We are often asked if a degree or certification of some sort is really necessary to be successful in major gifts. And this goes to a much larger question of the role education plays in preparing a person to do the job. I go back and forth on this subject, a vacillation I will explain later.
CFRE International, the body that certifies fundraisers, says that “certification shows the public that fundraisers are committed to the highest ethical and professional standards and have gained significant levels of competence in their work.”
I’m not sure that is entirely true, in that a person could pursue certification and be unethical, dishonest and incompetent. Further, just because a person has secured CFRE certification does not mean they have gained significant levels of competence. I don’t think securing knowledge on its own gives you competence. It helps, but it is only part of the equation.
An AFP salary survey shows that fundraising professionals who are certified typically earn more than their noncertified counterparts. For example, the 2003 survey showed that CFREs earn, on average, 23 percent more than their noncertified counterparts.
This is interesting as well. Could it be that employers assign a value to certification that may not be there? Maybe. For instance, I have met quite a few managers who simply look at resumé work history, education, what the cover letter says and certifications to make hiring and compensation decisions. They do not dig into whether the person can actually get something done. The judgment of these managers is swayed by the “trappings” of the person, rather than by the actual content of the person himself. So is there a connection between CFRE certification and getting more pay, or is something else going on? I don’t know. But I am not willing to say that it’s that simple.
CFRE International lists a number of reasons a fundraiser should be certified. Here is what they say, with my comments attached to each:
- Certification grants you more credibility. CFRE certification serves as an impartial, third-party endorsement of your knowledge and experience against international standards in philanthropy.
This could be true if the person is actually committed to acquiring knowledge and experience, ratherthan doing the minimums.
- Certification can improve career opportunities and advancement. CFRE certification can give you the “edge” when being considered for a promotion or other career opportunities. CFRE certification clearly identifies you as an employee who has demonstrated mastery of fundraising principles and techniques based on accepted best practices.
I have met quite a few CFRE folks who have definitely NOT mastered fundraising/major gift principles and techniques. This reflects the saying “the paper does not make the professional.” There are other qualities to consider. I have also met quite a few CFREs that were indeed superior in their knowledge of major gifts and their practice of that knowledge.
- Certification prepares you for greater on-the-job responsibilities. CFRE certification is a clear indicator of your willingness to invest in your own professional development.
Yes, I agree that people who show the initiative to develop professionally demonstrate a quality I would like in major gifts. But you have to consider other qualities as well.
- Certification improves skills and knowledge. Typically, achieving CFRE certification requires training, study and “keeping up” with changes.
This is true if the person actually does more training, studying and keeping up and they show initiative in making sure their motivated abilities actually fit the job.
- Certification may provide for greater earnings potential. Many fundraising professionals who have become CFRE certificants experience salary and wage increases based on their certification status.
I would never give anyone a salary increase based on diplomas, certifications or awards. Compensation should be based solely on proven performance.
- Certification demonstrates your commitment to the fundraising profession. Receiving CFRE certification shows your peers, supervisors and, in turn, donors your commitment to your chosen career and your ability to perform to set standards.
I agree it can demonstrate commitment but, again, I have met quite a few good people in my career who have the “paper” but do not have the ability to deliver on the job. So the certification alone won’t necessarily do the job.
- Certification enhances the profession’s image. The CFRE certification program seeks to grow, promote and develop certified professionals, who can stand “out in front” as role models in the fundraising field.
This is good and I applaud CFRE for promoting our industry.
- Certification reflects achievement. CFRE certification is a reflection of personal achievement because the individual has displayed mastery of his or her field by meeting requirements and standards set in philanthropy.
While CFRE certification does show initiative, I do not think it demonstrates mastery of the field. Performance on the job is proof of mastery.
- Certification builds self-esteem. CFRE certification is a step toward defining yourself beyond a job description or academic degree while gaining a sense of personal satisfaction.
Yep, I can see that and I agree.
- Certification offers greater recognition from peers. As a CFRE certificant, you can expect increased recognition from your peers for taking that extra step in your professional career.
Discriminating and experienced peers will couple this achievement to actual performance on the job and THEN give recognition.
OK, so back to the question in the title of this blog: is CFRE certification worth it? Maybe. It is a good step for a fundraising professional to take. But will it bring you success or more money? Not necessarily. Success and increased compensation come because you deliver on the expectations of the job. And to deliver on those expectations you must:
- Have the relevant knowledge.
- Have the relevant experience.
- Have the personal drive and skill to achieve the objectives of the job.
- Have the right attitude about your work, your colleagues and the organization.
- Be able to persevere through difficult situations.
So the reason I vacillate on this subject is because there is more to it than just getting a certificate. CFRE certification will help you on the path to achieve the first point above (have relevant knowledge) because it will “certify” that you have a certain level of knowledge about fundraising. But it will not help you with the other four. Those other four will come through being in the trenches, honing your skills, and doing all of that with the right attitude.
Richard
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As someone who is a candidate for the CRFE, I am very surprised by the negative comments in this article. Obtaining a CFRE is a commitment to the development profession and requires a mastery of skills to obtain. The CFRE is a method to demonstrate a fundraisers commitment to best practices, solid education and performance. It is not a be all or end all any more than an MBA, JD, MD or other advanced degree. There are plenty of unsuccessful and under performing individuals with those letters after their names. This is an opportunity for the Fundraising profession to have a standard and for an individual to separate oneself from the pack.
This article does a disservice to our profession.
Wendy Taylor
I am disappointed in your review of the CFRE process. While there are some individuals that hold the CFRE who may or may not be qualified for working in our profession (as with any certification), the entire process is designed to have the candidate grow in their profession to become certified.
You did not mention that in order to even be considered for certification, the candidate must have 5 years of progressive fundraising responsibility, volunteer service (at the board level), and a threshold for dollars raised directly as well as indirectly. In addition, current CFRE holder’s continuing education is measured every three years to assure the industry that they are growing as a professional and seeking out best practices in fundraising. I can think of no better process to distinguish between those who have a passion for the profession and those who do not. In addition, attaching CFRE to my name often assures my donors that I am an ethical fundraiser and one who will use their money as it was intended. To me, that speaks volumes as to its value. While no system is flawless, CFRE certainly supports the ideals of holistic fundraising. When I see someone with the initials attached to their name, I know that they have at least been exposed to a wide variety of fundraising methodology, in practice or at least in theory and are committed to the very principles that make this profession possible.
As much as I love your blog and read it to help me gain additional knowledge and stay connected to best practices, I think you have missed the mark on this one.
I appreciate this blog post as I have not felt compelled to seek the CFRE certification. After obtaining my MPA in Nonprofit Management, I can show a continued practice of fundraising and progressive experience and feel that an addition certification would not lend any more credibility to my resume. I adhere to AFP’s Code of Ethics and find that this comforts donors who are knowledgeable enough to inquire. I know many CFREs who excel in the profession, both with and without graduate degrees, and can also say like Richard that I have met some that give me reason to wonder how they obtained the CFRE.
Certification and graduate degrees aren’t for everyone – there are many wonderful and highly experienced fundraising professionals that have not obtained a certification or advanced degree that do wonderful work, let’s not forget that!
Broadly, I agree with you – but in some ways, you’re simply describing any certification process, by definition – almost to the point of obviousness. I can’t imagine any employer hiring in *any* profession *solely* on the basis of a certificate. If I were hiring a CPA, or a public school teacher, I doubt that I would be misled by a certificate into thinking of all candidates as equally qualified. This is what you seem to be implying we might risk by adapting the CFRE.
But, if I were hiring a CPA or a teacher, the certification WOULD allow me to (correctly) assume a new employee would be starting out of the gate with some fundamental knowledge, a shared understanding of the industry, and a basic level of performance.
I am (get ready for it!) a millenial CFRE. (I just turned 32 a few weeks ago.) So I’m sensitive to this discussion, and appreciate these concerns, because in some way I embody them. People are still getting used to young professionals deciding explicitly to pursue this career and to devote a lot of time, relatively early on, to some pretty deep professional development. I decided to pursue it with an understanding of its limitations – I hoped it would one extra factor to help me stand out in an job search, but I didn’t expect a) for employers to necessarily be familiar with it; and b) for it to automatically add compensation in and of itself. (I guess I figured it was possible the initials after my name might get someone to look twice, and hopefully then look deeper, if only due to a “What’s that?” reaction.) Ultimately, I did it to add some structure, and both depth and breadth, to my learning; and to signal some commitment and seriousness about the field.
But I would never want anyone to think that I now believe I’ve “arrived,” or that I think I’m somehow magically just as experienced and capable as more advanced fundraisers. (And, again, if I were a CPA or a teacher – in some field less new to this kind of “professionalization” – I don’t think I would have that worry, and I’m not sure others would, either.)
If I could venture an observation, it seems you’re describing an understandable discomfort and tension around a changing career path the field. But I’m not sure you’re saying anything unique to the CFRE process. The CFRE tells you some baseline information *about* a candidate, but you seem to be worried that people will jump to some pretty broad conclusions deciding *between* candidates. That seems appropriate and plausible when looking at two OTHERWISE SIMILAR candidates. But it seems very unlikely that anyone would ever think it makes two wildly different candidates – say, myself and someone with three decades of experience/results in a executive-level role –suddenly equivalent. I see this fear expressed a lot but just can’t imagine a real-world scenario in which the cert would become THE deciding factor. Does it really seem like we should spend much time worrying that this hypothetical employer would chose me for a senior position ONLY based on the certification?
(Also – as others mentioned, it’s a bit odd not to talk about the CFRE’s professional practice requirement – 5 years minimum on the job – as well as board service and performance benchmark requirements – likely designed to counter exactly the concerns you express.)
There are many similar discussions in the LinkedIn CFRE group with lots of others sharing a wide range of perspectives – worth checking out too for those interested in this topic!
An intellectually robust thread so far! (After my comments, it will drop a bit!)
I have viewed the CFRE as evidence of 1) my commitment to the best in ethical fundraising practices; 2) a desire to publicly declare that philanthropy is my chosen career; 3) I set it as a goal and did it.
For those who are skeptical about the value of the CFRE, I do respect your well-considered opinions. However, when employers have two nearly identical candidates in qualifications, experience, perceived skill sets, etc., most will give additional weight to the professional certification.
Zee – you are quite correct when you wonder how some obtained the CFRE…just as most anyone can attest to questioning how certain CPAs, attorneys, physicians, etc. ever passed their licensing exam. The CFRE is not the be-all, end-all, just a measure of the seriousness that I have about my professional growth and development.
Rosalyn – congratulations on obtaining your CFRE! You made a real commitment and have dedicated five years (at least) to this craft. Your donors, board, and employer realize that level of dedication should yield a more polished fundraising professional who possesses a high level of expertise and competency. You have done yourself a favor and given your career a big boost!
The CFRE is an important professional credential. It can help position you for career growth – but it does not guarantee anything. You still have to make the calls & asks, steward the gifts, cultivate and recruit board members, etc. to enjoy true success.
Good thought provoker, but Rosalyn calls it so I won’t be repetitive.
What I shall add as an employer of only CFRE’s or people working toward it, is your point number 5. Working through the process of CFRE is perseverance and dealing with some issues that may seem like awkward, antiquated or possibly irrelevant material. Just as not all material relates to a major gifts officer, neither does it all relate for an online fundraising practitioner or a bequest specialist. But it is relevant as a discipline in the profession to deal with perseverance in the face of obstacle after obstacle after annoying colleague, boss or donor who appear to present obstacles. Maybe it was just me, but gaining the CFRE def required perseverance and that is a quality that one must ‘buy’ in an employee, it is very hard to train as it is a measure of character, not a skill. CG
A great discussion and really appreciate all the perspectives. I think everyone is motivated differently. In the case of degrees and certifications, obtaining such credentials seems to certainly build confidence and pride for some. If that helps you successfully perform your job, who am I to say whether or not it’s worth the effort for a particular individual? For me, I’ve been a professional fundraiser for over 25 years and never felt motivated to pursue the CFRE. Part of the reason is my pool of donors has been never ending. There’s always something I can be doing to push toward the next gift. My one enemy: Time I eventually started asking myself, how will this activity help me raise more money? If the answer was “not much” or “maybe a little”, I passed on it. I don’t mean to offend anyone by this, but for me personally, I couldn’t make the connection between a CFRE and increased gift production. On the other hand, I have read a few hundred books that have helped tremendously. This doesn’t include the periodicals and blogs. They include titles like: Good to Great; Who Moved My Cheese; The Millionaire Next Door, everything written by Jerry Panas and my newest read–The Bedside Baccalaureate. Investing my time in reading that sharpens and molds my skills and character has helped me raise a lot of money. This applies to me as both a fundraiser managing a portfolio and as a manager who has built, trained and nurtured a highly productive team of gift officers. I can’t take the credit. I’ll give it to folks like Jim Collins, Harvey McKay and of course Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels! One last point, I’m not sure how having CFRE in my title builds trust with my donors. I’ve managed the same portfolio for 10 years and can only say it took hard work and time to build the level of trust I have today with these lovely people.
I would like to compliment Richard for such a truly “transparent” article pertaining to the CFRE….
I have been a professional fundraiser in the field for over 10 years and I decided to apply for the CFRE in the summer of 2012. My excitement was high and my thinking was that this would be a wonderful credential to have along with my fundraising experience. I remember studying very hard and reading the list of books that are highly recommended by the CFRE. In November of that year, I took the examination…and failed. I was outraged because a lot of questions were either not even related to the books that I read, or the fact that there was more than one right answer to a question.
I decided to retake the examination to my extreme again and in April of 2012…I failed again.
After this, I was contacting CFRE for any type of guidance or support they could provide and to my extreme disappointment, they acted very cold and said there was nothing they could do.
Third time (and last time) around, I studied with a fellow CFRE every Sunday afternoon for three hours up until the examination…I thought that the third time had to be a charm…I failed the examination again.
After three attempts and failures, I received my scores and oddly enough, my scores did a bell curve…I am not here to criticize the CFRE, but I am providing professionals with an experience that I had with the examination. This was truly one of the worst experiences I ever had with any educational institution, organization and/or examination.
I respect every fundraising professional that has achieved the CFRE, but I strongly believe that the CFRE does not make you any better of a fundraiser. My hope was that during my time studying and working hard on this accreditation, there would be someone from CFRE that could help guide me in the right direction for this exam, but unfortunately, $1,500 and 1,500 hours later, I feel very cheated out of an opportunity. Perhaps I am being too blunt and vocal, but I strongly feel this examination had scarred me and has even allowed me to question my own fundraising skills.
I will let you be the judge on whether the CFRE is worth it…
We miss the point of certification by making it “all about” or for professionals. I have seen the CFRE make a difference to funders and yield benefits to institutions–why it’s increasingly listed on position descriptions. It says we care deeply that your gifts are applied as, and where, directed. Continuing education and 3-year recertification should avoid the temptation for arrogance and bravado by those who have achieved.