Combined Federal Campaign Update

June 25, 2024 Memorandum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies From: Robert H. Shriver, III, Acting Director Subject: Combined Federal Campaign Update

As we approach the 2024 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), I am inspired to add a special note of appreciation for the overwhelming spirit of generosity expressed by Federal, postal, and military personnel who pledged $70.1 million of money and time to local, national, and international charities during the 2023 CFC season. This represents monetary contributions of more than $68 million from more than 75,300 employees, retirees, and contractors. The value of more than 83,000 volunteer hours added $2 million to this total. More than 4,100 retirees pledged $5.1 million, an increase of 20% from the 2022 total. Giving through CFC by retirees and annuitants now accounts for 7.6 percent of total monetary pledges. These results bring total pledges through CFC to nearly $8.76 billion since Executive Order 10927 established the campaign in 1961. Assuring the success of programs such as the CFC is a visible reminder to the communities where we live and work that we are committed to being good neighbors. Special gratitude goes to Administrator Michael Reagan of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and former OPM Director Kiran Ahuja for serving as the 2023 honorary co-chairs. The CFC solicitation period will run from Sunday, September 1, 2024, to Wednesday, January 15, 2025. Outside of that period, new employees may pledge within 30 days of onboarding and retirees may pledge when they end their Federal service career. I request your leadership and active assistance in providing the resources at your respective headquarters, regional offices, installations, and agency levels necessary for another successful campaign this year. Active and visible leadership by you and your senior managers across the country and around the globe is critical.

Page 2 The CFC needs your leadership and teamwork Every successful campaign starts with committed leadership and that is why I am writing to you now – to get the 2024 CFC on solid footing. The time to start the internal planning for an effective 2024 Campaign is today. Please recruit highly qualified and emerging leaders who can run an exceptional internal employee engagement campaign. I am asking you to take the following steps: • No later than July 31, 2024, appoint a campaign manager at each location where your organization has a presence. • Assign an emerging leader from your department or agency to serve the overall CFC as a loaned executive in the zone of their permanent duty station. • Instruct the campaign leadership to attend training, brief senior leaders on campaign progress, recruit campaign personnel, and arrange awareness events. They will be supported by a CFC outreach coordinator (a contractor hired by my office to provide CFC support), who will provide resources and expertise throughout the campaign. • Appoint senior personnel to serve as a chair and, where possible, a vice chair for your agencies and offices. • Provide the local CFC committees and outreach coordinators with access to your regional department or installation offices to promote the CFC and conduct events. • Encourage civilian employees and members of the military service departments to serve in CFC roles. These positions provide leadership development opportunities in public speaking, project management, leading people, and more. • Ensure all civilian, military, and postal personnel are notified of the opportunity to participate through payroll deductions, one-time gifts, and volunteering their time via cfcgiving.opm.gov or text-to-donate. •

Ensure your cybersecurity defenses recognize the CFC website (cfcgiving.opm.gov) and allow Federal donors access to it. • Ask your leadership team to develop a robust department- or agency-level campaign messaging plan, consistent with regulations in 5 CFR part 950, to reach every employee to let them know how they can make a monetary contribution and pledge volunteer time to support organizations they care about and help people in need.

Page 3 This is key, since employees are most likely to participate if asked by someone they know. In accordance with CFC rules, 1 the solicitation of employees by their supervisor or by any individual in their supervisory chain of command is not allowed. However, this prohibition on coercion does not preclude the head of an agency from performing the usual activities associated with the campaign kickoff and demonstrating his or her support of the overall campaign in speeches, emails, employee newsletters, or other routine communications with Federal employees. The success of the CFC is due in no small part to the enthusiasm and dedicated service of Federal leaders who administer the campaign within their agencies and in 35 CFC zones. Encourage employees from your department or agency to serve on the Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC) in geographic areas where your organization has a substantial presence. The CFC also offers a valuable professional development opportunity called the Loaned Executive (LE) program whereby motivated, well-spoken, strategic-thinking Federal leaders are loaned to the CFC for six months. LE candidates broaden their experience by planning, organizing, and managing complex work; analyzing data to identify and solve problems; making clear and convincing oral and written presentations; motivating and guiding teams of colleagues toward accomplishing goals; and interacting with Federal leaders from various agencies. Your employees play a vital role when they extend their public service mission and take on the duties of CFC LFCC members, loaned executives, campaign managers, coordinators, and keyworkers during and after the annual solicitation period. These positions represent a great opportunity for employees to gain exposure to senior leaders in your agency and develop professional skills, and can even augment the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to advance to more senior-level positions, including Senior Executive Service. Private and secure giving Giving through the CFC has never been easier with the Online Giving System, recently secured with Multi-Factor Authentication via Login.gov to better protect privacy and security. For any employees who may not have access to or decide not to use the

Under 5 CFR § 950.108 (a), solicitation of employees by their supervisor or by any individual in their supervisory chain of command is not allowed. 1 Page 4 electronic giving system, we also will continue to accept PDF versions of the traditional paper forms or pledges via text or mobile apps. Special events We encourage your organization to plan in-person campaign kickoffs and other nonsolicitation events that meet the standards of 5 CFR 950.502. Such events will increase awareness of CFC causes and support employee engagement. We encourage highlighting information at these events and in campaign communications about charitable causes, volunteerism, the CFC Giving mobile application, and the text-togive feature, which was added in 2022 and can supplement payroll deduction and other e-giving methods. Thank you in advance for your continued support of the Combined Federal Campaign. If you have any questions, please email cfc@opm.gov or call (202) 606-2564. Cc: Federal Executive Boards Chief Human Capital Officers Council Local Federal Coordinating Committees Outreach Coordinators