Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) Program: Key Benefits and Career Advantages

Fundraising is the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations that drive positive change. It’s a vital effort that requires dedication, creativity, and persistence to keep the resources flowing. Yet, it’s easy to overlook the incredible impact of the fundraising professionals who make it all possible. For those who feel inspired to turn their passion for fundraising into a meaningful career, an exciting and rewarding journey awaits. A key milestone on this path is the CFRE certification—a program that opens doors to new opportunities and helps elevate your skills to make an even greater difference.

What Is the CFRE Program?

The Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) certification is a credentialing program administered by CFRE International. A fundraising specialist with CFRE credentials has proven their extensive knowledge on the topic of fundraising tasks, and has made the ethical commitments to be trusted to perform best-practice fundraising. The CFRE program itself is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), for an extra layer of authority. While this credential is voluntary, it’s a major career advantage for those in fundraising.

CFRE International is an organization that provides credentials for fundraising specialists throughout the world. It takes a particularly dedicated and ethical individual to find success in this field, and CFRE’s certifications help guarantee that a fundraising specialist meets those standards. CFRE is associated with many other such professional development organizations across the globe, such as the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP). You can learn more about the organization at www.CFRE.org. 

CFRE Eligibility and Requirements

As you can imagine, not just anyone can earn a CFRE certification. As with most certifications, its selectiveness is what makes it valuable. You want to be able to demonstrate that you are a true expert in the field. So what sort of requirements can you expect before you can earn this prestigious certification?

The goal for those looking to complete the certification process is passing the CFRE exam. That’s the target that you want to be aiming for. However, not just anyone can take the exam. The CFRE is selective about those whose applications they approve. 

The application process is rigorous. Rather than hard rules, the CFRE considers the Education, Professional Practice, and Professional Performance of applicants as a whole. Points are awarded in each of these three categories, then tallied together. The better your score, the better your chance of receiving a CFRE examination date. Let’s break these three sections down to add some clarity.

Education

First things first—it’s important to note that education points are only awarded for any fundraising training and instruction within the past five years. Beyond this requirement, the CFRE tries its best to be flexible in what it counts as “educational.” You can get points for hours spent in conference sessions, webinars, or workshops.

What’s important to note is that points in the Education category aren’t just earned through being taught. If you are teaching those webinars and workshops, those count too! Providing education through volunteer services also counts. Publishing articles on the fundraising profession is another way to earn points through demonstrating your expertise. The more you’ve written on the topic, the more points you earn. 

While academic degrees aren’t required to get CFRE certification, they DO count for the educational point system. Each degree you’ve earned (associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral) earns you more points. 

The Education category requires that you earn a total of 80 points—almost the same as the other two sections combined. Getting involved in fundraising education as a student or teacher is thus a key component to qualifying for the exam, as is pursuing degrees relating to fundraising and nonprofits. 

Professional Practice 

You must earn at least 36 points for Professional Practice. Just as with education, however, these points are only relevant for activities within the past five years. Your high school volunteering and jobs may not count—just a heads up!

Earning points for Professional Practice is fairly simple. Essentially, every month you’ve been employed in fundraising at a nonprofit earns you a point. You will have to demonstrate that the majority of your work involves fundraising. Part-time work does count, as long as it's entirely dedicated to fundraising. A quick bit of math shows that you’ll need about three years of experience within the last five years to meet this points requirement. 

Professional Performance

Your education and work prove that you can talk the fundraising talk. But can you walk the walk? You need 55 points earned within the past five years to meet the Professional Performance requirements. These points are earned by measuring the amount of funds you have actually raised, as well as how many successful projects you’ve been a part of. The CFRE has a handy guide that helps you determine what counts as a project. 

All these points may sound confusing, but thankfully the CFRE breaks it down neatly for you. If you do the math and qualify, you just need to submit a written application with payment—then wait to get your exam date. 

Why Do Nonprofits Hire CFREs?

Why are Certified Fund Raising Executives so valuable to nonprofits? The following is a quick list of some of the things that CFREs have demonstrated.

1. Proven Fundraising Knowledge
   Completing a certification program and exam proves that someone has a truly solid knowledge of fundraising. This goes beyond just understanding the rules and best practices. These candidates have proven that they can design fundraising campaigns that meet with success, and can work effectively with donors to the highest standards. Candidates will also have the ability to analyze fundraising strategies and plans, and provide essential input on trends.
    
2. Leadership Value
   Those with CFRE professional credentials have proven that they’ve spent time in the fundraising trenches. They’re not just students of fundraising, but teachers as well. This makes them incredibly valuable assets beyond just their skills. They can help instruct and motivate the entire fundraising staff at a nonprofit. Their greater knowledge of the wider world of nonprofits also helps to future-proof the organization as the landscape changes.
    
3. Donor Credibility
   Donors put much trust and faith into fundraising professionals. They are giving their money willingly in the hope that it will make a real difference. When they see the CFRE certification, they’re assured that their donations are in good hands. This enhanced credibility is key to helping a nonprofit build a reputation of professionalism and high ethical standards. In crowded nonprofit spaces, this can be an essential edge. 

Free CFRE Courses and Credits

If you’re looking for assistance in preparing for the CFRE requirements and exam, GrantStation has a wealth of resources readily available. Some of the best are our webinars, which can help you build up your educational points for your CFRE application, and prepare for the exam. These webinars are certified, and count for continuing education credits. 

You can also find lots of great information on our blogs about fundraising, the CFRE, and plenty of other nonprofit topics of interest. 

How to Prepare for the CFRE Exam

To get you started on using GrantStation to prepare for the CFRE application and exam, we can give you a quick list of exam tips here. 

1. Know the Content
   The CFRE exam covers a few different “knowledge domains.” Understanding what is on the exam and how it breaks down is essential before you start your studying. You can find a full breakdown on the CFRE website, but in short the exam is divided into sections as such: 
    
   • Current and Prospective Donor Research: 15% - 26 items
   • Securing the Gift: 22% - 39 items
   • Relationship Building: 29% - 51 items
   • Volunteer Investment: 6% - 10 items
   • Leadership and Management: 18% - 31 items
   • Ethics, Accountability and Professionalism: 10% - 18 items
2. Create a Study Plan
   The outline above can help you then go on to create a study plan, which is a good approach for any exam. If you’ve gotten your exam date after a successful application, you’ll know how long you have to study and can divide up your studying to match this. Make sure that your study guide gives the most attention to the most substantial sections of the exam.
    
3. Gather Study Materials
   The CFRE has a recommended reading list to get you started. Remember that GrantStation also has an excellent selection of live and recorded webinars and educational blogs to help you along as well. Other study materials to search for online would include case studies.
    
4. Practice, Practice, Practice
   Sometimes the greatest hurdle in taking an exam is simply your own fear and nervousness. Looking up practice exams and questions online is a great way to make yourself more familiar with the kinds of questions you’ll be facing. This familiarity will make you much more confident when sitting for the real exam.
    
5. Use Your Social Network 
   Getting CFRE certification isn’t just about learning facts, but about being a fundraising leader. Demonstrate that leadership by organizing a study group or talking to others who have already taken the exam to get their perspectives.
    
6. Trust Yourself
   It’s essential to understand that the exam is a test of your practical application of skills as a fundraiser, not just a recitation of facts. You are expected to draw on your own expertise and experience in nonprofit work. So, be confident and trust yourself. If your application was successful, that means that you already have a solid career and education. You’ve succeeded at your career so far—and you’re ready to take the next step!