Heroes and Innovators Awards

Every year the Office of Personnel Management recognizes campaigns and volunteers who have made extraordinary contributions to the CFC through their dedication and creativity. The CFC Heroes Awards are given to the campaign's "unsung heroes" who made significant differences and demonstrated leadership qualities in their campaign. CFC Innovators Awards are presented to campaigns that implemented an innovative strategy that led to increased participation and/or contributions.

OPM salutes all of the recipients for their accomplishments!

Hero Biographies

Upon his arrival as the new deputy director at DFAS-Cleveland four years ago, Mr. Boutelle joined the Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC) and shared his belief that there was great potential for improved pledges in the agency. At the time, the total DFAS contribution was just over $160,000; he set a goal of raising $200,000.

He set up an internal team of volunteers who implemented a new campaign strategy that included events such as walking taco sales, donut sales and pizza sales. Based on his belief that the experience gained by working on the CFC is a win-win for everyone, he also increased the number of DFAS Loaned Executives to three.

The result of these efforts was a 15.1% increase in pledges that exceeded his $200,000 goal and an 18% increase in participation.

Ms. Bryant served in every capacity of the CFC in the past 35 years. As the 2010 CFC Coordinator for DLA's Land and Maritime activity in Columbus, OH and on the Loaned Executive Committee for the local campaign, she managed a campaign for 2,500 employees housed at the Defense Supply Center Columbus installation and worked with a team of 50-100 employees. Her optimistic attitude created a unique synergy throughout the organization that enabled them to exceed the 2010 goal by over $6,665.

She faced unique challenges in the 2010 when her leadership decided to increase the goal by over $27,000; she developed a communication plan to ensure that everyone would be asked to give. She also met weekly with DLA captains to encourage creative fundraising events, while working tirelessly to make sure they understood the legal guidelines for fundraising.

Ms. Bryant is known for being passionate about the CFC and is always listening to suggestions to improve the process and generate more funds for charities. The popular fundraising events she coordinated generated over 20% of total donations from the agency. Thanks to her and her team, participation increased to 45.2%, which included 200 new donors.

Lt. Clements served as the CFC Project Officer for the Air Force Global Logistics Support Center (AFGLSC) at Hill Air Force Base (AFB). In this capacity, he led a team of 33 keyworkers and coordinated the first Team Hill 5k Fun Run and CFC book sale. Under his leadership, he standardized forms to better coordinate keyworker efforts and provide better tracking, sent motivational messages along with weekly reports, and identified over 50 people who had not received donor recognition items in past years to ensure that they knew their contributions were appreciated.

Thanks to his team's outreach efforts, the CFC kickoff attracted over 50 charities and received prime-time coverage on the local news. Of the 31 Hill AFB organizations, AFGLCS was one of only seven that thwarted the down economy to post a positive increase in participation. This resulted in $14,000 more in pledges than the previous year.

Ms. Dangerfield served as both a Loaned Executive and an Agency Coordinator for the CDC. She is a 13-year CFC veteran, who worked tirelessly in the agency of over 8,000 employees to hold rallies, deliver incentive items and creatively re-craft old inventory. As the only veteran Loaned Executive in the 2010 campaign, she trained her new colleagues on how to handle donations, market the campaign, and plan special events.

Her creative talents were used in the planning and logistics for the Kickoff, Leadership Luncheon, Key Worker Appreciation, and Victory Celebration events. She also made CFC chocolate candy with CFC on front, painted eagles, made baskets of incentive gifts, and served as a sounding board of ideas and answered questions from other Loaned Executives.

Ms. Dangerfield's efforts resulted in almost $1 million from the CDC alone, making it the largest contributing agency in the Atlanta CFC. Moreover, she has been responsible for over $3.9 million in contributions since she became involved in 2006. In recognition of her diligence and commitment, the local campaign awarded her with the 2010 CFC Essence Award.

Ms. Fields has been the CFC Chairperson for the past five years and a Federal employee for 22 years. Her areas have over 8,000 men and women assigned to the Norfolk Navy Shipyard. To promote the 2010 CFC she worked with the graphics department to make large posters with the CFC theme on it and posted them throughout the shipyard - in the cafeteria, medical facilities, elevators and even the restrooms. The message was that the CFC is fun and exciting and everyone if invited to participate.

In 2010, she got one of the local high school bands to perform and march around the shipyard. She also had employees bring cakes for a cake walk, had employees from a shop perform a rap, and even brought in an Elvis impersonator.

Ms. Fields ensures that every keyworker feels valued and appreciated. Thanks to her and the keyworker team, the Ship Yard has exceeded its goal between $50,000 and $100,000 in each of the past five years. 2010 pledges, alone, were $741,219.

Ms. Harris served as the lead USPS Loaned Executive and managed 236 USPS campaigns in the Houston District. In addition to attending multiple charity application review meetings and all kick-off and thank-you events, she kept USPS management informed of campaign status. This included informing them of units that hadn't set campaign dates so reminders could be sent as well as identifying locations where units had not be solicited.

She facilitated two kickoff s and training sessions for employee coordinators and developed an award system specifically for USPS units to encourage participation and recognize both campaigns and individuals at the awards ceremony. She also developed a new "Goal Busters" certificate to further recognize units that exceeded their goals.

Although the postal service participation rates had been decreasing in the Houston area in recent years, the extra efforts of Ms. Harris enabled them to far exceed their 2010 goal. USPS employee contributions increased by 20% for a total of $722,510. An additional 500 employees made pledges in the 2010 CFC.

Ms. Nunez has diligently served the CFC Overseas in various capacities during the past six years. In 2010, she served a dual role as the Community/Area Project Officer for U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Grafenwoehr and the campaign monitor for the USAG Hohenfels and USGA Gramisch. These locations, combined represent over 6,300 potential contributors.

She dedicated herself to the success of the 2010 campaign by implementing a plan that included effective volunteer management, use of various public relations outlets and strategic communication with leadership to garner support. When circumstances dictated a short-notice kickoff ceremony, she organized a cake cutting event with 150 invitees, a guest speaker and media coverage in only a few days. Also, during the nine-week campaign period, she sent reports to unit representatives and commanders three times a week to ensure everyone tracked their progress in real time.

Ms. Nunez's leadership resulted in more than $246,000 in contributions from USAG Grafenwoehr, 23% over the commander's goal. She also achieved a 50.8% participation rate.

Petty Officer Roers was the sole campaign representative for MCM CREW EXULTANT deployed onboard USS Dexterous in Bahrain. He collected all campaign materials, worked with leadership to set command goals, met with every member of the crew, explained the purpose and importance of the CFC, tracked results, and verified all completed donation records.

He helped set up fun and creative goals, including having the Command Senior Chief, Executive Officer and Commanding Officer shave their heads at certain dollar amounts. He also met with and answered questions from each and every crew member. These efforts enabled this small command make a large impact on the campaign.

Thanks to Petty Officer Roers' leadership, the MCM CREW EXULTANT achieved 100% contact and a 96% participation rate. The total raised was $40,292 or an average of $479 per sailor.

Ms. Staggs served as the Aeronautical Systems Center's 2010 Campaign Chair. She was responsible for planning, executing, reporting and ensuring the continued success of the agency's campaign. This included masterminding more than a dozen charity fairs held in conjunction with special events, providing unprecedented opportunity for charity representatives to be "inside the fence" to speak with prospective donors and personally providing campaign briefings at the ASC's Commander's weekly staff meetings.

Ms. Staggs is always smiling, embraces opportunities, is eager to lend a hand , and is always thinking outside of the box. These attributes helped her exceed the largest goal in ASC's history. Under her leadership, ASC exceeded its largest ever goal to raise $728,630, more than $100,000 than the 2009 campaign. Contributing to this success was ASC's 43.25% participation rate.

MSgt Travis served as the United Coordinator for the 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Misawa Air Base, Japan with 186 potential contributors. He went above and beyond his responsibility as a campaign unit coordinator by participating in installation-wide fundraising efforts in addition to conducting activities for his unit. This included a base-wide chili cook off, pie-in-the-face contest and the Amazing Race-Fear Factor event.

The campaign reports that MSgt Travis' most important attributes, his humor and positive can-do attitude, were contagious and helped motivate other representatives to keep the campaign on track. Along with his personality, he performed his tasks with accuracy and punctuality, keeping the operations moving smoothly.

His unit increased pledges by 26.6% despite a 25% decrease in potential contributor numbers. Additionally, the unit realized huge increases in participation (53.8% in 2010).

SSG Tucker began the campaign as the USARCENT Community/Area Project Officer (CAPO) with 18 units and 750 potential contributors reporting to her. Halfway through the campaign, the Component Manager for Army Central Command transferred to the U.S., leaving a hole in leadership. SSG Tucker volunteered for the role, adding 12 locations and 9,000 potential contributors spread out in several Middle Eastern countries to her responsibility.

She recognized the important role of publicity, especially in her region. She coordinated with the Public Affairs Office to send the CFC flyer to everyone in Camp Arifjan, secured a full interview with a CFC-O trainer in the Desert Voice (a Kuwait magazine), run the campaign PSA on the command's television channel and publish a brochure distributed at information booths in the Post Exchange, dining facilities, library and Morale, Welfare and Recreation centers. Although many locations in CENTCOM must forego formal award ceremonies, she adamantly organized and executed one of only two CFC-O ceremonies in her command. This was to ensure that her project officers and unit coordinators were recognized for their efforts.

As a CAPO, SSG Tucker raised $47,900 in 2010, which was a 19% increase over 2009 results. Under her leadership, ARCENT raised more than $275,0000, which surpassed their goal despite a significant decrease in troop strength.

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Innovator Biographies

Central California CFC

Fresno, CA

In an effort to keep campaign expenses down, the CFC Director introduced the FLEx Team (Federal Loaned Executives Team) to enlist the help of federal employees. Most federal agencies are not able to provide a Loaned Executive, but the FLEx Team offers opportunities for every agency to get involved with their CFC at some level to assist with campaign tasks and projects needed to run a successful campaign.

FLEx Team utilizes skills-based volunteering, provides flexible hours that can be as few as two hours a month, offers all federal agencies the opportunity to get involved, and ensures that more money goes to the charities by not increasing the campaign staff. Additionally, some tasks or project scan be completed at the employee's own office rather than the campaign office.

Although the campaign added three large counties to its campaign boundaries in 2010, it did not need to increase its staff. At the same time, it was able to guarantee that all tasks involve with running the campaign, such as marketing, customer, contact, applications review, etc. were accomplished by capable volunteers. The campaign found that agencies responded positively to requests for assistance when they know that their employees will be given the tools and flexibility to succeed. This approach also helped every agency feel that it did its part to make the CFC a success.

CFC of the National Capital area

Washington, DC

Faced with the prospect of more than 275,000 federal employees expected to retire within five years, the campaign expanded its efforts to create a habit of giving among new and younger donors. CFCNCA conducted research on what motivates younger donors to give to charity and how to make it "cool" to give through the CFC. The research showed that younger donors connect through very specific strategies including personal stories, volunteer opportunities, and word of mouth from a friend or online community. Armed with this information, the campaign's goals were to 1) create an emotional connection, 2) establish CFC influencers in Federal departments and agencies, 3) develop ongoing volunteer opportunities, 4) expand awareness through online and traditional media, and 5) engage young donor feedback and in put throughout the campaign.

Specific efforts tied to these goals were the distribution of inspirational stories from Federal employees, a new Public Service Announcement targeted at young donors, a “Lend A Hand Happy Hour” event with the Washington City Paper and GovLoop as partners, the creation of a Young Donor Advisory Council and increased media support targeted through interviews and editorials.

The efforts resulted in a record-breaking $67 million pledge total. More than $17 million of this was made through e-giving by over 29,000 donors - an increase of $5.6 million from 2009. A lesson learned by the campaign is that volunteerism is a key component of charitable giving among younger donors and the campaign team will continue to find ways to reach out to this important community. Additionally, young employees favor expanded e-giving options throughout Federal departments.

CFC Overseas

There are many difficulties that uniformed and civilian personnel face in serving their country. They are stationed around the world, highly mobile, and may be working in remote or hostile regions. They are also often separated from their families or have families that depend on them. With such a complex and far-reaching environment, the CFC-O needed to develop a comprehensive communications strategy to effectively reach donors across the combatant commands.

The strategy began with an "ask" to leaders throughout the five commands to demonstrate tangible and visible leadership from the campaign and communicate its value. These leaders played a crucial role by participating in events, filming Public Service Announcements and inspiring command-wide involvement in the campaign.

A key part of the communications strategy provided volunteers at the installation level with effective tools to engage service members in the campaign. Marketing materials used personal stories with an emotional appeal to illustrate how the CFC-O is a natural extension of service to their country and part of the military culture and environment. A comprehensive publicity kit to assist campaign volunteers in securing media placements, deliver speeches and ensure message consistency was disseminated. Based on the increased use of social media to connect overseas personnel to their friends and families back home, the campaign created a Facebook page, Twitter account and an expanded YouTube channel to supplement the official CFC-O website. Finally, a high school PSA contest in partnership with DoD Dependent Schools (DoDDS) and the Armed Forces Network created buzz and generated thousands of online views. The winner was aired on AFN.

Despite troop reduction, the CFC-O raised $14 million for people and communities in need in the 2010 campaign. It plans to gather more inspiring stories for expanded use in volunteer resources, e-newsletters and social media efforts in 2011. It will also expand its DoDDS outreach to engage elementary schools and use a Public affairs Advisory council to help shape the 2011 strategy.

CFC Norcal

San Francisco, CA

In late 2009 the CFC Norcal began a discussion of how the CFC could implement Executive Order No. 13514 (environmental leadership initiative). The LFCC was interested in gauging federal employees' willingness to implement a greener campaign, exploring the efficiencies and cost savings of a greener campaign, and discovering the opportunities and challenges of a greener campaign. It decided to conduct a survey to determine the best approach.

By February 2010 the campaign reached its goal of surveying a minimum of 200 individuals representing over 70 agencies. It found that 77% were interested making the campaign more environmentally friendly. The LFCC used this information to create a theme of “Go Green with CFC” and the concept of unified messaging that included a green logo, a 70% reduction in paper Charity Lists and 60% reduction in paper pledge forms. This led to a savings of $100,000 in printing and shipping costs and a large increase in new e-donors.

The campaign learned that transitioning from paper pledging to e-pledging is as much an educational process as a technical one and that an e-giving campaign requires just as much, if not more, personal touch as a traditional campaign.

North Coast CFC

Cleveland, OH

The North Coast CFC's 2010 goal was to let donors know their importance in helping others. It developed a campaign theme called "The Winning Recipe", which triggered an amazingly creative response from the Federal community. Many organizations participated with theme-related activities like cook-show skits, chili cook-offs, salad sales, walking taco sales, and many more.

The campaign also launched a myriad of other strategies to ensure that the 2010 CFC would be a success despite the economic climate. The activities included launching a Pacesetter campaign to raise the first million dollars in the first three weeks of the campaign, enhancing the Loaned Executive program, redesigning a new campaign website to provide a searchable list of the participating charities, assist with application distribution, and train keyworkers.

These efforts results in breaking the North Coast CFC's records. 2010 pledges were $2,293,085, which was a 3.7% increase from the 2009 CFC. The campaign also received a record number of Loaned Executives - 13.

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Hero Biographies

Chief Petty Officer Heaton volunteered to be the CFC Fund Drive Chairman for the USS Cape St. George before the 2009 drive was even announced. He hit the ground running by achieving 100% contact in the first week of the campaign. The results of his efforts were so impressive that the campaign thought there might be an error in his reports. However, it became clear that his enthusiasm and passion for philanthropy was behind it. When his Commanding Officer asked Chief Heaton's colleagues what they thought of this thing called CFC, every crew member, answered with the same theme: 'Helping others is the right thing to do.' As weekly totals were compiled and the Commander recognized top-performing ships, Commanding Officers and Commanding Master Chiefs were asking, "what's going on over there at the USS Cape St. George?" As his commander put it, what was going on was a good message delivered by a great messenger.

The campaign credits Chief Petty Officer Heaton for a 99% participation rate and over $50,000 in pledges from the men and women serving on he USS Cape St. George.

Mr. Jennings was instrumental in the campaign winning the national CFC Innovator Award for the past three years. He also came up with popular CFC activities, such as the CFC Guitar Hero Competition, and led the effort to utilize online giving for the first time in the 2009 campaign.

Besides his participation in every subcommittee of the LFCC, he has done an outstanding job leading his own kick-off Chili Contest, Office Olympics, Poker Run, CFC Golf Tournament and also volunteered to take on the campaign's co-ed softball tournament.

Thanks to Mr. Jennings' leadership, the campaign exceeded its goal of $2.1 million by 5%. At the same time, he led the committee in decreasing campaign expenses by $15,000. His enthusiasm for online giving also paid off - the average gift from an online donor was double the amount received by those made on paper.

Chief Miller was assigned as the Chairperson for the Center for Information Dominance or "CID", which is directly responsible for over 1,300 federal employees within the EscaRosa CFC area. CID's most significant challenge was educating these new sailors and soldiers, who are typically reporting directly to the schoolhouse right out of basic training and may have never learned the importance of philanthropic giving. His responsibilities included recruiting, screening, and training volunteers throughout the campaign. He and his team planned weekly events creating constant awareness of the campaign, starting from day one.

Under Chief Miller's leadership, the CID broke its CFC record and raised 216% of its goal. At the same time, participation level rose from 24% to 52% and per capita contributions went from $29 to $128.

His campaign says that Mr. Parks was largely responsible for a 13% increase in total contributions for the 2009 CFC and a 50% increase in totals contributions over the past three campaigns . He achieved unprecedented success at the VA Medical Center in his role as lead Coordinator. In his first year, he increased contributions by almost 20%, by 12% in the second year, and another 13% in the third year. He also increased the number of contributors, raising the rate from 30% to 42% in 2009.

Mr. Parks did this by encouraging VA management to increase the number of Keyworkers at the hospital. His goal was to get one keyworker for every 25 employees.

In areas of the VA where participation was lower, he pushed for a ratio of 1 yeyworker for every 15 employees. He also promoted special events such as a "Jeans Day" and silent basket acution at the hospital that raised over $3,000 and increased awareness of the program.

Mr. Pinaula served as a Loaned Executive in 2009, charged with managing the South Bay area of the campaign which included 38 federal agencies, 121 coordinators and keyworkers, and almost 9,000 employees.

For the second consecutive year, Mr. Pinaula secured a furnished South Bay office within the Ames Campus for CFC Norcal; including computers, software, telephones, Internet service, a safe and file cabinets. He also persuaded the Ames Research Center to donate the complete use of the Golf facility to CFC Norcal for a day to conduct its first annual Tournament.

Under his leadership employees contributed $724,000 to the CFC.

As Co-Chairs for the 2009 CFC at VA Central California Health Care System (CCHCS), Ms. Renge's, Ms. Stripling's, and Ms. Yahnian's goals were to enlist a team of keyworkers, achieve "100% Ask" via a series of events to increase awareness and donorship, create innovative and fun activities and events that would increase CFC visibility as well as increase camaraderie and team spirit at the VA.

The Team recruited 57 keyworkers to help run the campaign and ensure consistency in solicitation and pledge card completion. They also developed fun and innovative events such as "The Balloon Bust" and "The Rally Pants". To ensure that the goal of "100% Ask" was achieved, the team arrived at the hospital to visit the graveyard shift wearing their pajamas, robes, slippers, hair rollers and moisture cream on their faces. They served the employees coffee and bagels, which helped build a bridge from the CFC to a group that is often forgotten.

VA CCHCS campaign raised over $100,000, which was an 18% increase over 2008, with a 23% increase from in participation.

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Innovator Biographies

Greater Olympic Peninsula CFC

Its 2009 campaign mantra was "non-stop improvement". Always concerned about campaign costs and the desire to maximize pledges, the campaign provided on-line donation options, which was so successful it paid for itself in the first four days for the campaign. Utilizing this on-line option also streamlined the data entry process of the paper pledge forms and provided consolidated reporting for our campaign progress.

The Greater Olympic Peninsula CFC also partnered with other campaigns in the Pacific Northwest to streamline the charity application process and save on the workload for both charitable agencies and LFCCs alike. They have now begun discussions to merge campaign operations to further reduce campaign costs. In addition, they utilized events like CFC Guitar Hero Competition, a CFC Farmer's Market, a food tasting event called the "Bite of CFC", and a CFC Remote Operated Vehicle competition to raise contributions and increase awareness about the CFC.

These efforts resulted in over $2.1million in donations during hard economic times while reducing overall campaign expenses.

Heartland CFC

While concentrating campaign efforts toward the traditional CFC contributors, the Heartland CFC sought out new donors through the use of technology such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Twitter. They also continued to move forward in their emphasis for electronic pledge card programs/processing. The focus was to ensure a user-friendly environment, a site that provided electronic forms, meeting/event information, and CFC success stories.

The Heartland CFC proudly raised over $4 million for the 2009 campaign - exceeding their goal by 10%. Through the application of the campaign strategy of enhanced communication and usage of cost saving technology processes/"electronic" opportunities they were also able to achieve an unparalleled administrative/operating expense rate of only 5.34 % - reflecting one of the lowest of administrative rates in the country.

Miami Valley CFC

Numerous components were vital to the overwhelming success of the 2009 Miami Valley campaign: extraordinary teamwork, engaged volunteers, considerate donors, and appreciative charities. The Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC) agreed that conveying the seriousness of local, national and international needs was key to making the case about the importance of the campaign, and doing so would only be effective with expressing how fortunate Federal colleagues were to be employed. "Invest In a Better Tomorrow" was the slogan selected to effectively convey why the campaign's success was so critical.

Unemployment throughout its campaign area not only exceeded the national average in 2009, but increased on a monthly basis. A short presentation to employees clearly made the case with unemployment statistics for each for each of the 11 counties area served by the Miami Valley CFC. These actions helped lead to the largest campaign in its 40-year history.

CFC of the National Capital Area

The CFC of the National Capital Area created an integrated online strategy for 2009 to reach additional donors and raise more funds for people and communities in need. The strategy included moving and expanding many of the campaign's marketing tools online, increasing the ways donors could give online, and providing supportive offline tactics that increased awareness of the campaign.

This was achieved by enabling Federal departments and agencies to easily customize campaign materials through templates and artwork available on the website, expanding local media support through ongoing interviews and editorials, and providing new promotional videos through its website and the Non Profit channel of YouTube. It also integrated the use of social media, including Facebook and GovLoop, and provided new e-Giving tools for donors including credit and debit card options.

CFC Overseas

The CFC Overseas faces geographic challenges unlike that experienced by any other campaign. More than 300,000 military personnel and Federal civilians live overseas and are frequently mobile, stationed in remote locations and potentially in combat zones making it difficult to access them with traditional marketing strategies.

In 2009 the campaign launched a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) online competition challenging overseas high school students to create 29-second PSAs conveying key messaging using their own fresh perspectives. The Armed Forces Network motivated participants by announcing that it would air the top three winning entries on its television network during the campaign's pledging season in November and December 2009.

The campaign hosted and managed the competition on its website, where families and supporters viewed and voted for the entries and, if applicable, were able to make an online contributions. In this way, the vast overseas community was brought together in the spirit of competition, experienced a greater awareness of the campaign and raised additional funds for people and communities in need.

Traffic to the CFC-O website doubled during the two weeks of the voting process. Additionally, the e-Giving system experienced a 127% increase in participation and an 82% increase in contributions during that same two week period in comparison to 2008 results.

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Hero Biographies

Mr. Barnes has shown leadership in every Federal community he has worked, including serving as the CFC Chair of the Birmingham, Chicago, Baltimore and, most recently, the Metropolitan Atlanta campaigns. He was instrumental in encouraging other Federal executives to lead by example and, in turn, encourage and motivate their individual agency employees to get involved.

Not only did he supply a Public Affairs staff to provide day-to-day leadership for the campaign office, he also loaned a member of his staff to provide administrative support as well as two loaned executives. Other members of his staff were available to serve as IT support, photographers, provide video assistance and whatever other assistance was needed. Equally important, Mr. Barnes hosted two lunches for agency executives to gain their support for the CFC and gather recommendations. He also hosted three lunches for Loaned Executives to boost their morale and held a barbecue victory luncheon in their honor at the conclusion of the campaign. He is an example of someone not only "talked the talk, but walked the walk". Thanks to the example he set, his agency had over 75% participation, helping the Atlanta CFC to exceed its goal.

Ms. Dalessio is known as "Miss CFC" not only for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility but the entire Kitsap & Mason County CFC. The single most active member of the LFCC, she plans, coordinates, and participates in whatever capacity is needed. This includes being responsible for coordinating the efforts of a command with nearly 10,000 employees that raises over $1 million annually.

Her ’can-do‘ spirit is infectious and naturally breeds cooperation among the more than 75 Commands and Agencies that comprise the local campaign. From designing and creating the advertisement, obtaining awards and certificates, to setting up and running an event, she is often the first one there and the last to leave.

Ms. Dallesio is an expert at developing new ideas and techniques to bring focus to the campaign. She personally developed and organized an annual CFC Dance Contest and conducted seven days of keyworker and chairperson trainings. The campaign credits her efforts for the Kitsap & Mason Counties CFC surpassing its 2008 CFC goal by $100,000.

Ms. Facemire served as the 10th Air base wing, 10th Medical Support Squadron Unit Project Officer at the U.S. Air Force Academy during the 2008 CFC. Her responsibilities included recruiting an enthusiastic committee of keyworkers on a 1:25 ratio to help plan and run a fun, well-organized and successful campaign. She analyzed the unit campaign history and worked with her committee to plan and coordinate informative employee meetings, charity tours, charity speakers and special events. Her campaign wrap-up activities included conducting evaluations, presenting appreciation awards for outstanding achievements and following up with payroll offices to ensure all pledge forms were processed timely.

Ms. Facemire ensured 100% contact, raising $10,000 within three days of the kickoff. She met her $14,000 pledge goal in ten days and set a new $18,000 goal, which she also surpassed by spearheading four bake sales and gift basket sales. In addition, she implemented curse/change jars that collected $720, one quarter at a time. Because of her creativity, she rated #1 of 17 Wing Project Officers for money collected by an individual unit and topped USAFA achievement charts the entire campaign.

Although the 2008 CFC was Captain Frey's first time heading up the campaign, he quickly became known as the "CFC go-to person" at Vandenberg Air Force Base. He planned and implemented three successful events, educated all Loaned Executives at the base, and informed commanding officers weekly on the progress of their units.

Two weeks before the campaign began, Captain Frey arranged for the Colonel of the base to have a "photo op" for the base newspaper and be the first person to sign his pledge form. He also held a Manager's Breakfast before the campaign to educate all commanding officers about the CFC. A speaker for the breakfast was a client of a local agency and also worked on the base. Her heartwarming story was video taped and replayed during trainings and throughout the campaign. This brought the campaign closer to home for the employees.

Capt. Frey made himself available to all Loaned Executives, answering questions and providing supplies. During the weekly collections, the Captain would give ideas to help the LE's meet their goals. Thanks to him, two of the seven groups exceeded their goal in the first week, and the others shortly followed.

Captain Frey's efforts led to a 21% increase in total donations and a 17% increase in participation.

Lt. Col Sudnick served as the CFC Coordinator for the Westover Air Reserve Base during the 2008 campaign. In this capacity, he developed a comprehensive plan for success that included setting challenging goals for the base and each of its squadrons, conducting keyworker training, organizing special events, and reporting results. He also held frequent brainstorming sessions with representatives of each squadron and presentations to keep the Wing Commander informed and aware about the progress of the CFC.

Lt. Col. Sudnick was involved in all aspects of the base campaign from serving as the Master of Ceremonies for the Kick-Off Breakfast to recruiting a team to head a road race which set a fundraising record. He was extremely creative in determining that changing the route of the road race from a loop around the base to the runway would generate a lot of interest. The "Runway Run-Away Road Race" has now become an eagerly awaited CFC event.

His leadership saw a 21.7% increase in base contributions, which was by far the largest increase in the Pioneer Valley CFC

The campaign says that Mr. Venuti was the driving force behind its best ever CFC Kickoff. He set up the keyworker training & delivery of campaign materials to coincide with the Kickoff. When a construction project led to limited parking at the VA, he set up three additional parking areas at local businesses and provided a shuttle van ride to the facility. A guest list of attendees for the shuttle driver was prepared so that he could greet everyone by name and thank them for coming.

He also developed a fun Question and Answer Contest for federal employees in order to test their knowledge of CFC. Between the questions, he invited agency speakers to come to the podium to speak about how their organization serves the community.

Each morning of the campaign, Mr. Venuti stood outside the VA to greet his co-workers and hand out CFC books & pledge forms. He encouraged questions and participation by keeping the CFC in everyone's thoughts daily.

The results of his efforts led to a 29% increase in pledges from the previous year and an increase in the number of participants.

Ms. Waechter served as a Loaned Executive for the 2007 and 2008 Suncoast campaigns. She was responsible for all CFC-wide events and for 39 Federal offices with 2,000 employees. This included training 127 keyworkers and coordinators as part of a three-person training team, speaking at employee meetings and special events, and procuring incentive awards. She visited every facility, shift, or office at least three times for a quality, personal 100% ask. She was recognized as the #1 LE by her 15 Loaned Executive peers in both 2007 and 2008.

Ms. Waechter took charge for the first ever Special Events effort for the Suncoast CFC. She initiated and executed the inaugural Suncoast Golf Tournament on MacDill AFB, and the Pearl Harbor Day 5K Fun Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk on the VA Bay Pines campus. These served as the beginning and ending focal points for the 2008 CFC.

Her efforts led to a 5% increase in pledges in 2008 and her accounts had the highest average participation rate at 82% (a campaign record).

Ms. Watkins served as a Loaned Executive in the 2008 campaign. She established early contact with employees and supervisors at every postal facility in the 17 county area covered by the Coastal Georgia CFC. The majority of these 69 post offices were in rural areas that are a 2-3 hour drive from Savannah. Further, in order to have personal contact with the rural letter carriers, she had to schedule the visits prior to 9:30AM. She maximized the impact of her travels, by also participating in many non-postal CFC events in those areas.

Through Ms. Watkins' efforts, many postal employees had the opportunity to have personal contact with a CFC representative for the first time, resulting in more than $32,000 in pledges. The campaign met 117% of its goal, which it attributes to the dedication of Ms. Watkins.

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Innovator Biographies

Coastal Georgia CFC

When the campaign learned that one of four combat brigades of the 3rd Infantry Division would be deployed to Iraq during the entire campaign period, the Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC) developed a broad reaching marketing approach. This included establishing contact with the new commanding general, who was very supportive, and adjusted kick-off events on the base to coincide with his schedule. The CFC was highly visible on post thanks to informational articles placed in the weekly post newspaper, an interview with the LFCC chair and CFC director for closed circuit television, and large CFC signs and banners.

Prior to the start of the campaign, an LFCC member and her daughter, both employed by the Department of Labor, agreed to be video taped to promote the CFC. The video told the story of how the family was helped by a CFC participating agency when the daughter required extensive surgery at age five for a tumor. Thankfully, she fully recovered from this operation. The video was short, simple, and inspirational. In addition, many Labor employees personally knew both individuals and could appreciate the personal impact the charity made on the family.

The efforts paid off. Participation at Ft. Stewart and the Hunter Army Airfield increased significantly to 45% and the on-post goal was exceeded by 137%.

Kitsap and Mason Counties CFC

In response to the economic climate, new events and emphasis areas were added to the local campaign. For example, greater emphasis was placed on charity representatives attending the regional and local events to share with donors the benefits to their organizations from donations to the CFC. Through the work of the Principal Combined Fund Organization (PCFO,) private sponsorships were secured to cover the costs of the printing of the CFC Charity List, production of a local video, and the expenses of a CFC softball tournament and Dance Contest.

The campaign also produced events to bring attention to the needs of the community and to promote an increased level of contribution. A new event in 2008 was the "Bite of CFC", where employee groups selected a theme and served small portions of food for a contribution to the campaign. More than a dozen employee groups set up booths and served everything from traditional and ethnic food to ice cream sundaes. Other events included the CFC Dance Contest, a CFC Auto and Motorcycle Show, the Office Olympics, a Dodge Ball tournament and more

In all, the efforts led to the campaign exceeding its goal of $2,000,000.

CFC of the National Capital Area (CFCNCA)

The campaign worked with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to develop a solution for expanding e-giving in the CFC environment. Several factors were considered for this project. First, the system had to be able to identify which USPTO employees are located in the CFCNCA area. Second, it had to be able to authenticate user identification at the Federal agency level and securely pass the potential donor over to the campaign's e-giving platform. Third, it had to be able to save data that could be provided back to the payroll system. Finally, it had to be a confidential way to give. No individuals handled pledge cards after they are completed and no social security numbers were needed anywhere in the system.

The pilot was developed in less than a six week period in the spring of 2008 for testing and was deployed in October. Bolstered by marketing efforts, giving on the system exceeded all expectations. By the end of the 2008 campaign, more than 1,400 used the e-giving system, pledging more than $850,000.

CFC of the North Puget Sound

The campaign chair participated in a discussion during the 2008 National CFC Workshop that focused on innovations to target the younger demographic and educate them about the importance of the CFC. Ideas included using forms of media and celebrity personalities with whom young employees would identify.

The next week, the chair just happened to be watching Nashville Star which is an all-country music version of American Idol. There was an active duty sailor who had reached the finals of the competition. The chair contacted the Navy unit in Tennessee where the contestant worked and introduced the idea of having the finalist star in a commercial to promote the CFC. The Navy agreed and made a 30 second commercial. The campaign distributed DVD copies of the commercial and distributed it over the internet.

At the same time, the LFCC focused on increasing donor participation, even if each individual gave a smaller amount. The rationale was to make them become familiar wit the program so that they may support future campaigns when economic times were better. The results achieved were phenomenal - the campaign raised 13% more the 2007 campaign. It also increased the Navy participation rate and saw its average gift rise by more than $27.

CFC Overseas

For the Department of Defense personnel assigned to the U.S. Central Command, giving to their charity of choice through the CFC can be a challenge. Many areas are active combat zones with frequent rotation of troops into, out of, and within the vast command area. It is sometimes difficult to provide these potential donors with campaign information or a CFC volunteer to talk to. In addition, deployed troops do not carry around cash and often do not even have their check books with them. To help overcome this unique challenge, the CFC-O offered a fully automated Credit Card Giving option. This gave personnel the flexibility needed to make a paperless contribution by searching the online charity database and making their gift via credit card.

The user-friendly system was easily accessed via the CFC-O website. It allowed a contributor to make an informed pledge quickly and easily, as well as gave the contributor the choice of making a one-time donation or a monthly allotment, which is a significant option for Reservists and National Guard troops who often cannot give via payroll allotment.

Over 1,200 contributors raised $313,589 with an average gift of $251. These donations are immediately processed - which is a huge benefit when dealing with the U.S. Central Command, where it can take up to eight weeks to ship pledge cards out of the combat zones.

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Hero Biographies

Captain Thomas Abell developed a comprehensive, six-step campaign plan for success: goal setting, key worker training, special events, campaign marketing, charity involvement and reporting of results. He did this by setting a challenging goal for the Dover Air Force Base and each of its squadrons, as well as organizing two training sessions for approximately 50 keyworkers, coordinating a kickoff luncheon to motivate donors and give them a chance to hear from the participating charities, and organizing a base-wide bowling tournament to raise awareness and money for the CFC. Captain Abell also provided guidance and support for all base campaign activities, such as a fun fair, three squadron tour kick-offs, and a hockey tournament. His campaign plan also included a marketing blitz that incorporated the base newspaper, The Airlifter, television station, ad scrolling announcement board and strategically-placed CFC banners.

Although it was his first time spearheading the campaign of this size, Captain Abell oversaw a 16% increase in contributions that included increases in the number of donors and the average gift.

Before working on the 2007 CFC, Captain Abell completed a tour in Afghanistan. As the campaign began, he also welcomed his first son into the family. He is a volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Dream Factory, and other charities.

In 2007, David Cowgill served as the CFC chairperson for the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System for the second consecutive year. He led the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 4 campaign which encompassed ten VA facilities in three states, multiple CFC campaign regions, and over 10,000 VA personnel. His responsibilities included strategic planning, goal setting, campaign marketing, team development and training, solicitation follow-up, campaign communications, pledge analysis and reporting. He customized a promotional campaign for the VA, introduced VA-CFC branding for all communications, held chairperson meetings for the VISN, and worked closely with leadership staff in each facility to achieve their support and endorsement.

His efforts led to a 30% increase over 2006 pledges from the VA Pittsburgh healthcare System, and an 8% increase in participation.

Mr. Cowgill is an active church volunteer, serving as an instructor of pre-marital classes. He is also a youth football, wrestling, baseball, and basketball coach.

Dave Fenton, as known as "Mr. CFC", has been involved in CFC activities at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard since 1991. From the beginning, he worked to establish CFC events that bring awareness to the campaign and the positive things it represents. With his characteristic wealth of enthusiasm, he created the character "Deputy Dave" to provide continuity to the Shipyard employees' CFC experience. As the character, he takes center-stage for a variety of events and is always a positive force. These include serving as an emcee for every CFC event at the Bremerton, WA site; the Pie Eating Contest, Halloween/Costume Contest, Classic Carshow, and Jail and Bail.

In 2007, the Shipyard once again exceeded its monetary goal, raising $1.3 million. At the command level, this performance it attributed to Mr. Fenton's involvement and enthusiasm.

Mr. Fenton is involved in creating and producing a major Christmas drama event at this church for the past five years. He also has participated on multiple mission trips with teens to Mexico to assist with building projects.

Along with fellow Hero Award winner Chris Taylor, Wendy Lubbe served as the co-chair for the 2007 EPA Region 7 campaign. In this capacity, she managed a team of CFC campaign workers recruited from each of the region's divisions and planned and oversaw weekly fundraising events such including a kick-off hosted by the EPA Regional Administrator, a presentation by a local television personality whose family benefited from CFC charities, and a chili cook-off. She was also responsible for a silent auction, working with the owners/operators for the cafeteria to provide a free lunch to every CFC donor, and holding Halloween and Pet Photo Contests. The campaign culminated with the Senior Staff Karaoke Contest. Throughout the campaign period, employees could vote on which members of the Senior Staff would have to sing a song chosen by members of their division. Campaign results were represented in a CFC Duck Race along a dry creek in the agency's atrium. Percentage markers were placed along the creek and each division was provided a duck that moved down the creek each week to match the percentage of participation. The race was a great source of pride and friendly rivalry as employees turned out each Thursday to see the latest results.

Thanks to her efforts, participation in the kick-off increased by over 500% from the previous year and the EPA Region's contributions rose by 16% and its participation rate climbed to 51%. She was recognized by the local campaign as a recipient of the Achieving Campaign Excellence Award, caring for Community Award, and the JFK Award for Employers with 500+ Employees.

Ms. Lubbe has been a volunteer with the Arthritis Foundation and a charter school in Washington, DC.

Mr. Preston has been the only Treasure Coast CFC Loaned Executive for the past three years, and has agreed to serve again in 2008. During his tenure, he has helped the campaign increase contributions by more than 10% to raise a record $535,000. He has done this by conducting a very effective Key Worker training presentation. His abounding enthusiasm and demonstrated success helped to motivate Key Workers and Campaign Managers to achieve record breaking successes. He has been a speaker at more than 50 agency kickoff events and provided support to over 48 agencies in five counties. The Local Federal Coordinating Committee also credits him with the recruitment of two new members, including the 2008 CFC chair.

Mr. Preston's work with U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Senior Management to discuss internal goals and commitments from the managers led to a 10% increase in contributions and a 10% increase in postal worker participation despite a decline in the workforce.

Mr. Preston is a 25-year employee of USPS and has been a National Postal Mail Handler Union Shop Steward for the past 13 years. He is a board member of Caring for Postal Families and the USPS Social and Recreation Committee. He has also been a Steward at his church for the past 15 years.

For the second year running Petty Officer Robert Pryor led a highly successful campaign, surpassing the previous year's records. He committed over 200 hours of his personal time to ensure a successful execution of the campaign, and proved to be an able leader by coordinating with over 30 commands and departments from two separate military installations with more than 5,000 employees combined.

He oversaw the campaign's kick-off celebration, which gave employees a chance to learn about more than 30 participating charities. He also took responsibility for training and overseeing 76 keyworkers. Thanks to Petty Office Pryor, the campaign raised $397,000, which was an increase of more than 20% over 2006 pledges.

Petty Officer Pryor is committed to bettering his community at any installation he is stationed. During the 2007 campaign, he served as a mentor for a 5th grader and the Navy recognized his commitment to the community by awarding him the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.

Lalo Reyna served as a CFC Loaned Executive for the past nine years, and, prior to that, was a keyworker for six years. As Loaned Executive, he conducted a campaign of 3,500 employees, the largest in the Coastal Bend CFC. His duties and responsibilities included planning, implementing, and overseeing all aspects of his organization's campaign. He also personally stepped in to fill any position, no matter how big or small. These included changing thermometer signs, assisting the eligibility review committee, conducting additional volunteer training within his own organization, and assisting with the kick-off and victory luncheons.

Due to Mr. Reyna's personal efforts and commitments, his organization surpassed its goal by 47%, raising more than $365,000. In addition, the Corpus Christi Army Depot's participation rate increased to 49% and the number of eagle givers increased by 30%. The Coastal Bend CFC has recognized his efforts by presenting him with the Thomas Walker Award for Outstanding Loaned Executive for the past four consecutive years.

Mr. Reyna has been employed with the Corpus Christi Army Depot for 28 years. In addition to his work with the CFC, he is an active volunteer with the Boys & Girls Club of Corpus Christi, coordinates the Sharing Christmas "For the Kids" program, and is an active member of his church.

While serving on the CFC cabinet, Leslie Sanders screened over 50 charitable organization to ensure compliance with the eligibility requirements, negotiated with a CFC awards vendor that resulted in a the reduction of costs by half, and initiated the idea to provide coordinators with seed money to support local kick-off events. In his local campaign, he was responsible for 80 keyworkers and the solicitation of over 7,500 employees. He not only supported his internal campaign, but was a presenter during local training sessions and a mentor to coordinators at other Federal agencies.

Mr. Sanders is very proud to be a CFC coordinator and likes to think of himself as a facilitator who keeps the lines of communications open. His accomplishments include increased pledges every year and increased awareness of the CFC by making it more visible throughout the year.

Outside of the workplace, Mr. Sanders is a Big Brother to high-risk youths, volunteers at Cedar Sinai Hospital where he provides therapy to the elderly as well as young people, sponsors the high school football and basketball teams, and provides meals to the elderly in his neighborhood. For his work in taking kids off the streets and involving them in a neighborhood football league, he was awarded the Civil Service Award from State Senator Diane Watson.

Along with fellow Hero Award winner Wendy Lubbe, Chris Taylor served as the co-chair for the 2007 EPA Region 7 campaign. In this capacity, he managed a team of CFC campaign workers recruited from each of the region's divisions and planned and oversaw weekly fundraising events such including a kick-off hosted by the EPA Regional Administrator, a presentation by a local television personality whose family benefited from CFC charities, and a chili cook-off. He was also responsible for a silent auction, working with the owners/operators for the cafeteria to provide a free lunch to every CFC donor, and holding Halloween and Pet Photo Contests. The campaign culminated with the Senior Staff Karaoke Contest. Throughout the campaign period, employees could vote on which members of the Senior Staff would have to sing a song chosen by members of their division. Campaign results were represented in a CFC Duck Race along a dry creek in the agency's atrium. Percentage markers were placed along the creek and each division was provided a duck that moved down the creek each week to match the percentage of participation. The race was a great source of pride and friendly rivalry as employees turned out each Thursday to see the latest results.

Thanks to his efforts, participation in the kick-off increased by over 500% from the previous year and the EPA Region's contributions rose by 16% and its participation rate climbed to 51%. He was recognized by the local campaign as a recipient of the Achieving Campaign Excellence Award, caring for Community Award, and the JFK Award for Employers with 500+ Employees.

In his personal time, Mr. Taylor volunteers as an elder, Men's Ministry Coordinator, and Sunday School teacher for his church.

Colonel Tracy Tynan organized and executed the most ambitious and successful campaign in the history of Tinker Air Force Base. He provided the leadership and motivation to oversee the preparation, implementation, and coordination of the campaign for more than 28,000 employees. This included personally meeting with the leadership of 59 organizations to request their support. He also recruited volunteers, conducted coordinator trainings, arranged bus tours of various participating agencies so coordinators could learn more about the nonprofit community, and secured weekly articles in the base's Tinker Take Off newspaper.

A campaign video was made available through the base's intranet. Every time an employee logged on they were given the option to watch the video, which included a personal message of support from Major General Loren Reno, Commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. To congratulate and recognize outstanding organizations and coordinators at the conclusion of the campaign, Col. Tynan held a Victory Celebration where organizations were awarded a plaque from Major General Reno. The result of this work led to a $51,000 increase in pledges and a 6% increase in participation.

Col. Tynan has served as an active duty member of the Air Force for the past 25 years. Although he currently resides in Oklahoma City, he works diligently to recruit and train mentor candidates for The Citadel and, his alma mater, The Military College of South Carolina. He has also volunteered as a lay person at his church and was the co-chair of a read-a-thon to raise funds for muscular dystrophy awareness.

As a 2007 keyworker, Rick Wilson achieved 190% of his 2007 goal. He did this by engaging employees in activities, such as an annual softball tournament that raised more than $2,500. He also involved himself in all other Shipyard events by helping to plan, coordinate, and work an event in any capacity needed. He also lent his marketing talents by designing and creating advertisements, delivering supplies and setting up and running events. Not limiting himself to the Shipyard, he assisted another base by singing for their CFC Kick-Off Barbecue.

Mr. Wilson is very civic-minded and is involved in his son's "pee wee" teams, as well as his local police and firefighters charitable efforts. In addition, he and his wife donate products and services from their personal business to numerous community events, and he helps senior citizens in his community by providing carpentry services free-of-charge. His generosity and willingness to get involved in the community makes him a role model for others.

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Innovator Biographies

Coastal Georgia CFC

The key issue affecting the 2007 Coastal Georgia CFC was the deployment of over 14,000 soldiers for Operation Iraqi Freedom during the campaign solicitation period. Despite a nearly 50% decrease in the donor-base, two Kick-Off events and charity fairs were planned. The Local Federal Coordinating Committee's (LFCC) developed a strategy to saturate the remaining military personnel and Federal civilians with CFC information and pledge materials. The Commanding General, Major General Rick Lynch, provided a hard-hitting two minute video which was repeatedly aired on the post's closed circuit television. Several information articles were also written by General Lynch and the Fort Stewart-Hunter garrison command sergeant major. The Fort Stewart newspaper, Frontline, printed a color thermometer each week as a visual reminders to readers of the campaign's progress. In addition, an increased effort was devoted to making contact with the Federal civilian employees and reaching out to previously unsolicited workplaces.

To reduce campaign costs, the LFCC approved a two-phase approach to donor gift purchases. Initially, sufficient gifts were obtained for display in Federal workplaces. After the campaign, in conjunction with local specialty suppliers, a precise order was filled within two weeks and distributed to deserving donors.

The campaign achieved 129% of its goal, raising $515,752. Of this total, the participation rate increased to 36% with a record number of leadership-level donors. The campaign learned that frequent contact with military and civilian Key Workers by holding workplace mini-rallies throughout the area proved to be beneficial and that the effective use of print media, visual reminders and closed circuit television were key to exceeding the goal. Further, campaign costs can be minimized by the phased ordering of donor gifts that reduces possibility of surplus items.

Kitsap and Mason Counties CFC

Continuing the tradition of raising awareness and promoting participation, the LFCC took the 2007 theme "Changing the World One Gift at a Time" to an unprecedented level. They organized a "Changing the World One Dance Step at a Time" dance contest modeled after the "Dancing with the Stars" television show. Over 50 couples participated and 250 employees attended the final "dance off" event. They also implemented a "Poker Run", which literally took the campaign "on the road" around Kitsap and Mason Counties. These events were so well attended that plans are in place to make them annual events.

The dedicated individuals overseeing the 2007 CFC looked outside the box for ways to spark enthusiasm and involve the greatest number of participants as possible. Continuing on the previous year's success were various sporting events (dodge ball, softball and golf tournaments), as well as local station events such as Jail & Bail, Classic Car Show, Chili Cook Off, and CFC auction. Participation from CFC charities is key to the success of the events.

The campaign website introduced an electronic version of the pledge form in 2007 and offered a searchable Charity List and a video highlighting local CFC beneficiary' success stories. The campaign also garnered the support and involvement of participating commands' leadership by increasing their awareness of the work of the CFC.

Cost-saving measures, such as the use of the website, led to the campaign coming in $10,000 under budget. The website also increased employee exposure to scheduled activities, events and success stories. The LFCC also learned that success cannot be achieved without participation by division leads/participating commands on the LFCC.

CFC of the National Capital Area

For the second year, the CFC of the National Capital area (CFC-NCA) implemented a creative strategy around a theme of "Be a Star in Someone's Life" to fuel its $60 million goal. The marketing plan focused on the beneficiaries of CFC funds, creation of targeted messages for different Federal employee age groups, and an element of fun. There was a marketing effort to encourage donors to use the new five-digit codes. The "Power of Five" campaign also worked to communicate all the public aspects of the new Federal rules that went into effect in 2007.

The campaign's video used the motifs of baseball and sports movies to connect with donors. Inspired by the movie "Field of Dreams", the main character hears voices telling him things like "Build it and they will come", "Be a star", and "Go the distance." At first he thinks he is going crazy, but slowly learns that these phrases are tied to the CFC and are teaching him about all of the good work the campaign is providing in his community and across the globe. By the end of the film, he watches a group of visually impaired youth play a game called Beep Ball in which the ball emits a beeping sound that allows them to hear the beep and know where to either swing the bat or the location where it was hit. The character realizes that the voices he heard were referring the field where their game was played and that his CFC donation helped to build the community center that made it possible.

Keeping with this theme, the campaign kickoff was held at a Washington Nationals baseball game. Prior to the game, Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and the CFC Honorary Chairman, threw the ceremonial first pitch in honor of the 2007 campaign. The Coast Guard provided the anthem singer, color guard and a Coast Guard rescue helicopter flyover. More than 600 campaign managers, loaned executives, keyworkers and friends attended the event, in addition to the crowd of 35,000. The Nationals mascot, Screech, was present at the CFC-NCA Leadership Conference as well as numerous agency kickoffs and rallies.

The campaign theme has given Federal agencies and departments great latitude when it came to marketing their fund drives. But just as importantly, it provided them with an excellent opportunity to interject fun and enthusiasm in their campaigns.

New York City CFC

The New York City CFC created a Memorial/Gift card to increase interest in and donations to the campaign. The card introduced an entirely new avenue for contributions and encouraged a new kind of donor. Examples of ways donors used it to make pledges in memory of others included employee groups raising funds in memory of firefighters killed fighting forest fires the previous year, honoring lost pets killed during a hurricane, and recognizing parents and other loved ones.

As a Gift Card, it also provides the perfect gift for the person who has everything. This is done by making a CFC pledge to someone's favorite charity, making it the perfect gift for the person who has everything.

52 donors utilized the cards in 2007, honoring fellow Federal employees or a special person in their lives. All honorees who have given their permission will be acknowledged on the CFC website and the back of the 2008 CFC Charity List. The campaign believes this will generate further use of the cards and encourage endless possibilities for pledges.

CFC Overseas

The Overseas CFC (CFC-O) believes that the military members and Department of Defense civilian employees serving our great nation in the Middle East deserve the same simple, cost-effective opportunity to make charitable contributions as their counterparts serving elsewhere in the world. However, communication, logistical, operational and geographical challenges have often prevented the CFC from reaching its full potential in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) region. Therefore, the CFC-O examined the unique needs of this region and completely reorganized the campaign structure to make the campaign more effective, while at the same time ensuring no interruption to the demanding military mission.

All previous CFC-O structure elements were abandoned. The area was divided into eight different components; six of which were headed by a Component Manager, a newly created position for CFC-O CENTCOM. Community/Area Project Officer (CAPO) levels were then established under each of the components. This restructuring resulted in 94 separate CAPO levels throughout CENTCOM - a marked increase over the 22 CAPO locations during the 2006 campaign. These structural changes also required a complete overhaul to the CFC-O's online reporting system and internal record-keeping databases requiring hundreds of man-hours from the CFC-O staff.

Total revenue in the region increased over $1 million from 2006 to 2007 and significant increases in the average gift and participation were realized. The increased number of CAPO locations resulted in more manageable areas of responsibility for our campaign project officers and their unit level volunteers. Due to the involvement of the newly created Component Managers, CFC-O staff members were able to meet with leadership in several key areas, and for the first time ever, received a CFC Public Service Announcement from the CENTCOM AOR that aired on AFN.

The campaign learned that flexibility is vital when working in CENTCOM - things constantly change. Dividing the campaign into smaller, more manageable units results in more thorough identification of units; allows for better direct customer service interaction between CFC-O staff & volunteers and makes the job easier for our hardworking volunteers.

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Hero Biographies

Mr. Brown is a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel, who served 28 years on active duty. He joined the civilian workforce in 2003 and stepped mid-campaign in the 2006 CFC as the NORAD-USNORTHCOM CFC project officer, charged with the planning, implementing, and overseeing all aspects of the campaign on behalf of more than 1300 employees. His campaign leadership resulted in the collection of $16,000 above the previous year's pledges, an increased participation rate, an increased Average Gift, and an increased Per Capita Gift. He also had the highest number of unit award winners in NORAD-USNORTHCOM history.

Mr. Brown oversaw Peterson Air Force Base (PAFB) base-wide Unit Project Officer Training and Keyworker Training where he helped organize 1500+ boxes of CFC materials for region-wide delivery and coordinated transportation for 300 base personnel to attend the Air Force wide campaign kick-off at the AF Academy.

Mr. Brown volunteered more than 1,000 hours of his personal time to causes working with the Air Force community, and annually sponsors USAFA cadets, providing surrogate family support. He was also recently recognized as the NORAD-USNORTHCOM Civilian of the Quarter.

As campaign manager for the US Postal Service, Ms. Cash-Carter took on a goal that was $20,000 above the 2005 goal, even though her agency had 366 less employees. She not only met the lofty target but exceeded it by raising over $650,000. An inspirational speaker, Sheila's talents were put to use to motivate employees at various agencies and she served as a keynote speaker at the NCA mid-campaign rally, inspiring loaned executives and campaign managers with her infectious enthusiasm and commitment to the CFC. She dubbed the annual "catalog of caring" the "catalog of life, "passionately encouraging others to use the catalog as a year-round daily resource. She also initiated a campaign manager alumni program at the USPS, creating a repository of CFC campaign synopsis, strategies and successes. Information was compiled into a historical document that will enable the USPS to build on their past success.

As a youth minister at her church, Sheila serves as a mentor for many children in the neighborhood, with her home always being open for youth to stop by, share concerns, and be mentored. Additionally, she is the founder of a female support group which hosts monthly meetings to help women from all walks of life remain focused and positive as they discuss job situations, financial concerns and child rearing strategies. The program has been so successful that it now has chapters in Baltimore and Florida.

We now recognize David Cowgill from the Three Rivers CFC in Pittsburgh. He spearheaded the most successful campaign in the history of the Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Although it was his first year serving as the Campaign Director for his agency, he oversaw a 145% increase in pledges, 332% increase in participation, and 109% increase in the number of Eagle Club givers.

Without any formal guidance, Mr. Cowgill developed a comprehensive strategic plan that detailed 25 steps for CFC success with constant communication serving as the foundation. He introduced branding incorporating the VA and CFC logos as well as the "Be the Miracle" theme on everything from cafeteria tentcards to emails. He also encouraged competition between the sections and coordinators, and provided incentives that included weekly random prize drawings and gift certificates to the VA Canteen Retail Store.

In his personal time, Mr. Cowgill volunteers as an instructor of pre-marital classes and has served as a volunteer youth football coach, youth wrestling coach, youth baseball coach, and youth basketball coach. Congratulations.

Throughout the years, Cheryl Foster-Anderson has proved herself to be a true professional who is totally dedicated to improving the quality of life of members of the community and the multitude of worthy charities her campaign represents. The most recent example of her unwavering support occurred during the 2006 CFC when the Army installation exceeded its $250K goal by more than $65,000. She was tireless in her effort to touch base with every coordinator making it her priority to meet with each coordinator and their activity representatives and personally assist them if they needed further information, supplies or motivation. Many times she did this after hours, during lunch or on a Saturday morning.

Mrs. Foster-Anderson assisted in coordinating the 2006 kickoff luncheon, which had over 400 people in attendance and tables decorated by the different organizations represented in the campaign. Each table told a story about the charity it represented and served as an awareness campaign. The kickoff luncheon was an absolute success that assisted the campaign tremendously in setting the pace and achieving excellent results.

Mrs. Foster-Anderson has been an employee of Morale, Welfare and Recreation since May, 1987. She is a staunch supporter of both Fort Sill and the Lawton community, having served over the years as a parent volunteer for the schools where her children attend and as a volunteer for hundreds of fundraising initiatives on Fort Sill. In addition, she volunteers as the pianist for her church and served as the lead coordinator for installation-wide Easter Egg Hunts, Fashion Shows, and Carnivals held on Fort Sill for families of deployed Soldiers.

SMSGT Henderson's contributions go well beyond the outstanding results of the 2006 CFC. What makes her a hero is how she embodies the Air Force Core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do. She volunteered to take over for a deploying Installation Project Office and postponed plans to retire in order to ensure successful completion of the campaign. This included providing additional training before and after normal duty hours to facilitate cadet and other non-traditional work schedules. She also integrated the enlisted professional organizations into a CFC base fundraiser, the first time many of these professional organizations had participated. Throughout the solicitation she updated installation CFC signs, tallied funds, and checked over 3,400 contribution slips for accuracy. She provided Powerpoint briefings to senior leadership and made recommendations to the Superintendent. Her leadership resulted in Air Force Academy's highest contributions ever: over $550,000 for the 8,012 people assigned to the US Air Force Academy.

Her personal volunteer activities include escorting handicapped players for Joan Mann Sports Day, donating blood platelets and marrow, volunteering for a children's ministry, and assisting Guam village clean up after massive typhoon.

Estelle Jammes has been an active participant as a volunteer with CFC for over 20 years. She felt since she had personally used the services of several of the charities supported by CFC, she could give back more to the campaign by becoming a loaned executive five years ago. She promised herself that she would contact each individual on a one-to-one basis and has lived up to that promise. Her time with the CFC has included five years as a Loaned Executive, five years on the review eligibility committee, and a Star Award recipient for Inspiration. She is credited with increasing pledges to reach 131% of her goal, increasing participation by 75% and increasing the average gift by 33%.

Ms. Jammes is a participating member with the local chapters of the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and the Special Olympics. She is also an enthusiastic participant in the Order of the Eastern Star Fraternity's local charity fundraising events.

With no funds available, Debra Laratonda paid her own way to a 3-day seminar in Buffalo on Charitable Giving to hone her fundraising skills. Her training paid off with an 800% growth in the Postal Service's participation and a 225% increase in funding. She researched the past five years of USPS performance throughout the state and worked up programs at every station, every plant, all of the carriers and succeeded in getting a competitive spirit going that was to be rewarded by barbecues at supervisor's expense. Ms. Laratonda visited every station and held standup briefings and training sessions at each one resulting in a record number of payroll deduction contributions. She let each station plant know where they stood every single week of the campaign generating friendly competition throughout the Southern Nevada USPS system.

Ms. Laratonda's volunteer activities include the Special Olympics, local law enforcement-sponsored torch runs and other events where she has managed fund-raising and has been instrumental in programs which help make the community aware of the needy in Southern Nevada.

As Unit Coordinator for the 25th Infantry Division while deployed to Iraq, Captain Remley successfully distributed campaign materials to 40 units at 27 forward operating bases throughout Iraq via existing mail distribution channels or by coordinating special forms of transportation with her volunteers at those locations. She corresponded on a regular basis with her volunteers throughout the campaign and required weekly electronic updates of their progress. Her outstanding efforts and tireless dedication in ensuring each and every soldier of the 25th Infantry Division was afforded the opportunity to donate to the charity or charities of his or her choice through the CFC resulted in a 47 percent participation rate and $651,000 in pledges.

CPT Remley exemplifies true volunteer spirit. In addition to her CFC activities, she served as a Voting Assistance Officer during a previous deployment to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan and the Multi-National Division North. Her selfless service and dedication to excellence in all she undertakes is evident not only in her success with the CFC, but also with her achievements as a solider in the U.S. Army, which include two Commendation Medals and three Achievement Medals.

Lajeanna Shoffner served as the coordinator for the Fresno Internal Revenue Service Campus and set a new record for donations at $448,000. Her energetic spirit, commitment, and fun personality played a big part in having a successful program. She recognized the need to advertise the campaign to as wide an audience as possible so she scheduled herself to speak at several local leadership conferences to gain the support of as many managers and employees as possible. She was constantly running at top speed to brief the campaign directors, meeting weekly with her canvasser-coordinator network, write articles, and solicit stories from employees on how they or their families benefited from CFC. She planned and carried out several unique fundraisers from Halloween Grams to book sales to gift basket auctions. The gift baskets alone raised more than $38,000.

Ms. Shoffner is involved in her local community, serving as a site captain for Voluntary Income Tax Assistance where she assisted low income taxpayers in the preparation of their income tax returns. She has assisted countless taxpayers who would otherwise not receive professional assistance due to financial hardships. She is also involved in a partnership between the IRS and a local High School in Fresno where low income students who need guidance and support are mentored and encouraged in the development of their education and future career aspirations.

Taking on the CFC Chair position as a collateral duty, Anthony Stevens met the challenge head-on. He was responsible for implementing a CFC cookout, basketball shootout, "Bid a Lunch" where employees bid on lunch dates with supervisors, Team Spirit Day, and the creation of VA cookbooks, to name a few. Although the agency goal was $29,000, he raised more than $41,000 through his efforts. In addition, he helped to double the participation rate to 51%.

Because of his success and enthusiasm, the director has now requested that he take over CFC permanently. He has a great passion and desire for charitable fundraising and wants all employees to be educated about CFC and how important it is to give.

In his personal time, Mr. Stevens is a volunteer head coach for youth soccer in the Reynoldsburg Recreation league, where he is passionate about being a positive role model to our youth by providing leadership and teaching teamwork.

While on his mail route, Mike Thomas met a vivacious young girl who he learned had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and was homebound as she underwent treatment. With a bright pink bandanna on her head, and a huge smile on her face, she captured his heart as she described her recent trip to Disneyland provided by a CFC charity that was a dream come true. With her mother's permission to share her story, he invited them to speak at the Postal Service keyworker training, offering her a pizza party to meet his colleagues. They decided to dedicate the postal campaign to her and Mr. Thomas went into immediate action, preparing a short video featuring her and the many ways CFC charities help. The Postal Service responded by increasing pledges by 12% and raising a record $122,000. The average gift increased by 17%.

Mr. Thomas is a community activist dedicating himself to food drives, helping families in need and is involved with his church. He works with individuals doing what he can to improve their circumstances, often providing monetary gifts and useful items as needed.

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Innovator Biographies

CFC of the National Capital Area

After three years of successfully using the "Superheroes" theme, the CFC of the National Capital Area set out to develop a new creative strategy that would support the goal of raising $58 million. They came up with a new theme, "Be a Star in Someone's Life." At the core of the marketing plan was a locally produced video that would use the outline of the plot from "It's a Wonderful Life." In that original story, the star wishes he had never been born and is shown by an angel what the world would be like if that occurred.

The video focuses on a Federal employee who tells a bus driver about how she was named the CFC Campaign Manager even though she already has a busy schedule. When she wishes the CFC would just go away, the bus driver grants her wish and takes her on a ride that shows her what life would be like without programs that are funded through the CFC. Disturbed by what she has seen, the new Campaign Manager renews her commitment to helping the community through the CFC.

From the cover of the Catalog of Caring, to posters, tent cards and the web site, CFCNCA developed a core group of materials which supported this theme in a number of ways with references to new and old movies.

The campaign says that the lesson learned is that although the CFC can be an interruption in the work environment, making it fun injects many positive social interactions into the workplace.

CFC of the Pikes Peak Region

Using regional and national campaign statistics and awards criteria as the foundation for the campaign theme, the CFC of the Pikes Peak Region created a paradigm shift for donors as they considered giving. The awards program is based on one hour of pay per pay period. 95% of the Pikes Peak federal personnel are military, and have a once-a-month allotment. Breaking down the criteria to a daily gift, it equated to approximately 2 minutes of time per day. Incorporating this concept with local and national statistics, if everyone gave just two minutes of their time each day to charity, the campaign could raise roughly five times the amount currently raised - that adds up to an astounding extra $1 Billion just from the Federal and Military personnel. It was marketed on the cover of the campaign brochure, on the pledge forms, campaign posters and thank you gifts. The theme was further equated with the types of things employees typically spend two minutes of their work day doing.

The Air Force Academy was in the midst of a passionate football season, so the CFC equated the importance of 2 minute drills on the football field with the importance of the 2 minute drills of effective campaign execution. The effort was led by football coach Fisher DeBerry.

At Fort Carson, the troops were preparing for re-deployment to Iraq with a focus on survival training. Creating a Survivor-like contact, participants were picked randomly from the audience and had to maneuver through a two minute drill that draws attention to the charities. The challenge included a tire obstacle course, a rock climbing wall and a paint gun shoot out of disease, illiteracy, and homelessness.

These efforts led to the second consecutive year the campaign crossed the $2 million mark while increasing the participation, per capita giving and average gift rates.

Kitsap & Mason Counties CFC

The Kitsap & Mason Counties Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC) has been on a mission to increase participation and results for the campaign. Through the use of technology and innovative activities and events they have grown their campaign by 46% since 2000. The LFCC is a great blend of representatives from both military and civilian communities. While they tend to have yearly personnel turnover, the generation of new and fresh ideas has allowed them to continue to improve and expand. They held numerous activities and events, such as golf, dodgeball, & softball tournaments, classic car shows, and cutest pets contests that potential donors look forward to each year. Their participation in the e-brochure pilot program during the 2006 CFC increased the CFC's exposure and provided more information to potential donors. Their web site included a searchable charity listing and 25 word statements thereby improving a potential donor's ability to find the information or charity they were interested in.

Another important component to the Kitsap and Mason Counties CFC is a locally produced video that includes real life personal stories from local beneficiaries of the charities which really brought the giving message home.

The campaign activities and events alone raised $84,000 in 2006 and made participation in the CFC fun. Through the increased use of technology to reach donors, printing costs were reduced nearly $4,000 from budgeted amount, increasing dollars distributed directly to charities.

Southwest Georgia CFC

The 2006 Southwest Georgia CFC was driven by three key principles - span of outreach, organizational involvement, and charity focus. Building on the success of the 2005 campaign, the LFCC strove for continuous improvement. It expanded its outreach by consolidating with a neighboring campaign and almost doubling the federal workforce and area landmass it covered.

The campaign emphasized partnering and visibility with local charities. Although introduced in 2005, the Campaign hosted several charity fairs on base with booths and refreshments, including a "CFC" (Coke, Fries, Chicken) day. To improve on this activity, they created roadshows and added new locations to bring charity fairs to the workforce instead of requiring workers to come to the event. In addition, 2006 was the first time they sponsored a CFC fun run at Moody AFB.

Their efforts resulted in the fourth consecutive year of growth in campaign pledges and average contribution.

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Hero Biographies

TSgt Horn's leadership led to her unit doubling its donations and increasing participation by 28 percent in the 2004 campaign from the previous year. The unit had an amazing 90 percent participation rate and raised 300 percent of its goal. This earned her the prestigious gold award of achievement and the unit was given the Pikes Peak Region CFC's Excellence Award.

TSgt Horn whole-heartedly believes everyone is obligated to volunteer time in their community, and she leads by example. She helped sponsor an orphanage that housed over 100 children where she performed regular facility care and maintenance and hosted holiday parties and barbecues. She also spent four years sponsoring special needs children during annual Special Olympic competitions. As the volunteer activities coordinator at a local elderly care facility at Travis AFB, she played games, performed songs and engaged the residents in motor skill activities. During the holiday season she volunteers at a local food bank and always participates in Schriever Air Force Base's Cookie Caper program, which provides a small bag of goodies to every Air Force dormitory student. Currently, she volunteers twice a month at her local church as a preschool teacher.

Mr. Maxey created a powerful and inspirational video for the 2004 CFC, filming footage of nonprofits in action feeding the homeless, serving food at soup kitchens, and assisting children in hospitals. With an introduction by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and an endorsement from local newscaster John Pruett, Mr. Maxey spent many hours of his own time finalizing the video, making copies and distributing it to CFC kickoff events and numerous rallies throughout the area.

Despite taking a leave of absence to care for his terminally ill daughter, he served as a Loaned Executive, managed two divisions, both of which exceeded their campaign goals, managed the inventory of supplies and incentive gifts, and prepared a Power Point presentation for the Victory Luncheon. No task was beneath him.

Kirk also gives his time to the community volunteering as a Sunday school teacher and a Discipleship Group Leader for high school boys.

Over the past sixteen years, Officer McDaniel served as a member of the LFCC and Agency Evaluation Committee, was Chairman of Downtown United for CFC, volunteered as a keyworker, and organized a special collection of funds and supplies after the September 11th attacks. He helped to increase contributions in the TVA Police organization by personally visiting officers in the 24-county area served by the Smoky Mountain Region CFC.

During his three-year tenure as co-chair of the campaign, he oversaw a steady increase in contributions, leading to the campaign being recognized by OPM for the highest average gift amount in the nation in 2003. His successful strategies included ice cream socials for employees with executive sponsorship and attendance, an online E-bay-style auction, food and clothing drives for local shelters, a CFC Fair, tours of participating charitable agencies, and 2nd shift programs for other Police Officers and building personnel.

Officer McDaniel has been an employee of TVA for 32 years and is currently a Commissioned Officer of the Federal Government and graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. He is also a graduate of the FBI Instructor Development Course and a member of the TVA Honor Guard and the Tennessee Gang Investigators Association. In 2002, he was honored as the TVA Police Officer of the Year and is frequently seen teaching school kids about gang prevention, water safety on TVA Lakes, and working with the Junior Olympics.

A product of the foster care system, he is a role model for foster care children because he "has been there" and shows them that they can be successful. In the words of his nominators: "He truly is a modest person who would rather stand in the background and let someone else have the glory, but he is the one who deserves this recognition for his many years of service to the community, TVA, and the CFC."

Captain McGillivray oversaw the Combined Joint Task Force solicitation in Afghanistan during the 2004 CFC, raising a record $463,969 with a 32 percent participation rate. This is particularly noteworthy as many potential donors were Reservists and National Guardsmen who were unable to make payroll deduction pledges. Also, on very short notice, he coordinated and conducted CFC trainings for over 100 unit volunteers in Bagram and 50 unit volunteers in Kandahar. Facing countless logistical challenges, he insured that every service member and Department of Defense civilian serving throughout Afghanistan received a 100 percent informed opportunity to give, even personally hand-carrying campaign materials over hostile terrain. This was accompanied by a campaign kick-off barbecue, fun runs, dunk tanks, mini-car racing events and various sports tournaments to raise funds for the campaign. He completed the campaign by personally delivering all 2004 Overseas pledge audit copies to the campaign office in Germany to make certain that donors' money was properly handled.

Captain McGillivray graduated from the Minnesota Military Academy in 1992 and was commissioned in 1994. He retired from the Army in 2002 and started a placement vendor business working with injured employees on workman's compensation benefits. In 2004, he was called out of retirement and received orders to deploy to Afghanistan. In May 2005, he returned to his wife and new baby girl.

Captain McGillivray is very active in both his stateside and overseas military communities. He volunteers with his church to deliver groceries to homebound residents, offers his time to the Carlos Avery Wolf Refuge to help abandoned animals, volunteers for Toys for Tots, and is preparing to become a big brother with Big Brothers of America. While deployed, he assisted fellow soldiers in registering to vote and submit their ballots in the Presidential election and helped to plan and execute recreational events for soldiers serving far from home He also solicited family and friends to send items such as clothes and school supplies, which he then distributed to the local population.

Postmaster Middleton served as a Loaned Executive for the USPS in 21 counties throughout southern Georgia. Her accomplishments included identifying and incorporating into the local campaign seven rural counties in Georgia that were not part of any CFC and organizing and conducting the first "Leadership Event" for local USPS employees. Her accounts doubled their pledges from the 2003 campaign, doubled the number of donors, and saw per capita giving go from $22 to $36. She was rewarded for her efforts with the Northeast Florida - Southeast Georgia CFC 2004 Loaned Executive of the Year award.

Ms. Middleton has been a postal employee for fourteen years and became involved with the CFC as a keyworker three years ago. In coordinating the first leadership event in Georgia for postal employees, she made it a family affair; her parents did the cooking!

Ms. Middleton is very active in her community as a member of the local Kiwanis and Chamber of Commerce. She has been involved for a number of years with the Relay for Life, which supports the American Cancer Society, and has provided tremendous support to youth programs as well as church dinners and the associated ministry.

Ms. Sheppard served as a Loaned Executive in the 2004 CFC and is credited with an eleven percent increase in total funds raised in the 50 accounts she managed. She oversaw the second annual CFC Race for Freedom that attracted 350 participants and 60 volunteers to raise $5,000 for the campaign. The competitive run and fun walk garnered well-deserved publicity for the CFC and the Federal community. Throughout her Federal career at the FAA Oklahoma City campus, she has been a divisional keyworker for her organization, overall coordinator, and member, co-chair, and chair of the Department of Transportation's campaign planning committee. Her FAA Derby Race concept was incredibly successful and accounted for a $60,000 pledge and 26 percent participation rate increase in 2003. It also earned a national Innovation Award from OPM.

In addition to giving her time to the CFC and the Race for Freedom, Ms. Sheppard also lends her creativity and enthusiasm to the American Cancer Society and Paws for a Cause.

Chief Tappen served as an exceptional keyworker in the San Diego County CFC, organizing a campaign that increased pledges by almost 300 percent, increased participation from 23 to 78 percent, increased the average dollar from $100 to almost $170, and brought an "Our Experience" process to the campaign to demonstrate that everyone has a "story".

As a child, Chief Tappen was influenced by the Boys and Girls Club in Fall River, Massachusetts. His story and experiences of how a nonprofit organization had helped him greatly influenced his campaign onboard the Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer, USS MILIUS. Building a diverse team, from the Commanding Officer to the newest seaman recruit, he encouraged everyone to share an experience or story they were positively affected by. This encouraged the crew to feel that they could be part of a process that could make a difference, no matter how large or small the contribution.

Chief Petty Officer Tappen leads by example and is an ambassador for Navy Core Values. He also volunteers as a basketball referee with the San Diego Referees Association, contributing over five hours of his off-duty time each weekend to support youth basketball and military recreational functions. As the Command MWR Officer, he volunteered over 200 off-duty hours in a span of four months to coordinate tours, special events and recreational activities, which dramatically increased the morale and welfare of the ship's crew.

In addition to over 14 years of selfless service to the CFC as a district and internal division keyworker, Ms. Taylor distinguished herself as the Employee Campaign Coordinator for a 960-employee Federal agency during the 2004 campaign. She supervised over fifteen division keyworkers in the USACE and Coast Guard, facilitated a timely distribution of materials, and coordinated the collection of contributions. As a result, the agency surpassed its goal while increasing the number of Double-Eagle donors. Equally as impressive were her actions during the 2003 campaign when she filled as the District Chairperson for a colleague seriously injured in the middle of the campaign. Her efforts that year led to a 30 percent increase in contributions; the largest in the agency to date.

Ms. Taylor has been an employee of the Corps of Engineers for 26 years and has served on the National Logistics Emergency Response Team since 1998, deploying to natural disasters such as Hurricane Georges in Puerto Rico for 75 days where she was awarded the Commanders Award for Civilian Service. She also received the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service for her work as FEMA's Accountable Property Officer on Federated States of Micronesia as well as assisting the Corp of Engineers on Guam.

In 1987, she co-founded and is now serving on the board of directors of what is now the largest food and clothing closet in Effingham County, Georgia - the Manna House Ministries. The all-volunteer organization provides food and clothing to the needy as well as provides children's toys and books and household items for burnout victims and funds to help pay electric bills. Currently, she serves as President of the Employee Recreation Association and is an active volunteer in her Church, serving on the Social Committee, as a Choir Member, and as Director of the Benevolence Committee.

Ms. Vasquez-Elms has been a CFC keyworker in the Minneapolis Mail Processing Plan for several years. In 2004, she took on the responsibility to serve as the organizer for the entire district, which covers the state of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. In this role, she oversaw the CFC in hundreds of offices, traveling around the state to give trainings, provide supplies, give guidance as necessary, and coordinating the processing plant's campaign and annual bake sale. The campaign attributed a $46,000 increase in USPS receipts to her efforts.

Ms. Vasquez-Elms has been a volunteer for the CFC for more than sixteen years. As a member of the Northland District's Diversity Committee, she helped organize the adoption of families by Postal Employees during the Christmas holiday. She was also one of the main organizers of the Postal Service's efforts in a Habitat for Humanity project. Outside of the workplace, she serves as the coordinator of fundraising and videographer for the Youth Hockey Team.

Steve Waldorf began working with the CFC as a canvasser several years ago, moving up from a Loaned Executive position to a valuable member of the LFCC. He is one of a team of postal employees that is responsible for a 46.8 percent increase in donations from the postal sector over a three-year period. He is a key player on the USPS Detroit District Campaign Committee, the most successful district campaign in the entire Postal Service for the past several years. His dynamic personality clearly demonstrates great management skills and the kind of personal commitment to the CFC that is rare.

Mr. Waldorf has personally met with local charitable organization to answer questions about the CFC application and actively educates new organizations about the CFC. In addition, his many talents were an asset to the campaign. He has emceed kick-offs and has been a comedian, impersonator, DJ, and a motivational speaker at events. Of special note are his film credits; he engineered postal versions of the CFC video with real-life postal employees' testimonials.

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Innovator Biographies

CFC of the National Capital Area

Innovation in Campaign Marketing

The Navy Federal Credit Union's (NFCU) 2004 campaign centered on the theme "Everyday Heroes - We've Got the Power to Help". The Navy Federal CFC Committee wanted to create a fun and inspiring theme and logo for the campaign with a multi-faceted advertising approach that promoted the concept that anyone who helps others is a superhero.

The logo used a red, blue and yellow logo with the letter "H" for Everyday Hero. The logo was printed on internal campaign communication memos, displayed on the NFCU website, printed on T-shirts and posters, and embodied by its campaign mascot, Everyday Hero.

The NFCU campaign sold month-long "casual dress" passes that incorporated the "H" logo and were attached to employee badges, implemented a weekly series of public address announcements based on vintage radio promotions for other super heroes and created a CFC Spirit Chorus for the kickoff midpoint rally. Everyone on the management team dressed up like a cartoon character or personal hero such as Ben Franklin, Wonder Woman, Commodore Perry, and more. In addition, the campaign used a phone booth filled with colorful balls to mark the level of contributions. Small replicas of the booth were sold to raise additional CFC funds.

The NFCU campaign learned that in addition to creating an appealing message, the involvement of management can be very helpful. Their involvement motivated rank-and-file employees to become active participants in the CFC. As a result, the NFCU raised more than $330,000 for the CFC with an average gift that increased from $210 to $254.

CFC of the Pikes Peak Region

Innovation in Administration/Management

Two circumstances led to the need for a stronger Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC)/Principal Combined Fund Organization (PCFO) partnership. First, the LFCC board members turned over annually, causing campaign stagnation. Second, the work culture allots little quality time for the "additional duty" of overseeing the CFC. These issues were overcome by implementing a five-year strategic plan that called for instituting a campaign structure that cultivated the appropriate rank for "hands on" campaign oversight, and promoted "seasoned" installation project officers to serve as regional LFCC board members. The challenge was to respect volunteer time limitations and focus on accomplishing LFCC objectives by cultivating a better LFCC/PCFO partnership focused on vision, strategy, and efficiency.

This challenge was met by respecting, valuing, and fulfilling the LFCC board members' core volunteer needs: significance, inspiration, motivation, and appreciation. The plan adhered to the regulatory LFCC and PCFO roles and responsibilities, which led to increased LFCC campaign ownership. The PCFO used open communication, experienced insight, focused input, and frank feedback to provide campaign support to the LFCC. Additionally, the PCFO provided detailed timelines, decision alternatives, logistical support and guidance that streamlined LFCC deliberations. Personal relationships cultivated among the LFCC and PCFO added a personal touch that built trust and camaraderie. Finally, and most significantly, the momentum of the renewed partnership created forward-focused campaign oversight with emphasis on innovative administration strategies and campaign issue resolution which produced significant campaign growth.

The innovative aspect of the strategy was that it utilized the strength of the partnership to create initiatives. The initiatives built upon one another annually, which also strengthened continuity and campaign momentum, and culminated in record campaign growth three years consecutively. The initiatives were: establishing a "working" LFCC Board of seasoned volunteers (1st year); developing and implementing a regional strategic plan (1st year); annual campaign evaluation and appraisal (1st year); incorporating work culture into the campaign culture (2nd year); annual retooling of the strategic plan (2nd year); capitalizing on innovations to enhance the overall campaign (3rd year); and taking the campaign administration outside of the region through campaign expansions, LFCC Forums, CFC Workshops, and national collaborations (2nd and 3rd years).

The strategy improved campaign results, volunteer commitment, campaign continuity, and innovation. Campaign contributions increased by 18.4 percent in the first year, 30 percent in the second, and another 25 percent in the third. These results have generated enthusiasm and a high LFCC retention rate. The primary lesson learned is that campaign growth is dependent upon strong campaign oversight and administration. One cannot be achieved without the other. The strategic plan allowed the LFCC and PCFO to think outside of the box and be creative in their approach to find new strategies and implement innovative solutions that address campaign issues.

Metropolitan Denver CFC

Innovation in Donor Research

Changes in donor attitudes over the past decade led to the Denver CFC's strategic research to understand and adapt to donor attitudes. Until 2002, donor participation had been on a steady decline and in danger of dropping below 30 percent in 2003 in the six counties served. There was growing concern that the foundation of the campaign was about to crumble because of increased privatization, retirement of baby boomers, reductions in force, the inability to solicit retirees, and an apparent lack of interest by younger employees.

A plan was established to conduct primary and secondary research each year to learn more about the giving habits and traits of metropolitan Denver's 32,000 Federal employees, particularly the X and Y generations. The survey was developed, promoted, and published on the Denver CFC website in early 2003. Every spring since then, the campaign has conducted a web survey with focus groups of younger employees conducted every odd-numbered year.

The web survey was widely embraced and drew nearly 700 responses. The data, combined with information from eight focus group sessions, has enabled the LFCC and PCFO to design a marketing strategy that would re-energize and interest Federal employees about the CFC, particularly the younger generation.

The survey and marketing strategy reversed the declining participation rate from 30.6 in 2003 to 33.9 percent in 2004. Subsequent refinement of the marketing strategy after the 2004 survey resulted in the Denver CFC's best year ever, raising almost $3.7 million and increasing the average give by $10. In addition, the research was achieved with no budget whatsoever; all work was performed by CFC staff with the assistance of unpaid graduate interns from a local university, some Federal volunteers, the CFC cabinet, and free help from a Federal agency which hosted and sorted the results of the survey.

The lesson learned is that nothing, including philanthropic interests, is constant and that the campaign needs to continually survey employees for changes in giving habits. The campaign also learned that employees want more and better communication about CFC year-round. Employees who haven't participated in the CFC have stated that they would consider giving if they were to receive communications throughout the year containing information sufficient to enable them to make informed choices about giving. There is a thirst for information about the CFC, its efficiencies, its charity screening process, and how donations are used.

Puerto Rico CFC

Innovation in Donor and Volunteer Recognition

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began its passenger screening operation at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in September 2002 and other airports on Puerto Rico's western coast in the following month. Despite the fact that it was a new agency and its employees had no history of participating in the CFC, TSA had a 27 percent participation rate and contributed almost $26,000 to the 2003 campaign.

In 2004, TSA implemented an innovative strategy that included an analysis of its results in comparison with local Federal agencies of a similar size. It selected as its slogan, "Let's Go For The Gold" and launched a strategy of brisk competition both internally among the different TSA workgroups and externally among the Federal agencies that won local CFC awards in 2003.

The TSA CFC Committee divided three airports into six areas where each would have roughly the same number of employees. Two committee members were assigned to each area to cover both shifts. The committee met every Friday to allow its members to provide a report of contributions collected up to that date, express any positive or negative feedback from the field, and ensure that every TSA employee was approached and asked to participate in the CFC.

An agency kickoff ceremony was established, consisting of a continental breakfast and a game of "The Price is Right," in which the employees who chose the dollar amount closest to the product's price won the item. The message conveyed to employees was that for less than a six-pack of soda or other products on display an employee could make a donation to the CFC and change a life forever. Also, a contest was established to determine which of the six areas had the highest participation rate. The prize was a free lunch for all TSA employees assigned to that area.

As a result of its efforts, TSA won the Puerto Rico CFC Presidential Award, established to recognize the agency that had the greatest increase in the amount of its contributions, average gift, and participation rate from the previous year. It more than doubled the number of Super Givers from 2003 to 2004 and increased its participation rate from 27 to 75 percent in that timeframe. The CFC spirit was so strong at TSA that Screener Emmanuel Torres and guitarist Abimanuel Hernandez wrote an original song, "Be the Miracle", to honor all Federal employees at the CFC closing ceremony.

TSA learned that many employees can be energized, encouraged, and convinced to contribute by a campaign based on lively competition among employee groups internally and other agencies externally. This concept is already being used to develop the 2005 campaign.

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