3 nonprofits left off list for CFC

Three local nonprofit organizations were left off the list of the federal government's workplace charity campaign this year because of an error by the United Way of the National Capital Area.

As a result, the organizations stand to lose tens of thousands of dollars in donations.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, the all-volunteer animal rescue service Animal Allies, and Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons were not included with more than 900 other agencies in the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area. (They were included in other campaigns.)

"We take full responsibility," said Bill Hanbury, president and chief executive of the United Way of the National Capital Area. "It should not have happened. And we're going to make sure they're not damaged by our oversight."

He said United Way would make up the expected loss in donations by paying the nonprofits out of his office's budget.

Hanbury said the mistakes were in part due to more stringent rules. Agencies are required to submit tax forms, audits and other information to qualify for the lists, and in the pile-up of work with hundreds of agencies before the deadline, those three fell through the cracks. Based on last year's donations, the omissions could mean a loss of about $32,000 for the Jewish Federation, about $9,000 for the Northern Virginia Resource Center and $30,000 to $40,000 for Animal Allies.

The Combined Federal Campaign is the world's largest annual workplace charity campaign, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which administers it. The United Way recommends member agencies for the list.

"How wonderful that United Way will ensure that our center recoups the funding it had anticipated from CFC," Cheryl Heppner of the Northern Virginia resource center said in an e-mail. She added: "I certainly hope that the United Way extends its offer to recoup lost funding to all the organizations affected by such errors."

The organization lost some state contract money, its funding from Loudoun County was cut by a third, and officials are worried that cuts may be coming from other counties.

"It's already a tough time to be seeking funds from individual donors, with so many area residents concerned about their jobs and their own budgets," Heppner said. "CFC made it easy for federal employees to have regular deductions from their paychecks to support charities like ours. Now that option is gone."

kinzies@washpost.com