The Combined Federal Campaign for the Washington, D.C., area is reducing its fundraising goal for 2012, the first such drop in recent memory, according to the Federal Times.

The $62-million target is $2-million below last year’s collection from U.S. government employees based in the Washington area and represents the lowest target since 2008 for the drive, the largest of the regional CFC campaigns.

Federal campaigns in several other regions are also setting goals lower than or equal to their 2011 fundraising. Wink Newcomb, manager of the Northern Lights CFC in Minnesota, said campaign leaders are factoring a pay freeze for federal workers into their goals for the 2012 effort, which began Sept. 1 and runs through Dec. 15.

Although average individual gifts have risen steadily, overall contributions to the campaign have declined annually since 2009 as participation has dropped, from 40 percent in 1998 to 24 percent last year.