Ten Years of CAE
Photo courtesy of Author. She received this tiara from her husband when she learned she earned the CAE.
This year I celebrate my 10th anniversary as a Certified Association Executive (CAE). It’s hard to believe an entire decade has passed but as they say, time flies – especially when you are enjoying yourself! If you are a current CAE Candidate, you might be saying “What do you mean ENJOYING YOURSELF?? Getting ready for the exam is really stressful!”
And I am not denying that. It is stressful and it takes a lot of energy, commitment, and self-confidence. But I really enjoyed my CAE Exam preparation because I took a great course with Cheryl Ronk, CAE, FASAE, who was leading the MSAE program at the time. (Cheryl now works with us here at Rogue Tulips on CAE education and support.) I made a lot of new connections during the course, which was a great way to grow my network and connect with professionals from across our community. Just ten years ago, we took the exam on paper and had to go to the ASAE headquarters to take it in person. I recall the room was full of other CAE Candidates. It really felt like we were all in this together.
After the exam, a group of us went out to a late lunch to celebrate our accomplishment: FINALLY getting the exam behind us instead of in front of us. As I recall, most of the people at lunch that day passed the May 2015 exam. I could be mistaken but it’s a nice thought.
Earning my CAE took a lot of patience because I had to wait ten years for the CAE Commission to review and revise the qualifications so that Consultants could take the exam and earn the designation. When I first heard that “Consultants are GO for CAE” I said I am taking this exam win, lose, or draw because I have been making the case for years that Consultants should qualify.
Ironically, by the end of 2015 I had a “regular job” again – the CAE helped my resume stand out.
I have been consulting again since 2018 and part of my work is helping other people get ready for the exam and earn the designation. I am very proud of our education program because it continues to evolve and it sets a standard for high quality content and participant support.
My opinion is that how (or why) something starts will always influence it no matter how long it lasts. If it has positive roots, it will thrive for a long time and provide value. If it starts in a negative place, it may hang on for a long time but it will lose value and create bad feelings.
Our education program started in a very positive place: right after I earned my CAE, Cheryl Ronk asked me to become an individual CAE Mentor and I accepted. I still have relationships with several of the people I mentored in the early days, like Jerrica Thurman, CAE, of Elation Communications.
After a time, I learned that self-forming study groups needed volunteer mentors so I volunteered to work with groups. It was great hearing all the different perspectives and being able to share my experience and knowledge. Many of the people in the study groups did well and earned their CAE. One thing of particular interest: one of the early study groups I mentored included the first two Australian association executives to earn the CAE. That group met on Friday afternoon and our Australian colleagues had to make it an early Saturday to participate!
A few years later, as an ad hoc volunteer, I organized 18 study groups and was able to include many of my colleagues with the CAE. We helped a lot of people seeking support during their CAE Journey. As things progressed, more and more people were interested and wanted to know what the fee was. At the time, there wasn’t one but many of my colleagues pointed out how valuable the study group model I created was and encouraged me to charge for it.
We started with a nominal registration fee, but over the years “study group” became a “Study Group Course” – we didn’t just review practice questions. We included content review and discussion and helped create community. While we do charge a course fee, the most important part is knowing we are helping create the future of the nonprofit management profession.
Over the years we’ve added courses like our popular Ethics course and our CAE Redux course for those who have seen the exam before. We are responsive to the needs of the community and continue to update our courses based on input from our participants. As more countries around the world look to the United States for information on nonprofit organizations, we are pleased to contribute to the global community. The first association executive from India to earn the CAE was in one of our CAE Redux cohorts. He found it so valuable that he would get up at 3 am his time to participate; now that’s a vote of confidence!
While we have worked with many people over the years during their CAE Journey, I have personally benefited very much from my CAE Experience. It has demonstrated in real time the impact we can have by helping our colleagues. Mentorship is crucial to continuing success in any community whether it is in a formal or informal setting. It showed me that continuing personal professional development is evolutionary because every time we earn a new certification or complete a certificate program, we show ourselves that we can continue to grow, learn, and succeed.
Since earning my CAE in 2015, I have earned the Advanced Certified Nonprofit Professional (ACNP) certification which was of great value for the insights it provided into the overall nonprofit management profession. We have a shared body of knowledge no matter what type of 501c organization we are. We can and should be a unified profession without silos.
Additionally, I completed certificate programs in Nonprofit Accounting, DEI, and Virtual Event Planning. Am I a serial learner? Yes, I am and proud to say it out loud! My ongoing education not only helps me -- it also helps everyone in my professional community because every time one of us succeeds, it elevates our entire profession.
I love the nonprofit management profession despite all the challenges. We need to come together for continued improvement and to increase awareness of what we do and why we do it. Nonprofit management may not always pay well, but it certainly provides many rewards.
