Have you been in fundraising for five years? Do you thrive on helping organizations achieve their goals? Do you keep current with fundraising trends? Has it been awhile since you took an exam? Is giving back to your profession important to you?

25 Years to Become Famous

Come Celebrate With Us

This will be one exciting year: The Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Voluntary Fundraising Certification! A year in which we will be able to tell the story of what our profession has accomplished in a short 25 years... Yet, this is not a story about organizations, but of people. People with a passion, vision and power to transform and elevate their profession by developing a voluntary certification process. Our certificants are dynamic people who have chosen not the easiest of professions nor the easiest of topics, helping people give away money, but who are driven to excel and become the “best of breed” within the fundraising community.

The first 25 years…

… has been shaped by the forces of partnership. The coming together of organizations, which shared a common belief that united they could do more to raise professional standards. Beginning with the leadership of the AFP and AHP, today CFRE International has 18 Participating Organizations in five countries and continues to foster partnerships to advance our profession.
… has seen the sharing of the ‘experience’ to build a body of knowledge of the art and science of fundraising. Fundraisers have invested countless millions of hours of voluntary time to develop the credential: as Board and committee members, as subject matter experts, item writers, to even undertake fundamental tasks, such as proctoring an exam or simply explaining to a colleague why becoming a CFRE is important. By coming together in doing this work, CFRE has helped create a worldwide community of enduring professional relationships.
… with over 4,800 certified professionals, all parts of the profession have been engaged, whether running large or small development offices, grant writing, consulting or researchers - all have been part of the CFRE story.

The next 25 years...

What will the next 25 years bring to our fundraising community? As the world shrinks and more fundraisers look to CFRE International for the professionalism needed in fundraising, will we be ready to guide and mentor them? Will we continue to have the standards and expertise needed to answer these challenges?

We have come a long way in 25 short years. But we, as fundraising professionals, must not falter but must continue to stay the course. What is the vision of CFRE International? To be the premier global provider of professional certification for the proficiency and practice in fundraising – and to position the CFRE as the primary credential for career fundraisers, for practitioners, for employers, and the public.

The history of fundraising certification provides our foundation for the future. Twenty-five years of progress assures the commitment and investment for our vision. We must continue to invest, and it is an investment of both the time and money necessary, to support setting standards in our profession, the certifying body which does so, and our professional fundraising community.

It is through this investment and diligence our CFRE certificants will always be know as “best of the breed” and highly sought after in the marketplace. The sector, the public, and the government demand our success.

Have a great year celebrating – you all have earned it!