CFRE COMPREHENSIVE EXAM 2026/2027 QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔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
✔✔Internal v external - ✔✔1. The internal case is a database of information of
knowledge
2. The external case statement orders and presents the information for:
* Communication
* PR
* FR
✔✔External Case Statements - ✔✔1. Brochures
2. Foundation & Corporation proposals
3. Direct mail letters
4. Website development
5. Campaign prospectuses
6. News releases
7. Newsletters
8. Speeches
9. Face to face solicitations
✔✔Writing Case Statements - ✔✔1. The purpose is to stimulate a potential donor to
take a series of steps, ultimately ending in the decision to make a gift
2. Contains excitement, proximity, immediacy, a sense of the future, meaning and
relevance
✔✔Case Statements - ✔✔1. Excite the listener
2. Provoke an emotional response
3. Proximity creates an emotional response
4. Immediacy - how real is the problem
5. Urgency - what else will happen
6. A sense of the future - an ongoing problem
7. The meaning to the donor - mission should connect to donor's values
,✔✔Participatory Planning Model (print orig slide 107) - ✔✔1. Discover and define -
Where are we - Forming
2. Envision - Where will we go? - Storming
3. Design - How will we get there? - Norming
4. Implement, monitor and evaluate - How are we doing? - Performing
✔✔Donor Pyramid - ✔✔1. Planned Gift Donor
2. Capital Donor
3. Major Gift Donor
4. Renewed or upgraded Donor
5. First Time Donor
6. The universe
✔✔Transactional Bell Curve: Challenge to creating a culture - ✔✔1. Identification of
donor by NPO
2. Qualification
3. Strategy development
4. Cultivation
5. Solicitation (TOP)
6. Acknowledgement
7. Recognition
8. Donor data management
✔✔Stages of Transforming Philanthropy - ✔✔1. Giving = Annual
* Ask and give
* Smaller gifts
* More frequemt
* Acquaintances
2. Naming = Major
* Give and name
* Major gifts
* Less frequent
* Friends
3. Changing = Planned
* Partner & change
* Gifts of significance
* Rare
* Soul mates
✔✔The ladder of effectiveness - ✔✔1. Face to face = MOST effective
2. Personal letter with call
3. Personal letter and internet
4. Telephone and phonathon
5. Direct mail and email
6. telemarketing
7. Benefit & special events
,8. Door to door
9. Media, marketing & intenet = LEAST effective
✔✔Evolution of Competitive Advantace - ✔✔1. Intimacy is more important with
increased wealth
2. Operational excellence is slightly more important with more wealth
3. Product superiority has decreasing importance with increased wealth
✔✔Trust - ✔✔Firm reliance on the integrity, ability or character of a person or thing
✔✔Fiduciary - ✔✔One in whom trust and confidence is placed
* legal duty to act in the best interests of the beneficiary
* one who is charged with the responsibility of handling the affairs of another
✔✔Steps in the Gift Cycle - ✔✔1. Identification
2. Qualification
3. Development of strategy
4. Cultivation
5. Solicitation & negotiation
6. Acknowledgement & closure
7. Stewardship
8. Renewal
✔✔The six C's of Women's Giving - ✔✔Create
Change
Connect
Collaborate
Commit
Celebrate
✔✔Four legged stool of FRing - ✔✔DONOR
1. Annual Gifts
-current income
-changing programs
2. major Gifts
- Income & assets
- special programs & project
3. Capital Campaign
- assets
- building, equipment & endowment
4. Planned Giving
- estate planning
- endowment capital
✔✔Performance Art of Philanthropy - ✔✔NPO Mission ....Donor's life mission
, ---- Development Person ---- in the intersection
✔✔Current & Prospective Donor Research #1
Development Moves Management Process
1. identification - ✔✔* Wealth indicator software
* Word of mouth
* Giving history
✔✔2. Qualification - ✔✔Assign prospect to a Development Officer and assigning the
prospect
✔✔3. Strategy - ✔✔* Write plan of action
* Meet with team, incorporate input, potential ask amount
* Decide on whether to move forward
✔✔4. Cultivation - ✔✔* Longest stage
* Solicitor assigned if not staff person
* Develop plan of action
* document all steps
* communication is key between staff & solicitor
* department meetings
✔✔5. The Ask - ✔✔* Ask is made depending on the propensity and probability levels
* Ask amount should be reviewed by management for too high or too low
✔✔6. Negotiation / Agreement - ✔✔Acceptance
* Recorded with amount
* Letter of intent with signature & payment/schedule
* Terms noted and given to gift manager
* Signed LOI in file and copied to gift manager
* Gifts manager marks inactive after receipt of gift
Rejection:
* Renegotiate with the potential donor
* Resend the letter of intent
* Change to dropped if needed and mark inactive
✔✔7. Stewardship - ✔✔* Run a report including all dropped prospects and return to
stage one
* Stewardship after a determined amount of time and return to stage one
✔✔Q. A successful prospect management system is comprised of: - ✔✔1. Rating*
2. Priority
3. Accountabilty
4. Approach
5. Report
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔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
✔✔Internal v external - ✔✔1. The internal case is a database of information of
knowledge
2. The external case statement orders and presents the information for:
* Communication
* PR
* FR
✔✔External Case Statements - ✔✔1. Brochures
2. Foundation & Corporation proposals
3. Direct mail letters
4. Website development
5. Campaign prospectuses
6. News releases
7. Newsletters
8. Speeches
9. Face to face solicitations
✔✔Writing Case Statements - ✔✔1. The purpose is to stimulate a potential donor to
take a series of steps, ultimately ending in the decision to make a gift
2. Contains excitement, proximity, immediacy, a sense of the future, meaning and
relevance
✔✔Case Statements - ✔✔1. Excite the listener
2. Provoke an emotional response
3. Proximity creates an emotional response
4. Immediacy - how real is the problem
5. Urgency - what else will happen
6. A sense of the future - an ongoing problem
7. The meaning to the donor - mission should connect to donor's values
,✔✔Participatory Planning Model (print orig slide 107) - ✔✔1. Discover and define -
Where are we - Forming
2. Envision - Where will we go? - Storming
3. Design - How will we get there? - Norming
4. Implement, monitor and evaluate - How are we doing? - Performing
✔✔Donor Pyramid - ✔✔1. Planned Gift Donor
2. Capital Donor
3. Major Gift Donor
4. Renewed or upgraded Donor
5. First Time Donor
6. The universe
✔✔Transactional Bell Curve: Challenge to creating a culture - ✔✔1. Identification of
donor by NPO
2. Qualification
3. Strategy development
4. Cultivation
5. Solicitation (TOP)
6. Acknowledgement
7. Recognition
8. Donor data management
✔✔Stages of Transforming Philanthropy - ✔✔1. Giving = Annual
* Ask and give
* Smaller gifts
* More frequemt
* Acquaintances
2. Naming = Major
* Give and name
* Major gifts
* Less frequent
* Friends
3. Changing = Planned
* Partner & change
* Gifts of significance
* Rare
* Soul mates
✔✔The ladder of effectiveness - ✔✔1. Face to face = MOST effective
2. Personal letter with call
3. Personal letter and internet
4. Telephone and phonathon
5. Direct mail and email
6. telemarketing
7. Benefit & special events
,8. Door to door
9. Media, marketing & intenet = LEAST effective
✔✔Evolution of Competitive Advantace - ✔✔1. Intimacy is more important with
increased wealth
2. Operational excellence is slightly more important with more wealth
3. Product superiority has decreasing importance with increased wealth
✔✔Trust - ✔✔Firm reliance on the integrity, ability or character of a person or thing
✔✔Fiduciary - ✔✔One in whom trust and confidence is placed
* legal duty to act in the best interests of the beneficiary
* one who is charged with the responsibility of handling the affairs of another
✔✔Steps in the Gift Cycle - ✔✔1. Identification
2. Qualification
3. Development of strategy
4. Cultivation
5. Solicitation & negotiation
6. Acknowledgement & closure
7. Stewardship
8. Renewal
✔✔The six C's of Women's Giving - ✔✔Create
Change
Connect
Collaborate
Commit
Celebrate
✔✔Four legged stool of FRing - ✔✔DONOR
1. Annual Gifts
-current income
-changing programs
2. major Gifts
- Income & assets
- special programs & project
3. Capital Campaign
- assets
- building, equipment & endowment
4. Planned Giving
- estate planning
- endowment capital
✔✔Performance Art of Philanthropy - ✔✔NPO Mission ....Donor's life mission
, ---- Development Person ---- in the intersection
✔✔Current & Prospective Donor Research #1
Development Moves Management Process
1. identification - ✔✔* Wealth indicator software
* Word of mouth
* Giving history
✔✔2. Qualification - ✔✔Assign prospect to a Development Officer and assigning the
prospect
✔✔3. Strategy - ✔✔* Write plan of action
* Meet with team, incorporate input, potential ask amount
* Decide on whether to move forward
✔✔4. Cultivation - ✔✔* Longest stage
* Solicitor assigned if not staff person
* Develop plan of action
* document all steps
* communication is key between staff & solicitor
* department meetings
✔✔5. The Ask - ✔✔* Ask is made depending on the propensity and probability levels
* Ask amount should be reviewed by management for too high or too low
✔✔6. Negotiation / Agreement - ✔✔Acceptance
* Recorded with amount
* Letter of intent with signature & payment/schedule
* Terms noted and given to gift manager
* Signed LOI in file and copied to gift manager
* Gifts manager marks inactive after receipt of gift
Rejection:
* Renegotiate with the potential donor
* Resend the letter of intent
* Change to dropped if needed and mark inactive
✔✔7. Stewardship - ✔✔* Run a report including all dropped prospects and return to
stage one
* Stewardship after a determined amount of time and return to stage one
✔✔Q. A successful prospect management system is comprised of: - ✔✔1. Rating*
2. Priority
3. Accountabilty
4. Approach
5. Report
