As our organization grows we’re always looking for opportunities to share our mission to inspire marginalized youth in Bangkok through the power of food and education. For this reason, we’re excited to announce Courageous Kitchen has just been designated as an approved charity for the Combined Federal Campaign or CFC. Never heard of it? Read below and we’ll explain:
Charity: Courageous Kitchen Inc.
CFC#: 97490
What is the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)?
CFC is a workplace giving program for federal employees in the United States. The program allows employees to designate a portion of their salary to be donated to approved charities. The program is the world’s largest of it’s kind, and helps a diverse variety of organizations fund their programs and activities. Only charities who demonstrate financial transparency in the previous fiscal year are accepted to participate.
Those interested to give to Courageous Kitchen can make a pledge to donate this year for the 2019 pay period. You can also use the campaign to make one time donations.
I don’t work for the US government, can I still help?
As a small organization Courageous Kitchen depends on the word of mouth of our supporters. So even if you aren’t working for the federal government, military, or a postal worker— you may know someone who is! We need everyone’s help to spread the word, especially during the pledge period in the fall of 2018.
Even if you or your friends don’t fall into any of those categories, don’t forget you can make an impact by going to our donation page. There you can setup a regular donation with your credit card or paypal account to help us continue our work.
Are the donations tax deductible?
As a registered 501c3 public charity in the US, all donations through the CFC campaign, and directly on our website are eligible for tax deduction.
Does my donation go directly to help people in need? What’s your AFR?
Courageous Kitchen does it’s best to make sure your donations on our website or through the CFC campaign go as directly as possible to help people in need. We can only do this by operating a social enterprise where tourists visiting Thailand can book a cooking class. The class helps offset our operating costs, including employing some of the youth whose community we serve.
The AFR stands for the Administrative and Fundraising Rate, which is a percentage automatically calculated by the CFC program to give quick insight on how a charity distributes aid versus overhead. The official percentage for Courageous Kitchen is 45.2%. This means that if you book a cooking class, about half of the cost goes back to support our admin needs. For donations made directly, however, 80-90% of those funds go directly towards feeding and educating people in need.
Please note, the CFC campaign itself also uses a small percentage of donations to cover expenses for the program. Also, it does cost money for our organization to participate. The total fees to apply and be listed each are over $1000. That’s a big fee for a small organization, but if we can convince a few friends working for the US government to show their support, the efforts could mean more funding for the important work we’re doing in Bangkok.
Still don’t get it? Here’s the short version:
The CFC program is a great opportunity for Courageous Kitchen to raise more funds. We’ll need your help spreading the word to anyone working for the federal government in the United States. Those employees can donate in the coming year directly through their job, and anyone else wanting to help can setup a direct donation on our website. These monthly donations give stability to our mission to feed and educate, while the business arm of our charity covers the costs running the charity. Thank you for empowering us to uplift communities in need in Bangkok!
