The Combined Federal Campaign is having a good year. Halfway through December, the national capital area had raised about 70 percent of its $47 million goal.

That’s well ahead of where the campaign was at this time last year. But in the final week or so of the giving period, CFC leaders in the national capital region are making one last push for donations.

“There’s a lot of optimism,” Vince Micone, CFC chairman for the national capital area, said. “Federal employees have been showing some love through their contributions to the CFC. The holiday season has helped, so we are pressing really hard because we know how important this is for the organizations that are part of the Combined Federal Campaign.”

The campaign is hopeful it will reach its mark this year, and CFC Honorary Chairman and Homeland Security Department Secretary Jeh Johnson recently set a stretch goal of $50 million for the year.

Johnson has been actively talking about the campaign with his colleagues and the workforce in general, Micone said.

National capital area employees raised roughly $46.5 million for 2015’s CFC, just shy of last year’s $50 million goal.

Federal employees have donated less money over the past few years, with sequestration and the 2013 government shutdown taking a big toll. Between 2009 and 2012, Washington-area employees contributed about $60 million a year to the CFC.  But in 2013, donations dropped to  $51.2 million and $49.5 million in 2014.

Micone said this year’s “Show Some Love” theme is reaching federal employees in a way previous year’s themes haven’t. The campaign has encouraged employees to share their own stories how specific charities and organizations have made an impact on their own lives.

“Our Show Some Love theme and the work that we’ve done on social media has gotten the word out to federal employees in different ways than prior years,” he said. “In the ‘old days,’ we would have key workers who would message to employees and share information that was pretty one-sided.”

The CFC also received a record $1.8 million in donations on Giving Tuesday this year.

Slightly better morale in the federal workforce has helped too, Micone said.

“[It’s] the fact that we’re getting a little bit of a pay raise, the fact that employees are feeling good or better about their workplaces, the combination of our campaign and our efforts to reach out in different ways,” he said. “You can combine all of that, and that is the magic that’s made this campaign so successful.”

The campaign runs through Dec. 31.

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