In this and the next several CFC posts, we’ll examine some of the steps that you and your organization can take to benefit from participation in the CFC, in addition to those activities that generate revenue.

One challenge that many non-profits face is how to provide real opportunities for their staff members to develop their professional skills in a meaningful manner. And one of the huge benefits of participating in workplace giving campaigns is that they can be an integral part of your non-profit’s leadership development program.

These are just some of the skills that can be developed by participating in CFC campaigns:

• Oral Communication/public speaking skills – you can practice your “elevator speech” dozens of times in the course of a campaign.

• Team Building – the non-profit program officer can get practical experience in creating and leading a team, whether they are paid staff or volunteers.

• Listening Skills – your team will have the opportunity to listen to hundreds of people in your community – what are they saying, what’s most important to them, etc. These are your potential donors and supporters – does your mission resonate with them, are they aware of your organization?

• Written Communication – there are many opportunities to develop one’s writing ability, from simple memos to analyses (of the comments from community members) prepared for the nonprofit’s leadership.

Where sports teams have team meetings, playbooks, exercise regimens, etc, they also have a place where they practice what they’ve learned. For CFC charities that use workplace giving as a means of leadership development, a particular type of CFC special event, the Charity Fair, is that “practice field or rehearsal hall.”

Charity Fairs are held by a sponsoring Federal agency, and most will have between ten and twenty charities set up in a large room (like a cafeteria or auditorium), and will last from two to four hours (similar to a Job Fair, but without resumes).

By having your staff members and/or volunteers participate in charity fairs at the different Federal agencies, you give them the opportunity to do three things:

• Tell your story.

• Meet and listen to potential donors.

• Distribute literature and other promotional items with your message/URL on them.

Early each year, you can assign a staff person to determine which promotional items would make the most sense for your organization, and what the costs would be for each item.

Here are a few key points, regarding promotional items, from a presentation by Jeff Brown, of America’s Charities, given at a workshop he and I presented at the Foundation Center last September:

• Size Matters: They don’t need to be gigantic. Some of the more effective items are as small as pens or tubes of lip balm.

• Be Visible: Put your organization’s logo/name on the item, and include a website URL to make it easy for potential donors to further research your organization.

• Quality is Important: Don’t use items that appear to be cheaply made. They will not only reflect on your name and reputation, but they tend to break easily and reduce the time span of your brand promotion. And, handing out pens that work once before running out of ink doesn’t say good things about your organization.

It can be important that your promotional items, in some way, tie to your non-profit’s mission. For example, for years the Community Health Charities handed out a small band-aid box, designed to be kept at one’s desk. It had their name, the CFC code number, their URL and phone number, and people never threw it away! Compare that to your typical paper brochure!

Assign/tackle this project now, so you will have enough time to select and obtain the items well before you need them for a charity fair.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach, served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions, contact … Bill Huddleston