With the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) set to begin Sept. 9, the Postal Service wants employees to understand the rules about fundraising in the workplace.
The CFC allows federal employees, retirees and contractors to contribute to more than 7,000 charitable organizations.
The campaign consolidates solicitations of postal employees into a single, officially supported effort. Contractors cannot be solicited, but they may give a one-time donation by check.
Here are some more rules about the CFC:
• Giving to the CFC must be truly voluntary. Postal employees can give or not give as they choose and are guaranteed confidentiality of their donation decisions.
• Permission from the USPS Ethics Office is required for all CFC events. Submit requests to ethics.help@usps.gov at least two weeks in advance.
• CFC events can only be to raise awareness of the campaign. No fundraising or soliciting is permitted at CFC events. Everyone must be welcome to attend.
• Gambling is prohibited. The CFC may include raffles if there is no cost to enter, all postal employees can participate, and the prizes are modest.
• Postal funds can be used to support CFC events. However, postal funding must be available and approved. Outside sources and businesses may not contribute in support of CFC events, and may not be solicited to do so.
• All charities must be treated equally during the CFC. While the CFC can be endorsed enthusiastically, individual charities may not. Employees must avoid giving preferential treatment to any particular organization.
Employees with questions about fundraising should email the Ethics Office for guidance.
Throughout 2019, the Postal Service is educating employees about the federal government’s principles and standards of ethical conduct.
Other topics recently covered include endorsements by Postal Service employees, seeking employment outside the organization, avoiding general financial conflicts of interest and community activities on postal property.