professional development

CFRE Updates Certification Requirements

June 10, 2011 By Benjamin Mohler

CFRE International sent me an E-mail yesterday announcing two revisions to the policies for initial and re-certification. I wasn’t able to locate this announcement on the CFRE website so here is the information for anybody considering to obtain this professional fundraising credential (I recommend you do, as do others).

1) Earning Continuing Education credits.
Applicants for initial certification and recertification DO NOT have to attain 50% of their continuing education credits from CFRE Approved Continuing Education Providers.
In January 2010, a new requirement was introduced that 50% of reported continuing education activities needed to be from CFRE Approved Continuing Education Providers. However, many candidates indicated that meeting this threshold was difficult due to the educational offerings available in their region. In response, the CFRE Board of Directors decided to defer the implementation of the 50% CFRE Approved Provider requirement, pending further evaluation. Based on this evaluation and continued candidate feedback, the Board since decided to discontinue the 50% policy going forward, and retroactive to March 2010.

The CFRE Approved Continuing Education Provider program enables you to quickly identify those educational opportunities which have been reviewed and deemed eligible for credit by CFRE International. Eligibility is based on content that is reflected in the CFRE Test Content Outline, which is the identified framework of professional fundraising practice. We encourage you to seek out these opportunities as you are able.

It is important that our global certification and recertification applicants have ample access to required continuing education activities. To that end, CFRE will continue to work with our Participating Organizations and Approved Continuing Education Providers to enhance the availability of educational offerings while encouraging certificants and applicants to take full advantage of these valuable opportunities.
Click here to view the Continuing Education Credit Policy – Click here to view the CFRE Test Content Outline

2) CFRE now recognizes half-time employment to meet eligibility requirements.

In response to feedback from current and prospective CFRE’s, the CFREI Board of Directors has voted to allow part-time (half-time) employment to be documented in the Professional Practice category on the application for the purpose of initial certification and recertification. CFRE defines half time employment as ½ full time employment (FTE) or greater.
This change in policy was made in consideration of the changing employment landscape in many regions, and after conducting research on the employment requirements at several international certification programs.

CFRE International appreciates the diversity of the fundraising field and is dedicated to staying abreast of trends in the profession, while maintaining the highest standards established for certification programs.

Please feel free to contact CFRE International with your questions or to discuss how this new policy may impact your eligibility.

Click here to view the Policy on Eligibility for the CFRE Credential and Policy on Eligibility for Recertification of the CFRE.

Our hope is that these changes will encourage and assist you in seeking or maintaining your CFRE certification, for your benefit and that of the profession.

CFRE is YOUR certification. Thank you for your continued support of the CFRE program.

Warm Regards,

Denny Smith, Ph.D.

President and CEO

Ethics Rapid-fire for Your Next Staff Meeting

June 8, 2011 By Benjamin Mohler

I’d like to improve on a quote I often use; “philanthropy, an awkward word that does so much good” by adding “ethics, a simple word that can ruin or fix everything.”

The thing is, ethical lapses don’t have to happen. It’s helpful to be talking about general ethical issues to help your staff how to respond should something crop up. Or, at least make ethics present in your organizational culture. To help keep the discussion of ethics alive in your organization, here are some rapid-fire questions to use at your next staff meeting. Use these general examples to discuss how your organization should handle similar situations.

Ethical scenario rapid-fire – What would you do?

A donor, whom you did not invite to your wedding, sends you an expensive wedding present, or gives you a gift when you have a baby.
Your organization’s expense policy forbids the purchase/reimbursement of alcohol. You are having dinner with a donor and she orders a glass of wine.
You receive a memorial gift made out to your organization praising a staff member who does not work at your agency.
When you are running a donor’s credit card, it comes up as “stolen.” What do you do? What if the person is right there, say at your event?
A board member wants you to issue her a receipt for all of her gifts to your organization; including $1,200 she spent at your events last year.
You receive a matching gift for $50, the price the person paid to attend your black-tie dinner.
You have a board member that sits on a Foundation grants selection committee. Is it ethical for them to do both?

For further consideration

Does your organization have policies in place to guide ethical decisions?
At what point should you release staff or donors engaged in unethical behavior?
You know of ethical breaches in your organization, how should you respond?

For more information on fundraising ethics visit the AFP International web site.

Advice for Friends in Career Transition

May 11, 2009 By Benjamin Mohler

Considering the recent news headlines and the fact that I live and work in Charlotte, North Carolina it should probably come as no surprise that I have been getting more and more calls from people in the banking industry. They are calling to ask for advice on how to make the transition to the nonprofit sector.

Sadly, they have limited knowledge about nonprofits. “I’m sorry, but your 7 years in marketing does not equal 7 years in nonprofit fundraising.” That isn’t what I’m telling them, but it is what I’m thinking. Unfortunately sales and marketing experience do not translate directly to fundraising, but that isn’t to say there is no correlation. That is the general theme from this older post from onPhilanthropy.com entitled Dot Com to Dot Org: What to Expect When Employees Make the Transition to the Non-Profit Sector.

I am always open to newcomers to the profession of philanthropic facilitation, but I don’t know if the nonprofit sector would benifit by aquiring “leadership” from the banking industry. Am I alone in that opinion?

The best advice I can offer for friends in a career transition? Volunteer. This can take many shapes, but is bound to add richness to their life, and relevant experience that can help mitigate the difficulty in translating a job history in the for-profit sector into a viable career future in the nonprofit sector.