Combined Federal Campaign

Published Oct. 20, 2008
By Senior Master Sgt. Darrell Hixon
52nd Fighter Wing Legal Office

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- How many of you have been involved with the Combined Federal Campaign in the past - either as a donor or a volunteer? I am sure almost everyone is familiar with the CFC. What you may not know is just how long the CFC has been around and how it came to be. The CFC as we know it today has its roots in the President Dwight D. Eisenhower administration. Seeing a need to consolidate fundraising efforts under one umbrella, President John F. Kennedy signed an Executive Order creating the CFC - one campaign, once a year. Whether it's medical research, international relief, environmental protection, or one of many other worthwhile causes, the CFC provides us the opportunity to support those causes that matter the most to us.

While there are approximately 290 different local stateside CFC agencies, there is only one CFC-Overseas. Out of all the different CFC agencies, the CFC-O covers the largest geographic area. It spans the globe and encompasses five separate military commands - Africa Command, Central Command, European Command, Pacific Command and Southern Command. The CFC-O office in Kaiserslautern, Germany, is responsible for overseeing the campaign in Africa, European and Central Commands.

Spangdahlem's CFC-O campaign dates for this year are Oct. 1 - Dec. 3. With more than 2,000 different charitable organizations included in the brochure this year, there is truly something for everyone. This year, CFC-O has a unique set of programs; the Family Support and Youth Programs are one way that you can donate to your overseas military community. The CFC-O developed FSYP knowing that contributors may want to be able to improve the quality of life in their local communities.

From the 2007 campaign, more than $714,000 was returned to FSYP. One really exciting benefit of this program is 100 percent of FSYP donations go back into overseas installations. No overhead costs are deducted. If you wish to contribute directly to this program, designate your donation amount in the FSYP block on the pledge form.
Remember that FSYP dollars can be put to use in any quality of life program the 52nd Fighter Wing Commander deems appropriate according to Air Force regulations. Providing softballs for youths, funding language classes for spouses and providing art supplies for the local child development center are just a few examples of how FSYP makes a difference in your community.

The CFC is the most cost-effective means of giving to the charity of your choice. The CFC-O goal is 100 percent opportunity to give. Many people think they have to give a lot of money to make a difference, but a little can go a very long way to improve someone's quality of life. No cash or check donation is too small, you can give as little as $1 per pay period.

The CFC-O offers contributors three easy ways to make a donation: the traditional paper pledge card, the online pledge assistant and credit card giving. If a contributor chooses the online pledge assistant, they can use a computer to create an electronic pledge card. This is not a fully automated pledge, so it is still necessary to print the completed pledge card and turn it in to your representative or unit coordinator for processing. If the pledge is a payroll allotment, turn in two copies of the pledge form and keep the third. The copy of the pledge for the finance office will also need your original signature. For a cash or check contribution, turn in the audit copy of the form as well.

Credit card giving is a fully automated pledge method; people using this method will not need to turn any paper in. Credit card giving allows you to choose a one-time donation or a monthly allotment which, like a payroll allotment, will begin in January and be taken in 12 monthly installments until December 2009. You can choose which day of the month you would like the payment to be made. Credit card giving is subject to a limit of 2 percent of the contributor's base salary. German employees are not able to donate via payroll deductions; they are, however able to make online credit card or cash donations.

If you want to use either the online pledge assistant or credit card giving, log on to the CFC-O Web site - www.cfcoverseas.org. From the homepage, these programs can be accessed by clicking on the for contributors tab.

The CFC-O is proud to announce the prize giveaway for the fall 2008 campaign. The first prize is a brand new 2009 Ford Focus donated by Exchange New Car Sales. The second and third prizes are a $5000 and a $1,000 U.S. savings bond donated by GEICO. To enter the drawing for one of the prizes, complete a pledge card and turn it in to a campaign volunteer. Only one entry per person is allowed. The winners will be drawn randomly and notified in April 2009. The sweepstakes are only open to military or government civilian identification card holders stationed overseas. You must be 18 years of age or older as of the date of entry with a valid driver's license and exchange privileges.

For more information about the CFC, contact Spangdahlem's CFC-O project officer, Senior Master Sgt. Darrell Hixon, at DSN 452-6796/7 or via email at darrell.hixon@spangdahlem.af.mil, your unit representative or visit www.opm.gov/cfc/.