#38 | Should fundraising bet all its chips on the CFRE & ACFRE?

As someone who has not once but twice earned the CFRE and routinely presents CFRE-approved seminars around the country, I was eager to hear David King’s thoughts about the CFRE and ACFRE. Whereas he maintained his CFRE early in his career, and his firm required all consultants to earn the credential as well, neither is the case any longer.

David has certainly earned his right to an opinion about anything fundraising. In addition to committing his entire career to the fundraising profession, David is President & CEO of Alexander Haas, one of the nation’s leading firms based in Atlanta. David is past President of the Board of the Greater Atlanta AFP Chapter, he currently serves as Immediate Past Chair of the Giving Institute and he is on the Board of Giving USA. 

David received minimal feedback from the rank and file when he first voiced his opinion. However, those most hostile to his opinion have been ACFRE’s - those who presumably bet all their chips on these two fundraising credentials.

I believe the CFRE is a good indicator of where I’d expect a fundraiser to be at year five. However, as I shared with David, I question whether the recertification process is adequate for demonstrating continuous improvement for those a decade or more into their career. 

If you’d like to read David’s article, it can be downloaded here.

How Fundraising Really Works Roadshow

We are very grateful to David Hutchinson and the team at Cause Leadership for partnering with us to bring How Fundraising Really Works to Toronto. Later this month, (Thursday, February 28th) we will be at the National Club in downtown Toronto. Seating is always limited to 40 for these events so please register early. Looking further down the road, we have already confirmed dates in Philadelphia, Raleigh, Washington DC, Worcester, MA and NYC. If you’d like to get more information about these upcoming roadshow dates, go to my website at lewisfundraising.com/events

As a reminder, if you’d like to be a guest on The Fundraising Talent Podcast, visit lewisfundraising.com/signup