CFRE COMPREHENSIVE EXAM UPDATED QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔FR Vehicles - ✔✔FR plan must account for human and financial resources for:
1. Annual giving
2. Special events
3. major gifts
4. Capital Campaigns
5. Planned giving
6. e-philanthropy
✔✔Comprehensive Plan - ✔✔1. Does not rely too heavily on one vehicle
2. Do not rely on one or two individuals
3. The more FR vehicles, the better
✔✔Poor Management - ✔✔Poor management or perceived poor management leaves
the NPO vulnerable to failure in FR. Sound management is a strength.
✔✔Successful management - ✔✔Administrators, program management and FR
manger who operate in an open system
✔✔Management Team Constituents - ✔✔clients
donors
trustees
volunteers
vendors
community
staff
✔✔Management Process - ✔✔FR is a management process. It is based on the strength
of the NPOs programs to fulfill the NPOs mission.
* Valled to accountability
* Good stewards
* Making a difference
✔✔Engaging constituents - ✔✔1. FR involves engaging constituents with the NPO and
helping them identify with the organizational values & missions
2. involves a comprehensive view of constituents, volunteers, advocates, and
prospective donors
3. involves technical skills and ethical values that foster and promote philanthropy
4.Includes the management of planning
✔✔Accountability - ✔✔1. An org that makes itself as transparent as possible is
accountable to its constituents and demonstrates good stewardship of its mission and
human and physical resources can FR from a position of strength
,2. Is essential for NPO viability and success
✔✔Vulnerable to Failure - ✔✔1. FR success or failure is related to organizational
dynamics not FR strategies
2. FR success is built on strengths and fails due to org weaknesses or vulnerabilities
3. Vulnerable when they do not communicate with constituents
4. Vulnerable when they do not invite constituents inside their planning, management,
financial and evaluation process
5. Do not report accurately on expenditure of funds
✔✔Vulnerable to Failure (continued) - ✔✔6. Operate as closed systems
7. Focused internally
8. No plan based on external needs
9. Good work is no longer sufficient for success
10. Higher standards of accountability
11. Lack of management that lead to institutional readiness
✔✔Successful Fundraising*** (KEY SLIDE) - ✔✔1. Operate as open systems while
being true to their mission
2. Understand the dynamics of their external environment
3. A sound plan for the future with the involvement of key constituents
4. Essential for Board and CEO to be involved
5. Must have a communications plan
6. Must hold itself accountable to the public
✔✔Constituency Model - ✔✔1. a set of interested persons serving the cause with
passion
2. Interested persons include:
* currently involved with NPO
* previously involved
* potential for future involvement
✔✔Constituents have... - ✔✔1. active and inactive groups
2. interested and uninterested
3. closed and distant
4. interests, needs and wants
5. levels of involvement that help or hinder
✔✔Circles of influence - ✔✔Universe
People with similar interest
Former Board; participants; donors
Volunteers; Employees; General donors; members;
Board; Major Donors; Managment
✔✔3 Characteristics of who to ask... - ✔✔1. Linkage
,2. Ability
3. Interest
✔✔Linkage - ✔✔Is Contact
- person to person
- peer to peer
- personal contact makes case for gift
Linkage is
-geographical
-emotional
-professional
-networking
-who knows who
✔✔Ability - ✔✔is a gauge
- financial capacity
- research capacity
- peer evaluation
✔✔Interest - ✔✔in the work of the NPO
- information
- involvement
✔✔Continuously - ✔✔Awareness - of mission, goals and objectives
Understanding - of the service to the mission
Commitment - by asking for a gift
✔✔Constituency Development - ✔✔1. Crucial for long term
2. crucial for FR success
3. larger constituency is harder to ineract
4. ID crucial
5. Cultivating meaningful relationahips
6. Moving closer and closer to center
7.Sensitive attention to needs and values draws them closer to the mission
✔✔Case Development - ✔✔1. CDO begins the process
2. CEO reviews and comments
3. Board development committee reviews and endorses
4. Board endorses
5. Constituency
✔✔Parts of Case: - ✔✔1. Mission Statement
2. Goals
3. Objectives
4. Programs & Services
, 5. Finances
6. Governance
7. Staffing
8. Facilities & Service Delivery
9. Planning & Evaluation
10. History
✔✔Mission Statement - ✔✔An awareness of the cause; insight into the problem
addressed by the NPO
✔✔Goals - ✔✔The desired achievement that is expected to solve the problem
✔✔Objectives - ✔✔What will be accomplished by reaching the goals
✔✔Programs & Services - ✔✔The NPOs service to people - including stories of how
people benefit
✔✔Finances - ✔✔The expense of providing programs and services as validation of the
need for philanthropy
✔✔Governance - ✔✔The character and quality of the organization as shown in its staff
and volunteer leadership and governance = board
✔✔Staffing - ✔✔The qualifications and strengths of staff
✔✔Facilities & Service Delivery - ✔✔The available facilities; the advantages, strengths
and effectiveness of the mechanics of program & service delivery
✔✔Planning & Evaluation - ✔✔Program and FR plans and evaluation processes that
demonstrate service commitments, strengths and impact (checks and balances)
✔✔History - ✔✔The heroic saga of founders, staff, and others; the credibility implied by
success over time
✔✔The Case for Support - ✔✔1. Should paint a picture or tell a story about the NPO
* What is the NPO import
* What is its mission
* What are doing to make a difference
* How will their gift help
✔✔The Case for Support (continued) - ✔✔1. All case resource elements make a case
resources file (internal case)
2. The internal case prepares the organization to develop expressions known as
external case statements for fundraising
3. The external case tells the story to the constituents
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔FR Vehicles - ✔✔FR plan must account for human and financial resources for:
1. Annual giving
2. Special events
3. major gifts
4. Capital Campaigns
5. Planned giving
6. e-philanthropy
✔✔Comprehensive Plan - ✔✔1. Does not rely too heavily on one vehicle
2. Do not rely on one or two individuals
3. The more FR vehicles, the better
✔✔Poor Management - ✔✔Poor management or perceived poor management leaves
the NPO vulnerable to failure in FR. Sound management is a strength.
✔✔Successful management - ✔✔Administrators, program management and FR
manger who operate in an open system
✔✔Management Team Constituents - ✔✔clients
donors
trustees
volunteers
vendors
community
staff
✔✔Management Process - ✔✔FR is a management process. It is based on the strength
of the NPOs programs to fulfill the NPOs mission.
* Valled to accountability
* Good stewards
* Making a difference
✔✔Engaging constituents - ✔✔1. FR involves engaging constituents with the NPO and
helping them identify with the organizational values & missions
2. involves a comprehensive view of constituents, volunteers, advocates, and
prospective donors
3. involves technical skills and ethical values that foster and promote philanthropy
4.Includes the management of planning
✔✔Accountability - ✔✔1. An org that makes itself as transparent as possible is
accountable to its constituents and demonstrates good stewardship of its mission and
human and physical resources can FR from a position of strength
,2. Is essential for NPO viability and success
✔✔Vulnerable to Failure - ✔✔1. FR success or failure is related to organizational
dynamics not FR strategies
2. FR success is built on strengths and fails due to org weaknesses or vulnerabilities
3. Vulnerable when they do not communicate with constituents
4. Vulnerable when they do not invite constituents inside their planning, management,
financial and evaluation process
5. Do not report accurately on expenditure of funds
✔✔Vulnerable to Failure (continued) - ✔✔6. Operate as closed systems
7. Focused internally
8. No plan based on external needs
9. Good work is no longer sufficient for success
10. Higher standards of accountability
11. Lack of management that lead to institutional readiness
✔✔Successful Fundraising*** (KEY SLIDE) - ✔✔1. Operate as open systems while
being true to their mission
2. Understand the dynamics of their external environment
3. A sound plan for the future with the involvement of key constituents
4. Essential for Board and CEO to be involved
5. Must have a communications plan
6. Must hold itself accountable to the public
✔✔Constituency Model - ✔✔1. a set of interested persons serving the cause with
passion
2. Interested persons include:
* currently involved with NPO
* previously involved
* potential for future involvement
✔✔Constituents have... - ✔✔1. active and inactive groups
2. interested and uninterested
3. closed and distant
4. interests, needs and wants
5. levels of involvement that help or hinder
✔✔Circles of influence - ✔✔Universe
People with similar interest
Former Board; participants; donors
Volunteers; Employees; General donors; members;
Board; Major Donors; Managment
✔✔3 Characteristics of who to ask... - ✔✔1. Linkage
,2. Ability
3. Interest
✔✔Linkage - ✔✔Is Contact
- person to person
- peer to peer
- personal contact makes case for gift
Linkage is
-geographical
-emotional
-professional
-networking
-who knows who
✔✔Ability - ✔✔is a gauge
- financial capacity
- research capacity
- peer evaluation
✔✔Interest - ✔✔in the work of the NPO
- information
- involvement
✔✔Continuously - ✔✔Awareness - of mission, goals and objectives
Understanding - of the service to the mission
Commitment - by asking for a gift
✔✔Constituency Development - ✔✔1. Crucial for long term
2. crucial for FR success
3. larger constituency is harder to ineract
4. ID crucial
5. Cultivating meaningful relationahips
6. Moving closer and closer to center
7.Sensitive attention to needs and values draws them closer to the mission
✔✔Case Development - ✔✔1. CDO begins the process
2. CEO reviews and comments
3. Board development committee reviews and endorses
4. Board endorses
5. Constituency
✔✔Parts of Case: - ✔✔1. Mission Statement
2. Goals
3. Objectives
4. Programs & Services
, 5. Finances
6. Governance
7. Staffing
8. Facilities & Service Delivery
9. Planning & Evaluation
10. History
✔✔Mission Statement - ✔✔An awareness of the cause; insight into the problem
addressed by the NPO
✔✔Goals - ✔✔The desired achievement that is expected to solve the problem
✔✔Objectives - ✔✔What will be accomplished by reaching the goals
✔✔Programs & Services - ✔✔The NPOs service to people - including stories of how
people benefit
✔✔Finances - ✔✔The expense of providing programs and services as validation of the
need for philanthropy
✔✔Governance - ✔✔The character and quality of the organization as shown in its staff
and volunteer leadership and governance = board
✔✔Staffing - ✔✔The qualifications and strengths of staff
✔✔Facilities & Service Delivery - ✔✔The available facilities; the advantages, strengths
and effectiveness of the mechanics of program & service delivery
✔✔Planning & Evaluation - ✔✔Program and FR plans and evaluation processes that
demonstrate service commitments, strengths and impact (checks and balances)
✔✔History - ✔✔The heroic saga of founders, staff, and others; the credibility implied by
success over time
✔✔The Case for Support - ✔✔1. Should paint a picture or tell a story about the NPO
* What is the NPO import
* What is its mission
* What are doing to make a difference
* How will their gift help
✔✔The Case for Support (continued) - ✔✔1. All case resource elements make a case
resources file (internal case)
2. The internal case prepares the organization to develop expressions known as
external case statements for fundraising
3. The external case tells the story to the constituents
