OLYMPIA — The Washington state Combined Fund Drive (CFD), a charitable giving program administered by the Office of the Secretary of State, is celebrating 40 years of helping state employees and retirees contribute to philanthropic causes.
The CFD is Washington state’s workplace-giving program for active and retired public employees. Public employees of state government and higher-education institutions donate through CFD to the charity of their choice with standard tax-deductible payroll contributions, volunteering, and agency fundraising events.
Each year, more than 14,000 active and retired state employees give through the program. Since its inception in 1984, $169 million has been pledged to local and nationwide charities. In 2023, state employees raised over $4.2 million for nearly 3,100 charities, including $124,800 for the Thurston County Food Bank alone.
“I am so appreciative of the support CFD has had in recent years, including the Legislature’s critical funding for donor management technology during the 2024 session,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “This funding is crucial to ensuring our legacy of giving continues.”
The CFD recently released a 2024 Charity Guide featuring over 40 pages of local and global charities to support. Active and retired state and higher education employees can learn more about giving options at the CFD’s website, give.wa.gov.
“For 40 years the CFD has become one of the premier public employee giving programs in the United States,” CFD Manager Robert Lane said. “We couldn’t do this without the continued support of our public employees and volunteers. Thank you so much for all you do.”
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program. The Office of the Secretary of State also oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.
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