CFRE Retired Status

CFRE Retired status is your way to stay connected to the CFRE community after you’ve retired from professional fundraising and are no longer eligible for CFRE certification.

Benefits

  • The right to use the “CFRE (Ret.)” designation after your name in correspondence, publications, speaking engagements, business cards, social media, and other public mentions to indicate your status as a CFRE at the time of retirement.
  • Continued connection to the CFRE community, including access to CFRE Central (CFRE International’s online community); Leading Edge (CFRE International’s weekly enewsletter); and other CFRE community announcements.
  • CFRE Retired status does not expire as long as you remain retired from fundraising.

Eligibility Requirements

You are eligible to apply for CFRE Retired status if you meet all of the following eligibility requirements:

  • You are a current CFRE who wishes voluntarily to relinquish your active status due to retirement.
  • You have recertified at least twice as a CFRE.
  • You no longer meet CFRE recertification requirements.
  • You no longer earn primary remuneration for practicing fundraising.

How to Apply

To request retired status, you must submit a qualifying application accompanied by a one-time non-refundable retired status fee equivalent to one recertification fee (currently US$408 for members of participating organizations/US$510 regular rate).

You may use CFRE Retired status only after your application has been approved.

 Please note that CFRE Retired status holders must not portray themselves as current CFREs.

Current Holders of CFRE Retired Status

View the list of all individuals who currently hold the CFRE Retired status designation.

Revocation of CFRE Retired Status and Reactivation of CFRE Status

If you exit retirement and return to earning primary remuneration for practicing fundraising, you forfeit CFRE Retired status.

Once you forfeit CFRE Retired status, you must complete the CFRE initial certification process to regain the right to use the CFRE designation.

Any person holding the CFRE retired designation who returns to a 0.5 FTE or greater paid fundraising position (including consulting) who does not proactively relinquish their CFRE retired status will automatically forfeit their CFRE (Ret.) status and will be ineligible to apply to reinstate their CFRE certification.