CFRE study plan
CFRE · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Relationship Building
Map the donor lifecycle stages and articulate the fundraising cycle from identification through stewardship
Define moves management and diagram a five-step moves sequence for one mid-level donor scenario
Distinguish cultivation from solicitation and stewardship, and list at least four cultivation tactics appropriate to annual, major, and planned giving
Draft three donor-centered questions you would ask in a discovery visit and explain what each uncovers
Your checkpoint
A one-page moves management plan for a fictional mid-level donor, including four dated touchpoints, owner, channel, and intended outcome
Relationship Building & Securing the Gift
Build a twelve-month stewardship matrix that assigns at least three differentiated touchpoints per donor tier
Explain donor retention drivers and identify three practices that reduce first-year lapsed donors
Outline the components of a case for support and draft a 150-word case statement for a sample program
Compare gift acknowledgment standards and describe how gift acceptance and recognition policies shape donor trust
Your checkpoint
A twelve-month stewardship calendar with donor tiers, touchpoint types, owners, and a written case-for-support summary
Securing the Gift
Differentiate annual, major, capital, and planned giving vehicles and match each to a donor scenario
Construct a solicitation call plan including ask amount rationale, closing language, and handling of three common objections
Compare outright gifts, bequests, charitable gift annuities, and donor-advised funds on timing, tax treatment, and organizational risk
Explain gift processing, pledge documentation, and restricted-versus-unrestricted handling from solicitation to booking
Your checkpoint
A complete solicitation toolkit: call plan, ask-amount justification, objection-response scripts, and a vehicle comparison table
Securing the Gift & Leadership and Management
Complete a timed 40-question self-authored practice set covering Domains 3 and 2 and log every missed item with a root-cause note
Describe the components of a fundraising plan and link each to measurable targets
Identify the core elements of a development budget and explain cost-to-raise-a-dollar benchmarking
Review and correct all weak-area notes from weeks 1 through 3
Your checkpoint
A scored practice set (target 75 percent or higher) plus a written remediation log naming each weak concept and the resource used to close it
Leadership and Management
Draft a one-page annual development budget with staffing, direct costs, and revenue projections
Explain board fiduciary roles versus staff operational roles and describe three governance structures that support fundraising
Outline a strategic planning cycle including environmental scan, goal setting, and evaluation metrics
Summarize employment law and human resource basics relevant to supervising development staff and volunteers
Identify key performance indicators a fundraising manager reports monthly and quarterly
Your checkpoint
A one-page development budget paired with a KPI dashboard listing at least eight metrics with definitions and reporting frequency
Current and Prospective Donor Research
Construct a prospect research profile template covering capacity, affinity, linkage, and readiness indicators
Distinguish wealth screening, data append, and predictive modeling, and note one limitation of each
Apply prospect segmentation and rating criteria to rank a set of ten sample prospects
Describe data privacy, consent, and record-retention obligations that govern donor research
Your checkpoint
One completed prospect profile plus a written prospect rating rubric applied to ten sample prospects with a ranked order
Ethics, Accountability, and Professionalism & Volunteer Involvement
Apply the donor bill of rights and fundraising ethics code to three ambiguous scenarios and justify each decision
Explain gift acceptance, conflict of interest, and compensation-related accountability practices
Write a volunteer position description with scope, time commitment, and supervision structure
Design a volunteer recruitment, training, and recognition sequence for a fundraising committee
Identify the required elements of transparent donor reporting and financial disclosure
Your checkpoint
Three written ethics case analyses with defensible decisions plus a volunteer position description and recognition plan
Relationship Building & Securing the Gift & Leadership and Management & Current and Prospective Donor Research & Ethics, Accountability, and Professionalism & Volunteer Involvement
Complete a timed full-length practice examination under test-day conditions and score it by domain
Rank your six domains by score and allocate remaining hours to the three weakest
Recite from memory the key frameworks for moves management, gift vehicles, prospect rating, and ethics
Assemble a one-page test-day strategy covering pacing, flagging, and question triage
Your checkpoint
A timed full-length practice exam score by domain plus a prioritized final-review sheet covering the three weakest domains
Milestones
Week 4: Score 75 percent or higher on the 40-question Domain 3 and 2 practice set and submit a remediation log covering every missed item
Week 6: Produce a completed prospect profile and a ranked prospect list of ten, and confirm understanding of all four prospect rating dimensions without notes
Week 8: Score 80 percent or higher on the full-length timed practice exam, with no single domain below 70 percent