Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Combined Charities Campaign?

The Combined Charities Campaign (CCC) is a once-a-year "on the job" campaign that allows employees to conveniently give to their favorite charities. CCC pools the administrative and outreach efforts of the 11 eligible charities into one campaign, saving both time and money.

How are Charities chosen?

In order to participate, all charities must be certified by the Illinois Comptroller as charitable organizations qualified to participate in the state’s payroll deduction campaign. Currently, eight (8) federations and three (3) unaffiliated charities meet these guidelines.

CCC is designed to accommodate local charities in specific locations as requested. As an example, the Champaign County Combined Charity Campaign includes the eleven charity partners as well as ten local area charities; Chicago Public School CCC includes four special CPS partners in addition to the eleven.

How do Charities qualify to participate in the CCC?

Charities included in the Combined Charities Campaign are certified by the Illinois Comptroller under the state’s Government Withholding Act. There are currently eight charitable federations, which represent hundreds of individual non-profit agencies and three individual charities certified by the Comptroller. If an employee wants to give to a charity not listed, they can write-in the name, address or phone number of the charity on the pledge card. Overall, over 1000 non-profit organizations serving communities throughout Illinois and the world are part of the Combined Charities Campaign.

Will CCC be a burden on our Human Resources or payroll staff?

Implementing the Combined Charities Campaign in your workplace is very simple. Even though employees can choose from over 1000 charities, your payroll system needs to track only one deduction per participating employee. The Combined Charities Campaign uses customized software for tracking and disbursing all funds to participating charities.

What are the costs associated with the Combined Charities Campaign?

The Combined Charities Campaign is a collaborative project developed by the participating charities to make employer participation easy and efficient. CCC is provided at no cost the employer. The charities share all costs and responsibilities for managing the program. Since the program is operated by the participating charities, there is no outside vendor charging an administrative fee. Only the actual costs of operating the program are charged. Campaign expenses vary from workplace to workplace but range from four to twelve percent.

How do you know donations get to the charities selected?

Transparency and accountability are our top priority. One unique feature is our Donor Confirmation System. Each donor receives a report listing each charity and the amount they donated. In addition, we provide a written report to each participating federation or charity with a list of donors with each payment. In cases where the employee wishes to remain anonymous, no donor information is provided.

Who manages the Combined Charities Campaign and how can I contact them?

The Combined Charities Campaign is a collaborative program developed by the participating charities. The charities have selected Community Shares of Illinois to serve as Fiscal Agent. Your feedback is welcome.

If you have suggestions, contact Mike Doyle, 44 East Main #208, Champaign, IL 61820, mdoyle@cs-il.org, 217-352-6533 or Linda Moses, 218 S. Wabash #540, Chicago, Il 60604, lmoses@cs-il.org, 312-379-0190.

How do I know that my contribution has been received?

Two programs verify pledges:
  1. Donors receive a Donor Confirmation Form which shows the charity/charities designated and amount of the contribution
  2. Charities receive a List of Donors, if donor provides address. Charities are encouraged to acknowledge and thank donors who provide an address.

How much of my money goes into campaign costs?

Every effort is made to keep campaign expenses to a minimum. Only the actual costs of operating the program are charged. Campaign expenses vary from workplace to workplace but range from four to twelve percent of pledges. As more money is raised, the per cent of overhead costs drops even further. The costs of the campaign are shared among the 11 participating charitable organizations on a prorated basis.

When does a gift continue beyond this year?

The Combined Charities Campaign is not a continuous giving campaign. A pledge card must be completed each year to make a contribution to the charity of your choice. Under some previous campaigns, pledges were continuous, meaning that they would continue until the donor revoked the pledge in writing. Although the Combined Charities Campaign does not have continuous giving, we honor any old continuous gift made prior to CCC management.  Whenever an employee completes a new pledge card in the Combined Charities Campaign, it automatically overrides any “continuous gift” from an earlier campaign. If someone wants to stop a continuous gift, the best way is to complete a new pledge card.

Are contributions tax-deductible?

Yes! 100% of a contribution is tax deductible, if you itemize. Every charity in the book is recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 charity.

Why should I give my charitable contribution through CCC?

Raising money through CCC is more efficient than other fundraising methods. Because charities know their pledges in advance, more effective planning and programming is possible. Contributions from CCC allow charities to be responsive to community needs because money it not tied to a specific grant or program.

What if I can’t afford to give now?

You don’t have to. Pledge your gift through payroll contribution and spread small payments throughout the year.

What is the duration of my payroll deduction?

Most CCC campaigns begin contributions at the beginning of the year, January 1, and run through the year, until December 31. Check with your Coordinator for exact dates or call CCC at 312-379-0190.

Can I stop my payroll contribution authorization?

Yes. The authorization may be revoked in writing, through your payroll office.

What does the percentage number mean?

The number next to each charity listing refers to the fundraising and administrative costs for each individual charity.

Where does my money go if I don’t designate?

Undesignated donations are distributed among the charities in the same proportion that the charities received designations.

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