Tag Archives: combined federal campaign

US Marines Can Wear Pink, But Airmen Can’t Mention Orphans

When Michael “Mikey” Weinstein complained last month that an Air Force secretary had the audacity to include an announcement for Operation Christmas Child in a mass email (which he called “openly and willfully proselytiz[ing] the evangelical Christian faith”), her boss was quick to send an email out to the unit “disavowing” her announcement.

In the interim, no one seems to mind that US Marines are wearing pink to raise money for a similarly non-Federal entity [emphasis added]:

As a fundraiser for breast cancer research, the [Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 166 Reinforced] had their unit logo patches, which each Marine is authorized to wear on coveralls and flight suits, made in pink and white.

“For each patch sold, we donate a dollar to breast cancer research,” said Read more

Military Humanists Get Last Laugh in Charity Drive

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is billed as the world’s largest workplace charitable campaign. It allows federal employees, including members of the US military, to allot donations from their paychecks to a variety of non-profit organizations. While “charity” can sometimes be stereotypically religious, the CFC allows government workers to donate to everything from the Family Research Council to Planned Parenthood.

One regional campaign chose an interesting set of artwork for the cover of their listing pamphlet:

Those who keep up with religious issues in the culture will immediately recognize the symbol of secular humanism, as epitomized Read more

Mikey Weinstein Scrambles to Defend Huge Paycheck

As previously noted, last week the Air Force Times highlighted the fact Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s self-founded “charity” pays its sole employee — Mikey Weinstein — nearly half of the money it brings in. This has been noted here every year, though it picked up significant steam in the past few months.

The original story spread quickly, getting picked up by the Stars and Stripes, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, NonProfit Quarterly, and even Foreign Policy.  Charity rating organization Charity Navigator, which participated in the original article, tweeted their disbelief about Weinstein’s pay scheme, in which he is part of the “board” that approves his own salary:

Weinstein scrambled for a response, calling the article “character assassination” — though he notably did not rebut its veracity.  If the article is factually accurate, as it appears to be, who is responsible for the impact to Weinstein’s character: the person who reported the conduct, or the person doing it?  Weinstein’s acolytes, teaming up to comment on some of the articles, derided the revelation as an “attack,” part of a Christian conspiracy, Read more

CFC Charity Season to Begin

On September 1st the annual Combined Federal Campaign will begin.  Most troops will know this because a unit rep will come and ask them if they want to donate.  Contributions can be made automatically from a servicemember’s paycheck.

As has been noted before, the CFC hosts a wide variety of “charities,” including groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Focus on the Family.  This year, Michael Weinstein likely hopes to make up his year’s losses, as his MRFF appears Read more

Charitable Giving and the CFC: 2010

This is an updated version of the annual discussion of the Combined Federal Campaign.

Whether or not you believe in the concept of the exact tithe, charitable giving remains one of the basic tenets of Christian living. Besides “passing the plate” on Sunday, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is one of the more popular means through which members of the military have an opportunity to give.


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What is the CFC?

The CFC, which has been announced through a variety of official releases, is a government-sanctioned means of collecting charitable contributions from federal employees. It runs every year from September to December (CFC-Overseas runs a slightly different schedule), during which volunteer representatives make “100% contact” with their fellow employees to inform them of the charitable giving campaign. Military members (and other government employees) are given the opportunity to make one-time contributions or give monthly deductions from their paychecks to any of thousands of approved charities.

Why should a Christian use the CFC?  Read more