As used in this part:

Administrative Expenses means the overhead costs of the participating organization based on information from the Internal Revenue Service Form 990.

Application Fee means a non-refundable fee paid by a charitable organization in each campaign period for which it seeks to participate.

Campaign Expenses means the cost of the administration of the campaign by the Central Campaign Administrator and any Outreach Coordinators.

Central Campaign Administrator means the organization(s) responsible for developing and maintaining the CFC Web site and charity application module, and to which OPM may assign responsibility for making distributions to charities.

Charity List means the official list of charities approved by OPM for inclusion in the CFC.

Combined Federal Campaign or Campaign or CFC means the charitable fundraising program established and administered by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) pursuant to Executive Order No. 12353, as amended by Executive Order No. 12404, and all subsidiary units of such program.

Director means the Director of the Office of Personnel Management or his/her designee.

Distribution fee means amount assessed against pledges received should the application and listing fees not cover all the costs of the campaign.

Employee means any person employed by the Government of the United States or any branch, unit, or instrumentality thereof, including persons in the civil service, uniformed service, foreign service, and the postal service.

Family Support and Youth Activities (FSYA) means an organization on a domestic military base recognized by the Department of Defense as providing programs for military families on the base.

Family Support and Youth Programs (FSYP) means an organization on a non- domestic military base recognized by the Department of Defense as providing programs for military families on the base.

Federation or Federated Group means a group of voluntary charitable human health and welfare organizations created to supply common fundraising, administrative, and management services to its constituent members.

Independent Organization means a charitable organization that is not a member of a federation for the purposes of the Combined Federal Campaign.

International General Designation Option means an option available to donors under which his or her gift is distributed to all of the international organizations listed in the International Section of the Charity List in the same proportion as all of the international organizations received designations in the local CFC. This option will have the code IIIII.

International Organization means a charitable organization that provides services either exclusively or in a substantial preponderance to persons in areas outside of the United States.

Listing Fee means a non-refundable annual fee charged only to charitable organizations approved for participation.

Local Federal Coordinating Committee means the group of Federal officials designated by the Director to oversee the CFC in a zone and to assist the Director with the charity application reviews.

Organization or Charitable Organization means a non-profit, philanthropic, human health and welfare organization.

Outreach Coordinator means an individual or an entity hired by the Local Federal Coordinating Committee to conduct marketing activities, arrange for events such as Charity Fairs, and educate charities and donors regarding the program.

Services means the real services, benefits, assistance or program activities provided by charitable organizations. These may include, but are not limited to, medical research and assistance, education, financial assistance, mentoring, conservation efforts, spiritual development, the arts, and advocacy.

Solicitation means any action requesting a monetary donation, either by payroll deduction or credit card, on behalf of charitable organizations.

(a) The CFC is the only authorized solicitation of employees in the Federal workplace on behalf of charitable organizations. A campaign may be conducted only during the period running from September 1 through January 15, as determined by the Director. It must be conducted at every Federal agency in accordance with the regulations in this part. No other monetary solicitation on behalf of charitable organizations may be conducted in the Federal workplace, except as follows:

(1) Federal agencies must provide information about the CFC to new employees at orientation. New employees may make pledges within 30 days of entry on duty, if outside of the campaign period.

(2) The Director may grant permission for solicitations of Federal employees, outside the CFC, in support of victims in cases of emergencies and disasters. Emergencies and disasters are defined as any hurricane, tornado storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, drought, fire, explosion, or other catastrophe in any part of the world. Any special solicitations will be managed through a Disaster Relief Program developed by OPM.

(b) The regulations in this part do not apply to the collection of gifts-in-kind, such as food, clothing and toys, or to the solicitation of Federal employees outside of the Federal workplace as defined by the applicable Agency Head consistent with General Services Administration regulations and any other applicable laws or regulations.

(c) The Director may exercise general supervision over all operations of the CFC, and take all necessary steps to ensure the achievement of campaign objectives, including but not limited to the following:

(1) Any disputes relating to the interpretation or implementation of this part may be submitted to the Director for resolution. The decisions of the Director are final for administrative purposes.

(2) The Director may audit, investigate, and report on the administration of any campaign, the organization that administers the campaign, and any national, international and local federation, federation member or independent organization that participates in the campaign for compliance with these regulations. The Director may resolve any issues reported and assess sanctions or penalties, as warranted under § 950.503.

(d) Current Federal civilian and active duty military employees may make contributions using payroll deduction or by electronic means, including credit/debit cards and e-checks, as approved by the Director. Contractor personnel, credit union employees and other persons present on Federal premises, as well as retired Federal employees, may make single contributions to the CFC by electronic means, including credit cards, as approved by the Director. For the first five campaign periods after implementation of these regulations, LFCCs will be permitted to still provide donors the option of using non-electronic pledging based on guidance issued by OPM.

(e) Heads of departments or agencies may establish policies and procedures applicable to solicitations conducted by organizations composed of civilian employees or members of the uniformed services among their own members for organizational support or for the benefit of welfare funds for their members. Such solicitations are not subject to these regulations, and therefore do not require permission of the Director.

(a) The Director, in his or her sole discretion, will establish, maintain, and, from time to time, revise an official list of campaign zones.

(b) For each campaign zone, the Director will establish a Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC) for the purpose of governing the campaign for that zone. It will be the responsibility of the Federal Executive Board or lead agency (as identified by the Director) in the zone to ensure an active and diverse membership, with a minimum of three members. The LFCC shall consist of the following:

(1) Members to be drawn from local Federal inter-agency organizations, such as Federal Executive Boards, or from personnel assigned to the military installation and/or agency identified as the lead agency in that zone;

(2) Representation from local Federal Agencies located within the zone, representing a cross-section of agencies with regard to personnel types and locations; and

(3) If approved by the Director, representatives of employee unions and other employee groups.

(c) The members of each LFCC must select a Chair and a Vice Chair. The Chair and Vice Chair positions will be rotated among the LFCC members. The term of the Chair and Vice Chair may not exceed three consecutive years. Any LFCC Chair or Vice Chair is subject to removal by the Director, in his sole and unreviewable discretion.

(d) The LFCC will ensure that, to the extent reasonably possible, every employee is given the opportunity to participate in the CFC.

(a) The LFCC is to serve as the central source of information regarding the CFC among Federal employees in their zone. All members of the LFCC must develop an understanding of campaign regulations and procedures.

(b) The responsibilities of the LFCC members include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Attend required LFCC training and obtain certification in LFCC operations;

(2) Maintain minutes of LFCC meetings and respond promptly to any request for information from the Director;

(3) Name a LFCC Chair and Vice Chair and notify the Director when there is a change in either position;

(4) Assist in determining the eligibility of organizations that apply to participate in the campaign as required and assigned by OPM;

(5) Provide training to employees in the methods of non-coercive solicitation;

(6) Provide instructions to employees regarding the process for making donations and designating the charitable organizations to receive their donations.

(7) Take appropriate measures to protect potential donors from coercion to participate in the campaign.

(8) Bring any allegations of potential donor coercion to the attention of the employee's agency and provide a mechanism to review employee complaints of undue coercion in Federal fundraising. Federal agencies shall provide procedures and assign responsibility for the investigation of such complaints. The agency official responsible for conducting the campaign is responsible for informing employees of the proper channels for pursuing such complaints.

(9) Notify the Director of issues concerning the campaign that the LFCC cannot resolve by applying these regulations. The LFCC must abide by the Director's decisions on all matters concerning the campaign.

(10) Review, approve and provide authorization to the Central Campaign Administrator for payments to the outreach coordinator in an efficient and effective manner as outlined in the agreement between OPM and the Central Campaign Administrator.

(11) Conduct an effective and efficient campaign in a fair and even-handed manner aimed at collecting the greatest amount of charitable contributions possible. LFCC's should afford federated groups and agencies with representatives in the campaign area adequate opportunity to offer suggestions relating to the operation of the campaign.

(c) The LFCC may hire an Outreach Coordinator to provide local operation marketing support to their campaign, including developing marketing plans and materials, employee training, campaign event and activity support, and the printing and distribution of CFC Charity Lists and pledge forms as permitted in 5 CFR § 950.102(d).

(d) Monitor the work of the Outreach Coordinator, ensuring compliance with these regulations, as well as performance as outlined in agreement with the LFCC.

(a) The agency head at each Federal installation within a campaign area should:

(1) Become familiar with all CFC regulations.

(2) Cooperate with the members of the LFCC in organizing and conducting the campaign.

(3) Initiate official campaigns within their offices or installations and provide support for the campaign.

(4) Assure the campaign is conducted in accordance with these regulations.

(5) Appoint an employee to oversee the Agency campaign.

(6) Establish a network of employees in support of the Agency's campaign.

(b) Agency heads may not discontinue solicitation of Federal employees during the campaign solicitation period within their organization without the written approval of the Director.

(a) OPM may contract with one or more organizations classified by the Internal Revenue Service as 501(c)(3) organizations, to perform the centralized fiscal and administrative functions of the CFC. One organization will be responsible for developing and maintaining a centralized Web site for the CFC that will include an online application function for charities applying to participate in the CFC and an online pledging function for Federal donor use. All organizations will be responsible for disbursing funds received from the Federal payroll offices or service providers. If OPM contracts with more than one organization, the disbursement responsibilities will be divided between them based on Federal Shared Service Centers and Federal payroll offices. For example, if OPM contracts with four organizations, one would handle all agencies that use the National Finance Center as their Shared Service Center regardless of the location of the donor or the agency. Only non-CFC participating organizations may be selected as CCAs.

(b) In the event that there is no qualified CCA, no workplace solicitation of any Federal employee may be authorized and CFC payroll allotments would not be accepted or honored.

(a) The costs of outreach approved by the LFCC, training and traveling for the LFCC, and CCA will be recovered through application/listing fees and/or distribution fees paid by charitable organizations . The fee structure will be determined annually by the Director based on estimated costs of administering the central campaign and local marketing efforts. This structure will be announced no later than October 31 of the year preceding the campaign. Any excess funds from applications fees over expenses will be rolled over to the following campaign and be considered when setting the rates. Marketing expenses will not exceed a percentage of receipts as determined by the Director. No expenses for food or entertainment may be reimbursed to the Outreach Coordinator. Only travel-related food expenses may be reimbursed to the LFCC in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations.

(b) Charity application fees are due at the time of the filing of the application or the application deadline, whichever occurs last. A charity that has not paid the full application fee at that time may not participate in the CFC that campaign year.

(c) An additional listing fee will be applied to all charities approved for participation. These charities will not be listed in paper or electronic Charity Lists, and CFC contributions will not be processed on their behalf, if they do not submit the listing fee prior to the annual date set by OPM.

(d) The distribution fee will be assessed against pledges received should the application and listing fees not cover all the costs of the campaign.

True voluntary giving is fundamental to Federal fundraising activities. Actions that do not allow free choices or create the appearance that employees do not have a free choice to give or not to give, or to publicize their gifts or to keep them confidential, are contrary to Federal fundraising policy. Activities contrary to the non-coercive intent of Federal fundraising policy are not permitted in campaigns. They include, but are not limited to:

(a) Solicitation of employees by their supervisor or by any individual in their supervisory chain of command. This does not prohibit the head of an agency to perform the usual activities associated with the campaign kick-off and to demonstrate his or her support of the CFC in employee newsletters or other routine communications with the Federal employees.

(b) Supervisory inquiries about whether an employee chose to participate or not to participate or the amount of an employee's donation. Supervisors may be given nothing more than summary information about the major units that they supervise.

(c) Setting of 100 percent participation goals.

(d) Establishing personal dollar goals and quotas.

(e) Developing and using lists of non-contributors.

(f) Providing and using contributor lists for purposes other than the routine collection and forwarding of contributions and allotments, and as allowed under § 950.501.

(g) Using as a factor in a supervisor's performance appraisal the results of the solicitation in the supervisor's unit or organization.

Any Federal employee who serves on the LFCC, or as a Federal agency fundraising program employee, shall not serve in any official capacity or participate in any decisions where, because of membership on the board or other affiliation with a charitable organization, there could be or appear to be a conflict of interest under any statute, regulation, Executive order, or applicable agency standards of conduct.

Discrimination for or against any individual or group on account of race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other non-merit-based factor is prohibited in all aspects of the management and the execution of the CFC. Nothing herein denies eligibility to any organization, which is otherwise eligible under this part to participate in the CFC, merely because such organization is organized by, on behalf of, or to serve persons of a particular race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or genetic background.