Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

WORLAND — Janet Reasoner of Crazy Horse Consulting will present a free webinar (online workshop) on the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) and how nonprofit organizations can participate today (Tuesday) at 1 p.m. and on Friday, Jan. 20, at 9 a.m.

The 2017 application deadline for the CFC is Jan.31, with an online-only process. Each webinar will provide the same information and the webinar on Jan. 20 will be recorded. Participants must pre-register to receive a link for the webinar.

These webinars will cover the application process, including CFC criteria; the mechanics of the CFC; how workplace fundraising works; and how organizations can maximize their contributions from the CFC once they are approved, Reasoner said

The CFC is a terrific opportunity for small and medium-sized nonprofits to find more supporters – locally and around the U.S. and to build a source of long-term contributions.

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the workplace giving program of the Federal government and all Federal employees are eligible to participate. The deadline to apply is Jan. 31, 2017. All applications must be completed online.

Workplace giving offers employees of a company or government agency the ability to contribute to their favorite nonprofit organizations through payroll deduction. The best known example is the United Way, which generally aggregates contributions and then distributes funds either through grants or to member agencies, or a combination of the two.

Reasoner said, the CFC stands out because (a) donors must designate which organizations receive their contributions and (b) participation is determined by a set of clear criteria. This means that organizations can get donations from their supporters who work for the Federal government and that they can also reach new donors through the CFC with targeted outreach.

In 2017, the CFC will not require an audit for organizations with revenue under $250,000. The previous threshold was $100,000, which was an obstacle for many. In addition, any federal employee can choose any nonprofit in any location to receive their contributions through the CFC. In past years, employees could only choose from organizations in their local area.

Reasoner said, “Local Big Horn Basin organizations may have an edge in the CFC. Not only do we have a number of federal agencies in our area, but last year there were no Wyoming federations and just over 20 Wyoming independent organizations participating. And none of those were headquartered in the

Big Horn Basin. So this is a huge opportunity for nonprofits to find new donors and supporters in their own back yards.”

The CFC is open to 501(c)(3) organizations that report to an active board of directors, the majority of whom are not compensated. Organizations must have a staffed facility or office that is open for business at least 15 hours per week with a dedicated phone line. There are also auditing and financial requirements that will be covered in the webinars, along with more detailed descriptions of the criteria.

Reasoner has over 25 years of fundraising and nonprofit experience, including two years as Director of Community Shares of Louisiana and one year as Director of the Union Community Fund of Greater New Orleans. She has helped many small, community-based nonprofits apply for and participate in the CFC and other workplace campaigns. Her firm, Crazy Horse Consulting, has been providing grant writing and grassroots fundraising help to nonprofits in Wyoming and beyond for five years.

For more information contact Janet Reasoner at 307-459-4575 or [email protected].