Shh! Want to hear some CFCA secrets?

Julissa and Mario, sponsored children in El Salvador.

CFCA has been called the “best-kept secret of Kansas City.”

In that spirit, we’d like to share with you some of our own secrets. See how many of them you already knew!

• It is our goal to answer each phone call with a person, not a machine.

During normal business hours, we do our best to have one of our trained phone staff answer each call to Sponsor Services. Our automated message comes on only when the workday has ended or when no one is available to pick up.

In 2009 alone, 17 phone liaisons answered more than 84,000 incoming calls.

• We’ve got mail!

Approximately 1.4 million pieces of mail were processed in 2009, including 833,000 letters, 284,000 Christmas letters and cards, and 297,000 photos.

• Recycling starts at home.

We believe in good stewardship of the environment and have a recycling program in our Kansas City headquarters, including battery recycling. We gather more than 15 tons of recycling each year.

• “Upon this rock …”

One of CFCA’s early computer servers was named Peter after the apostle. After all, Peter means rock, and Jesus said he would build his church upon the “rock” of his disciple Simon, whom he named Peter.

Peter lived up to its name. It served as CFCA’s rock for many years until we upgraded to newer technology. Its legacy lives on!

• Printed materials help weekend presentations.

If you heard about CFCA through a presentation in your church or parish, you may have seen one of our bulletin inserts as well as folders that show friends waiting for sponsors. In 2009 we shipped more than 500,000 bulletin inserts and more than 45,000 folders.

• “Staffing” and “volunteering” hats.

Christmas is our busiest season for sending Christmas cards from the field to our sponsors. In December, all CFCA staff members take turns volunteering 1-2 hours of their time to help pack and mail the cards.

Feel free to share these CFCA secrets with friends and family. As always, we welcome your comments below!