Help for CFC charities: June 30 deadline for special solicitation

A special solicitation opportunity has been created by the Combined Federal Campaign to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management authorized the special COVID-19 solicitation. The CFC pledge portal has been enabled and will be open until June 30. Pledges can be made through Ohio CFC's website https://ohiocfc.org/ or www.opm.gov/ShowSomeLoveCFC .

The CFC represents charities that are local, national and international. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base’s diverse community has the opportunity to have a positive impact on the charities, whose programs and services serve beneficiaries.

“On behalf of the charities that participate with CFC, and especially their beneficiaries, I extend sincere thanks to our local community for their generous support,” said Susy Himelhoch, director of the Ohio Combined Federal Campaign, Dayton District. “The special solicitation portal will be enabled through Tuesday, June 30. The special solicitation is open to any donor, regardless if active duty, civil servant, retiree or member of the community who does not have DoD/Federal affiliation.

“Participating in the CFC is voluntary and speaking of that, people can volunteer hours of their time to serve the charities that offer volunteer opportunities,” Himelhoch added. “When individuals go to the CFC website, those charities are identified with a ‘helping hand in a circle’ icon. People don’t have to contribute money to volunteer.

To contribute and learn about volunteer opportunities, people are invited to visit

https://ohiocfc.org/, clicking "Donate" button in upper right corner, or www.opm.gov/ShowSomeLoveCFC.

“Every contribution makes a difference. … No gift is too small,” Himelhoch said.

Vetted charities receive funds

100% of the monies contributed through this special solicitation go to the recipient charities. CFC charities are vetted and approved by volunteers from the federal workforce, which is assuring to donors, she noted.

According to a CFC Special Solicitation Frequently Asked Questions document, key points about the special solicitation include:

• Donors who contributed through the 2019 campaign can make another contribution; they cannot change their original pledge, however.

• Individuals who did not participate in the 2019 campaign can contribute to the special solicitation.

• Charities have been notified of the special solicitation.

• A mobile app, with instructions available at https://cfcgiving.opm.gov/faq-special, is available for pledging via Apple and Android devices. The app may be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

• Notable is that 100% of dollars contributed through this solicitation will be forwarded to the designated charities, without a distribution fee being charged.

• Active-duty and Department of Defense civilian employees, as well as retirees and contractors, may make a contribution through June 30 to the participating CFC charities of their choice. Existing donors who pledged payroll allotments in the falI of 2019 can make additional donations with electronic credit card, debit or automated clearinghouse (ACH) on the CFC giving platform or the mobile application.

• Any recurring pledges made during the CFC Special Solicitation will commence after the pledge is “submitted” and sent to the bank, credit card company or payroll service provider. The final recurring pledge installment will be Jan. 15, 2021.

“This solicitation is supplemental to other fundraising efforts and does not preclude personnel from making similar gifts through the military relief societies during their 2020 fundraising campaigns,” the memorandum continues. “Military Relief Societies such as the Army Emergency Relief Fund, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, and Air Force Aid Society assist Service members, families, retirees, and survivors with basic living expenses and emergencies – circumstances that may have increased across the force as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the timing and special nature of this campaign, the military relief societies are authorized to conduct or continue their campaigns during the Special CFC solicitation.”

Additional information is available at www.cfcgiving.opm.gov . The CCA call center support will service donor calls during the special solicitation at 800-797-0098 (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST). Please note that the call center is operating remotely.

Donations can be designated to one or more of the more than 6,000 local, national, and international approved and vetted 501 (c)(3) organizations from the 2019 CFC Charity List. While the CFC special solicitation has been launched in response to the global pandemic, donations will be distributed as unrestricted funds to work wherever they are needed most.

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