CFC Code Numbering Proposals

Q: Dear Patrick,

EarthShare and some other CFC federations are expressing concerns about OPM's proposed "universal, unique & permanent" code number system. These federations want to somehow keep or incorporate their members' "old" 4-digit code numbers to reflect their members' relationship with their federations. Do you share their concerns?

A. Absolutely not. The premise of their concern is that there is some "equity" in the present CFC code numbers. That is not the case and never has been. Even if there were such equity, having a unique, permanent identifier number assigned to your organization is much more valuable.

Any attempt to tie a code number to charity's CFC "relationship" history (local campaign area, certifying federation, national vs. local list, etc.) will only complicate matters. Any system except random number generation will be obsolete the moment it is implemented. Local CFC campaigns will merge, charities will change federations, local charities will go to national status, national charities will go international and vice versa, new federations will be admitted, former federations will be disbanded, etc. Once any of those events happens the code number's former relationship value becomes extinct and a new number must be assigned. That defeats the whole purpose of having a permanent number.

There is nothing in our experience or research to suggest that a change in code numbers, especially a one-time change, will "confuse" CFC contributors. Despite the large number of our clients' member charities that have had code number changes over the years (as they have changed federations or been reassigned numbers by OPM), we have never had a contributor express any confusion. As a matter of fact, as a Sports Charities USA board member, a retired Marine Corp colonel, told a group of CFC charities meeting recently, in her 20+ years experience with the CFC she found that the great majority of contributors couldn't even remember which charities they gave to in the previous campaign, much less the code numbers.