the manner of the actual pledge, it always contains examples of what a donation at a particular level can mean to the recipients of the CFC charities’ efforts.

Your gift does make a difference–whether it’s $5 or $100 per pay period, see how your gift can impact the local and global community:

Per 26 Pay Periods:
$5  Allows 20 kids to attend a nature-oriented, guided education program.
$10  Provides 15 cases of nutritional supplements for HIV and AIDS patients.
$20  Provides 52 mosquito nets in Africa for the protection against mosquitoes
that transmit malaria.
$25  Provides medical professionals with 20 first-aid kits, 156 blankets, and
65 surgical scissors to use in some of the hardest-hit regions of the globe.
$30  Provides a half day of chemotherapy for a child cancer patient.
$40  Patches two leaky roofs for a senior or disabled homeowner.
$50  Vaccinates, feeds, and cares for a 13 shelter dogs and/or cats for a week.
$100  Feeds and cares for approximately1,600 disaster victims for a week.

In the pledge form itself, there are blanks for the non-profit CFC 5 digit code, plus the annual amount that the federal donor is pledging to that CFC charity, as well as the personal information about the CFC donor, (name, address, e-mail, etc.).

In addition, there is an “Information Release” option about whether or not he or she wants their personal information released to the CFC charity, because a CFC donor can choose to remain completely anonymous. Between 60-90% of the Federal donors choose to remain anonymous, so you need to plan for this in your communications and thank you responses.

You may have noticed that I started this post with an example of how you can thank someone anonymously, and I thank you again for your attention and comments. In the next post I’ll talk about additional techniques to use during the solicitation period.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $3.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

CFC Special Events & Resources
In my July 11th post I talked about what a “culture of philanthropy” is, and the value of establishing one in your non-profit. The point is that CFC workplace giving campaigns provide many opportunities that smart non-profits can use as a “practice field” for many aspects of professional development, including planning, organizing, public speaking, and listening.

Team Work
Team work is an essential aspect of all organizational work, and yet we really don’t spend a lot of time practicing the skills that lead to better teamwork. In terms of generating awareness about the fact that your non-profit participates in the Combined Federal Campaign there are multiple opportunities for staff to make contacts and work on relaying what the mission of your non-profit is, and to share your story on how you accomplish this mission.

There are two big categories of outreach techniques: those that you control; and those that you don’t. You must use both, but don’t be lulled into believing “If only there was a feature article about us in the home town paper, all would be golden.” It might very well help (if it’s a positive article) but it does not have a lasting effect.

Outreach Techniques That You Don’t Control
Media coverage – you, a staff person or volunteer who wants to work on press relations can write the media releases. And, if you submit them to some of the free Internet press release sites, you’ll be amazed at how widely the releases may be picked up. I worked with one local non-profit that, because of such a release, got a call, which no one could have predicted, from the Voice of America.

Outreach Techniques That You Control

Website – your website should have the CFC logo and your CFC ID number on the homepage. This will answer 90% of the questions that a potential CFC donor may have.
The entire staff and especially the front-desk person should know the answer to the question: “Are you in the CFC, and what is your code number?”
Email signatures – especially during the solicitation period, include in all staff e-mails the fact that you participate in workplace giving campaigns, and your CFC number, and thank them in advance for considering your non-profit.
Signage – Depending upon your physical location, you may be able to put up signs in a storefront type window, if you have land with a fence, hang a sign on the fence.
Sandwich boards – CFC charities that don’t have visible office space often use sandwich board signs that have their name, their CFC code and are put up in road medians (where legal) during the fall solicitation periods.
Outside banners – the American Red Cross hangs a 5 x 15 foot banner from the roof of its headquarters in Washington, D.C. during the CFC solicitation period.
Relationship building – talk to your neighbors, others that you come in contact with, and if someone mentions that they’re a Federal employee, ask them, by the way, did you know that we’re now in the Combined Federal Campaign?
Social Media – if your non-profit is on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. make appropriate remarks there and on blogs related to your mission about your non-profit, and include the fact that you’re now participating in the CFC.
Vehicles – If your non-profit has vehicles with your name on it, add magnetic signs with the CFC logo and your CFC ID during the campaign season and you get a rolling billboard that potentially thousands of potential CFC donors will see.

What’s next?
In my October post I will discuss how you might leverage Special Events to increase your visibility and “productivity” for the CFC.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $3.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

CFC Special Events & Resources

There are many/various types of CFC special events that are held before and during the solicitation period of a CFC campaign. The best known are the CFC charity fairs, but other special events and resources that a CFC charity should be aware of are:

• Speaker’s Bureaus
• Loaned Executives
• Open Houses for CFC Campaign Staff
• Kickoff Events
• Charity Fairs

In a given region, the contractor that has the campaign management responsibility is called the PCFO, or Principal Combined Fund Organization. Fund is in their names because after the campaign is over, the PCFOs have the fiduciary responsibility of getting the CFC funds to the correct CFC charity.

Speaker’s Bureaus
During the campaign period, many PCFOs establish “Speaker’s Bureaus” where the volunteer CFC campaign staff of Federal agencies that are looking for excellent speakers from non-profits to be part of their CFC kickoff ceremonies. Non-profits who have the capacity, and the spokesperson should be good can sign up with the speaker bureaus, and as requests come in they will make try and match non-profits and Federal agencies. The exact process varies in every CFC region, so you need to contact the PCFO for your region and ask if they have a CFC speaker’s bureau, and how to sign up.

Loaned Executives (L.E.)
Loaned executives are Federal employees who are detailed to the PCFO for the CFC campaign period. They are often people who were active in their agency’s CFC campaign, perhaps having been a campaign manager, the communications chairperson, or a charity fair organizer. Depending upon the size of an agency, they may have one or more assigned to assist that agency with its CFC campaign, or for smaller agencies, an L.E. may have multiple agencies that he or she is providing CFC consulting services for. There are often L.E. team meetings, and some PCFOs invite a small number of CFC charities to attend the team meeting to let the L.E.s know about the mission of their particular CFC charity.

Open Houses for CFC Campaign Staff
As part of the L.E. training, it is sometimes better to visit the CFC charity to see firsthand what they do. If yours is such a charity, let the PCFO know that you would be open to having CFC campaign volunteers visit so that you can show the L.E.s and other CFC campaign staff what you do. CFC campaign staff cannot recommend a particular CFC charity over any other charity, but it helps them better understand the non-profit environment and how a charity is pursuing its mission.

Kickoff Events
Kickoff events are held at the beginning of a CFC campaign, and the Agency Head is usually one of the keynote speakers. There are usually one or two speakers from CFC charities as well. If your senior leadership is good at, and interested in public speaking, these can be good opportunities. Kickoff events often invite a small number of CFC charities as well, but since space is limited, four to six non-profits is a pretty typical number.

Charity Fairs
Charity Fairs are typically mid-campaign events, and depending upon a given agency’s conference room or cafeteria facilities, from ten to thirty CFC charities or CFC Federations will be invited.

How to Enroll for Special Events
The PCFO is the point of contact for all the special events, also contact the Loaned Executives to find out what agencies they are helping and make contact with the ones that are a good fit for your non-profit. For example, if your non-profit deals with issues facing veterans, the Veterans Administration LE would be a good fit.

What’s next?
In my September 26th post I will discuss the most effective ways to benefit from your non-profit’s participation in the CFC.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $3.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
We take a break, here, for the Labor Day Weekend,
and we’ll resume our twice-per-week posting schedule
on Tuesday, September 3rd.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

Selected Unique Factors about CFC Fundraising
The CFC charity itself does not make the direct solicitation. It’s the federal CFC campaign volunteers who do this, and the ones who are making the direct solicitation are called “keyworkers.”

1. By law, every U.S. Federal agency holds a CFC campaign each fall, including at overseas facilities.
2. More than 89% of the Federal workforce is outside of the Washington, DC region, so it is likely that you already have Federal employees who are your supporters.
3. If your non-profit is truly “donor-centric”, for donors and potential donors who are Federal employees, the most user-friendly means for them to donate is through the Combined Federal Campaign.
4. CFC Donors may remain anonymous if they wish, and many donors choose this option. The reaction of many CFC charities is to be irritated by this fact, instead of recognizing that anonymous donors are some of your strongest supporters.

So why do these unique factors matter?

• Because you know that every Federal employee – uniformed, civilian, and postal service is a potential donor. Your staff is off the hook for making a direct solicitation, you can say “please consider us” but no one is bringing back checks or pledges directly.
• You know when the solicitation period will be held – in the fall, sometime between September 1st and December 15th of each year.
• You have the opportunity to build relationships through your non-profit’s Federal connections, even if the staff doesn’t yet know who the connections are.
• The single biggest mistake made by CFC charities is to run a stealth campaign. They go through the process of applying and getting enrolled in the CFC, and then they keep a secret.

Tasks for the CFC Action Plan
There are obvious communication actions that every CFC charity should take – such as having the CFC logo and your 5-digit code on your website’s homepage. That simple step will answer 90% of the questions that potential CFC donors will have when they visit your website.

The second type of action is personal … to task every person on your staff to identify three Federal connections that they have, and make contact with them.

Run a newsletter article announcing that you’re now in the CFC and that you would appreciate the support of any current Federal employees.

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What I mean by “Federal connection” is this: Do your current supporters
have parents, children, neighbors, sports buddies, colleagues, etc. who
in some way have a connection to a Federal employee? If they do, the
message is that your organization (and one they may care about because
they care about you) is in the CFC, and will they consider supporting
your CFC charity in this fall’s campaign.
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Have the staffer who wants to learn how to fundraise draft several messages that say why your non-profit is worthy of support by CFC donors. Have her conduct a training session on why these messages matter, and after they are used in talking to people, evaluate their effectiveness. How did people respond? Hint – stories are better than statistics.

If you’re going to participate in charity fairs, you may want to order some “give-a-ways” – marketing items with your Name, CFC code, and Website URL on them – e.g., pens, pencils, and rulers.

What’s next?
In my August 22nd post I will discuss the additional ways to increase the awareness of your CFC charity as I continue the discussion of Outreach for the CFC.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $3.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

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Update on Proposed Changes to CFC Regulations:
As I write this, a Congressional Hearing about the
proposed CFC regulations are scheduled for July 10th.
I will have a special update on the proposed CFC regulations
after the hearing, and what next action steps are recommended.
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Have a plan, work the plan!
In my June 27th post I talked about the importance of selecting your CFC team, and that one of the factors that helps keep people motivated and dedicated is the ability to learn, develop and practice new skills; and, I noted that workplace giving actually provides many opportunities for staff, volunteers and board members to do that.

In this post, and the next three, I’ll discuss some specific approaches you can use to get ready for the 2013 CFC campaign.

Before getting into the specific tactics of workplace giving fundraising, I want to highlight an important report that was released in January. It is “Under Developed: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising” by Jeanne Bell & Marla Cornelius, and was underwritten by CompassPoint, where Ms. Bell is CEO.

An important success factor that is identified in the report is that high-performing non-profits have created a “culture of philanthropy” within their organizations, and this is one of the keys to their success. The report uses this explanation of what a culture of philanthropy is:

Culture of Philanthropy:< While familiar to fundraising professionals, the term culture of philanthropy is not yet well understood nor commonly used across the sector. Not to be confused with institutional grant-making or the act of giving money as a donor, a culture of philanthropy refers to a set of organizational values and practices that support and nurture development within a nonprofit organization. For the purposes of this study, we used the following definition: Most people in the organization (across positions) act as ambassadors and engage in relationship building. Everyone promotes philanthropy and can articulate a case for giving. Fund development is viewed and valued as a mission-aligned program of the organization. Organizational systems are established to support donors. The executive director is committed and personally involved in fundraising.

To read the complete report, (which I recommend), go to: Under Developed.

Your non-profit’s CFC fundraising plan provides the ideal practice field for your entire staff, including both paid and volunteers, and board members to develop their “ambassador skills and engage in relationship building” and learn how to “promote philanthropy and articulate a case for giving.” This is where some of the unique characteristics of a Combined Federal Campaign fundraising campaign come into play by letting your CFC action plan activities be the beginning of how to learn to develop a culture of philanthropy within your non-profit.

What’s next?
In my July 25th post I will discuss some of the unique factors of CFC fundraising and why they matter, and I will suggest some specific actions you can take to be more effective in your CFC fundraising efforts.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
The campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $3.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

Update on Proposed Changes to CFC Regulations:

First, regarding the proposed changes to the CFC regulation (in my May 30 posting), I want to thank you if you took the opportunity to send a comment to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) about the proposed changes.

While the Federal Register comment period closed on June 7th, it is not too late to contact your Congressperson and Senators and let them know the damaging impact the new regulations will have if adopted as proposed.

You can also sign the White House petition to have the CFC regulations brought to President Obama’s attention.

I’ll continue to keep you posted on the proposed new regulations. But, since the proposed changes to the CFC would not take place until the 2015 campaign season, let’s focus, now, on how get the greatest benefits possible for your non-profit in the 2013 CFC campaign.

CFC Summer 2013 Action Planning

In my posting on January 31, I presented The Five Phases Of A Non-Profit’s CFC Campaign. We are now in Phase I (CFC Non-profit Planning, Organizing, & Recruitment), which runs from March to July — some of the timeframes in the phases overlap.

As you plan for your organization’s CFC campaign, it’s important to answer the question in this post’s title, “What Do They Want?”

The first question is who are “They?”   They are:
• Your donors
• Your staff, including both paid staff and volunteers
• Your board members
• The beneficiaries of your non-profit’s mission

Next, you should know the answers to the following questions:
1. Why do your donors support you? (Their reasons, not yours!!)
2. Why do your volunteers choose to volunteer with your organization?
(Remember, they could go to many other organizations.)
3. What motivates your paid staff?
4. What skills and leadership development experiences do your paid staff
and volunteers want to develop?
5. What skills and leadership development experiences do your board members
want to get a chance to practice?
6. Why do your board members want to serve on your organization’s board?
7. Does your community know what your organization does?

These are important questions … because the answers will:
A. Help you recruit and develop your non-profit’s CFC team … by selecting people
who want to develop and practice the skills needed for workplace giving campaigns,
skills that they know will help them advance in their careers;
B. Help you build relationships with your potential CFC donors; and,
C. Generate broad awareness that your organization participates in the CFC.

How do you learn the answers to the seven questions — by building relationships, and the key to building relationships is listening, not talking. Begin with the people that it’s easiest for you to reach, your staff, your volunteers, and your board.

Select Your Team
From Peter Senge’s classic book, The Fifth Discipline: The Art And Practice Of The Learning Organization, there are two of his “disciplines: that I want to highlight: Personal Mastery and Team Learning.

The ability/opportunity to learn, develop and practice new skills is basic to keeping people motivated and dedicated, and workplace giving actually provides many of those opportunities for staff, volunteers and board members to do so.

What are their “personal mastery goals” for the next year?

Public speaking, writing and organizing are some of the skills that can be developed while working on a non-profit’s CFC campaign. In your organization’s 2013 operational and communications plans, who on your board and staff have expressed a desire to work on these types of personal mastery goals?

Do some of them, for example, like-and-are-good-at public speaking? If so, you should encourage them to take advantage of speaking opportunities at CFC kick-off events and charity fairs

Team Learning
Once your CFC action team has been selected, the first step is to determine who is going to play what role on that team.

For example, who will be in charge of communications and messaging — including press, social media, and materials (all, with your CFC number included); and, who (it can be a volunteer) will be the person(s) to distribute information and present your organization’s story at CFC special events?

In the context of team learning, also plan on educating the entire staff and volunteers about your organization’s participation in the CFC. If you truly believe that your organization is “donor centric” then it’s important to let your donors choose how they want to support you, and, for many Federal supporters, the CFC is their preferred method.

Senge’s point about team learning is that when teams learn together, they learn faster and are more in sync about the benefits and how to accomplish a particular goal.

What’s next?
In my next post I will discuss Phase III, the CFC Non-profit Campaign Outreach Campaign, which runs from June to November and provides many opportunities to both tell the story of your non-profit and learn from your supporters and your community.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Take a look at
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap 🙂
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The Congressional Hearing on OPM’s Proposed Changes
to CFC which was originally scheduled for June 26, 2013
has been postponed.
The hearing is tentatively being rescheduled for July 10, 2013
Watch This Space for Updates.
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The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) received more than 800 comments about the proposed changes to the CFC regulations and there is a Congressional Hearing scheduled for Wednesday, July 26th at 1:30 pm (Approximately 60-90 minutes) in the Rayburn House Office building to “Help Congress Better Understand the Impact of what OPM is proposing for the CFC.”

If you’re in the DC area, please plan on attending, if you’re in another part of the country or can’t attend, please contact your Representative to let them know the damaging impact the new regulations will have if adopted as proposed. House.gov lists addresses and phone numbers for all Members of Congress by name and by state, if needed.

To see my complete analysis of the proposed regulations, “Back to the Drawing Board! – An Analysis and Recommended Responses to the Proposed Changes to the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Regulations” please go here: Analysis

I’m including (FYI) in its entirety, below, the letter from the SavetheCFC coalition, organized by America’s Charities.

Hope to see you at the hearing !!

Bill Huddleston

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We encourage you and others from your organization to attend.

A large turnout will serve as a testament to the concerns held by many nonprofit organizations. If you plan on attending the hearing, please let us know by emailing Geoff Rixon at GRixon@charities.org. Also, please allow time to go through security and locate the hearing room.

It is our understanding the hearing is informational in nature and will allow key members of Congress to become familiar with the proposed changes and the nonprofit sector’s concerns about them. The hearing is under the auspices of the Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Census Subcommittee chaired by Rep. Blake Farenthold (R., Tex.). It is a subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Witnesses are being selected by the subcommittee staff, and we are active in the process of making recommendations. We anticipate witnesses will include representatives of impacted charities, a member of the Save the CFC federation coalition, OPM, and perhaps others.

Following the hearing we will report back to you and let you know what actions to take.

If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Funnell or Robyn Neal at:

BFunnell@charities.org or RNeal@charities.org.

Thank you for helping us keep the CFC viable!

Sincerely,

Steve Delfin
President & CEO, America’s Charities

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
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