$268.5-Million Donated to Charity by Federal Workers

Federal employees last year pledged $268.5-million to the Combined Federal Campaign, the government’s annual charity drive, more than has ever been raised in the appeal.

The campaign raised about $11.6-million — or 4.5 percent — more than 2004’s total of $256.9-million, according to the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the campaign.

The government said the 4.5-percent increase in 2005 was the largest jump recorded since 2001, when pledges rose by 7.3 percent following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The increase in 2005 exceeded the inflation rate of 3.4 percent for the year.

Federal civilian employees, members of the military, and U.S. Postal Service workers last year made pledges through nearly 300 campaigns worldwide.

The Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area, in Washington, raised the most in 2005, with $57.6-million in pledges.

The Combined Federal Campaign-Overseas, whose contributors include troops deployed abroad, had the second largest tally, with commitments of $16-million.

Those two campaigns — which are managed by Global Impact, a nonprofit organization in Alexandria, Va. — together accounted for about 27 percent of the total dollars raised in the federal government’s annual charity drive.