Do you value doing a job properly, thoroughly, and without shortcuts?
If you’re a fundraising professional, this means you’re likely to be the team member consistently adhering to the highest professional standards. You show up to work each day with a commitment to go above and beyond—grounding yourself in donor-centric fundraising principles that help your donor achieve her philanthropic goals.
Since 1981, the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential has stood for confidence, ethics, and professionalism in fundraising. It is a natural choice for fundraising professionals who consistently strive for excellence in all aspects of their work.
“The CFRE is the only globally-recognized, accredited certification for professional fundraisers,” says Eva Aldrich, Ph.D., CAE, (CFRE 2001-2016), President and CEO of CFRE International. “For those working in the UK, holding your CFRE signifies you have proven your understanding of best practices that apply nationally and internationally.”
Currently, there are more than 6,600 CFREs in over 20 countries.
The CFRE journey
The online CFRE application is the first
step. There are three sets of criteria you must meet and document on the
application:
1) Education: Need to have participated
in 80 hours of continuing education in the most recent five years (hours can be
a combination of attending education and presenting sessions, as well as
authoring fundraising articles). Points can also be awarded for university degrees
earned in any year in any field of study.
2) Professional Practice: Need to have worked a minimum of 36 months in a paid professional fundraising role in the last five years.
3) Professional Performance: Need to have 55 points in this category. 1 point = USD$25,000 raised by your fundraising team. Fundraising professionals in the UK can convert the funds they’re raised in GBP to U.S. dollars at https://www1.oanda.com/currency/converter/. Points can also be earned for communications and management projects.
Demonstrating your fundraising knowledge
Once your CFRE application is approved, you will have one year to sit for the 200-question multiple-choice CFRE exam at any of the Pearson VUE testing centers around the globe. There are 30 testing centers in the UK.
On average, CFRE candidates study 40 – 60 hours and tell us they learned practical information in the process that they then began applying to their jobs straight away. If studying might feel like a dreaded task you haven’t had to tackle since university, flip that thinking so you view it as an opportunity to upskill and verify your knowledge.
Upon passing the exam, you are a CFRE! Recertification is due every three years but does not require sitting for the exam again.
Cost
The initial application fee for first-time certificants is US$875. As a CFRE Participating Organization, members of AFC save 20% and enjoy a rate of US$700. Recertification is US$510 at the standard rate or US$408 for AFC members.
Over half of CFREs report that their employer covers part or all of the cost of CFRE certification.
Get started
More than 93% of CFREs say they have gained increased recognition from peers by earning their certification, so why wait to get started?
There is no cost to begin your application. Once you start it, you’re welcome to log in and out of it as many times as you need to input your details. You only pay when you are ready to submit it.
Begin your CFRE application at https://cfre.secure.force.com/siteregister.
Learn more about becoming a CFRE at http://www.cfre.org/certification/initial/.