CFC MEMORANDUM 2006-2

January 20, 2006

Recent actions by the United Way of America (UWA) asking commercial vendors to cease and desist use of the CFC logo for commercial purposes in print catalogs and over the Internet has prompted some to embark on the design of new CFC logos.

The “CFC logo” with the eagle, stripes and three stars is a registered trademark and service mark of the UWA.  As such, the UWA claims the legal right to control its use.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) does not believe that it is in the best interest of the CFC and the thousands of charities that rely on Federal employee contributions to either discard its well established logo, or to have different versions of the logo that may confuse donors or otherwise compromise the integrity of the CFC by promoting an environment where its fraudulent use may go undetected.  

OPM is currently exploring with the UWA whether its view of the UWA’s rights in the CFC logo might accommodate certain targeted uses of the logo by vendors to serve CFC purposes.  While we welcome the views of all stakeholders throughout this process, vendors and others should be aware that OPM retains legal authority over the use of the words “Combined Federal Campaign” and/or “CFC”.  Therefore, any logo design that seeks to use these words or letters is not authorized and will be contested to the full extent of the law pending a resolution of this matter.  

If you would like to comment on this matter, please forward an e-mail to Ms. Pamela R. Jones at Pamela.rodgersjones@opm.gov.

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