I’ve had a goal since I started my fundraising career in 2005 to obtain my CFRE. It stands for a Certified Fundraising Executive and it is the accredited certification for philanthropic fundraising professionals.

I’m not quite sure how I found out about it. It may have been from my creation of a LinkedIn account upon graduation. No one I knew had one and even today I come across people in my industry who haven’t heard about it. For me, being the best at what I do, especially at what I love to do, is important to me.

I write this blog for fun; to inspire us all to participate in a meaningful way in this challenging world. Sometimes I think fundraising should be relabeled: FUN-raising. Yes, I’m THAT into it. In the new year, I hope I will make it official with a CFRE credential.

It’s taken me 14 years to finally meet the CFRE requirements, which includes a certain number of educational credits, work experience, and professional success. I had been lacking educational credits until I obtained a certificate in fundraising this summer. Finally meeting all the criteria—now I will be sitting for the exam in 2020!

I have heard this is a difficult and rigorous exam that requires a significant amount of studying; there is a recommendation to read at least ten different professional fundraising books. The test content includes: research, relationships, major gifts, volunteers, leadership, and ethics. Taking this test will establish me as an official expert in fundraising.

I will devote a significant amount of time to study for this exam so I am taking a semester off from my masters degree. I currently have straight A’s in my program and I will miss the connection with my peers and professors. Passing this exam will be my biggest goal of the new year.

I am proud of myself for getting this far and chasing my dreams even if it took 14 years. Now is the time to make resolutions and goals for the new year. Have you thought about what dreams you want to chase? Would you be willing to join me to commit to a volunteer opportunity you have been thinking about?

Just like me, I hope you will break down your goals into smaller steps and celebrate every accomplishment. Most importantly, I hope you will do something in 2020 where you can declare, “I am a philanthropist!”

Happy holidays and happy new year!