Strengthening Fundraising Leadership Skills with CFRE Certification

By Kimberly Vann, CFRE | Illinois, USA

In 2021, Kimberly Vann, CFRE, became Director of Foundation Relations & Grants at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, where she led a team of four to develop fundraising strategies for the organization, including donor cultivation, stewardship, solicitation, and recognition.

Under her leadership, the team raised more than $18 million in grants over four years, and collaborations with policy staff yielded more than $1.4 million in government funding. This funding has helped provide much-needed access to healthy food for food-insecure individuals and families in the Chicago-area; address issues that cause poverty and hunger, and support awareness and enrollment campaigns about public safety net programs like WIC, SNAP/Link, and Medicaid.

Kimberly shares how earning CFRE certification helped solidify her fundraising knowledge and increased her confidence in relationship-building, leadership, and management—a recipe for her and her team’s success . . .

Demonstrating My Commitment to Ethical Fundraising

After transitioning to development more than 10 years ago, I decided to obtain CFRE certification to demonstrate my commitment to being an ethical and effective fundraising professional. It was important for me to know how to apply best practices in fundraising, to be able to translate that into my working relationships, and to be an example to younger, newer fundraisers on my team.

Collaboration

Many of our gifts were renewed grants, thanks to our cultivation and stewardship strategies and longstanding donor relationships. We also identified prospective donors—foundations and organizations—who were willing to support the Food Depository’s mission to end hunger.

To raise government and foundation revenue, the grants team and policy/advocacy team fostered a culture of collaboration through discussion and teamwork to ensure alignment between our proposed programs and the funder’s requirements.

These collaborations allowed us to work together on proposals for various government assistance programs like WIC, SNAP/Link, and Medicaid. The grants team reviewed RFPs alongside the policy team, then prepared narratives based on those discussions for additional oversight. I believe our “recipe for success” was our collective ability to show how the Food Depository’s outcomes aligned with funders’ expectations.

Credibility

The biggest benefit I’ve personally received from achieving CFRE certification is professional credibility, including a greater level of trust from donors and peers.

Applying what I learned from three of the six CFRE Knowledge Domains—Relationship Building; Leadership and Management; and Ethics, Accountability, and Professionalism—significantly sharpened my interactions with program officers from private foundations. community organizations, government agencies as well as internal stakeholders. I became a more trusted leader within the development department, which led to new opportunities, including:

• Creating a Fundamentals of Fundraising cohort, a group of six newly hired development colleagues with fewer than two years of experience, interested in quarterly conversations about the Fundraising Overview Framework.
• Co-chairing our Core Training Plan committee, where I collaborated with the Vice President of People and Culture, the Director of Talent Management and Development colleagues to identify professional growth opportunities for development staff.

Career Growth

Holding the CFRE has also opened new doors for me professionally. I’ve been approached by more recruiters for open fundraising roles, benefited from increased earning potential, and gained a heightened sense of personal achievement.

Pursuing CFRE Certification

In my experience, pursuing CFRE certification gives you a competitive edge—especially if you’re pursuing a leadership role. It made me a better leader by deepening my understanding of how various parts of fundraising connect and helping me mentor staff within and beyond my organization.

If you’re considering certification, don’t just take my word for it—talk to colleagues or other fundraising professionals who have earned the credential. Find out how it impacted their careers, too.

Once you’re ready to start the process:

• Organize the information you need to meet the Education, Professional Practice, and Professional Performance requirements.
• Begin entering it into the CFRE application.
• After your application is approved, begin studying for the CFRE Exam.

As you prepare for the Exam, I recommend using the CFRE Practice Exam. It will help build your confidence and train you to trust your first instincts in selecting exam responses. Rather than just memorizing facts, connect each question to one of the exam’s six Knowledge Domains. That approach will help you choose the best response on the actual test.

Once you pass the exam, you’ll be a CFRE!

Looking Ahead

While I’m no longer at the Food Depository, my passion for raising funds to support vital missions remains strong. Earning the certification, along with my professional experience, has prepared me to launch my consulting firm this summer. I’m excited to see where the CFRE will take me next!