Fundraising Certifications with John Drake

There are many reasons for fundraisers to pursue certification in philanthropy. According to the CFRE, 51% of CFRE’s receive their employer’s support toward their initial certification while 63% of employers put money towards the continuing education of their fundraisers, required for recertification. So what makes philanthropy certification so interesting?

John Drake is the President of Baylor Scott and White Irving Foundation, and he has been a donor helper for 35 years and has worked for Baylor Scott and he has other experience in advancement from the Dallas Technological Seminary and Baptist Health System of San Antonio. John has had his CFRE designation for quite some time now and he just recently passed the rigorous exam to achieve his Fellow in the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy (FAHP).

In this episode of Philanthropy 212, John Drake joins Penny Cowden as they talk about the different fundraising certifications that exist, why some fundraisers opt to get certified and some don’t, and how getting a certification might affect your career as a fundraiser. Stay tuned.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[00:26] Penny introduces her guest, John Drake
[01:36] What led John to pursue being a Fellow in the Association of Philanthropy (FAHP)?
[04:09] Is certification in philanthropy necessary?
[08:35] Why some fundraisers get certification and some don’t
[10:58] John’s view on the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) ethics pledge
[13:29] How getting a certification might boost an employer’s confidence in you as a fundraiser
[17:22] Should there be only one consolidated certification for fundraisers?
[21:07] The benefits of being part of CFRE
[24:30] Penny shares her motivation for getting certified
[26:02] John talks about the Madison Institute

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This episode is brought to you by Philanthropy212, a fundraising consulting company focusing on helping not-for-profit organizations to build sustainable practices and programs that raise more money. Philanthropy212’s founder, Penny Cowden, has 25 years experience in the industry & has helped raise more than $100 million for non-profits such as PeaceHealth, Sisters of Charity, Inova Health System, Banner Health System and Sun Health.