Recertification

How often do I need to recertify?
Effective January 1, 2001, significant changes were made in the eligibility requirements for CAE certification renewal. Changes were made in these areas:

• Renewal at three-year intervals: Continuing education points for renewal can be earned starting from the date appearing on the CAE certificate for the first renewal or from the date of the last renewal, whichever is applicable.
• "Certified for Life" status discontinued: Upon reaching the age of 70, a CAE with at least 15 years of continual certification may opt to reduce by half—to 20—the amount of continuing education or professional development points necessary to renew. The 20 points may consist of 15 points of continuing education and 5 points in other areas. In addition, there is a reduction in fees ($10 for members and $25 for nonmembers). The request must be in writing and must be received at least one month prior to the end of the renewal cycle.

What are the requirements?
 To retain the CAE credential, a certified association executive must accumulate 40 points of continuing education or professional development or 30 points of continuing education and 10 points in other areas--such as leadership, instruction, or writing--every three years and submit a completed CAE Renewal Report form.

Effective June 1, 2003, there are enhanced ways of accumulating the required 40 hours of association or nonprofit management-related continuing professional education for CAE renewal. The changes and/or hourly credits are listed below.

Conferences, Workshops, Seminars, or Courses

Continuing education programs offered by ASAE or its allied societies, or other associations offering programs related to association or nonprofit management. Delivery may be by face-to-face, audioconference (with or without web casting), or online (a)synchronous.

Video or audiotapes of conferences, workshops, seminars, or courses are approved provided they include the reactive discussion that occurred at the activity, and all hand-outs distributed at the activity are be made available to the learner.

Hours Approved:

• 1 hour for each clock hour, up to a maximum of 3 hours for each ˝ day program or 6 hours for each full day program

Other Approved Credit:

• Credit hours are given for participation in the Institute for Organization Management (4.5 days) offered by the U.S. Chamber of Chamber of Commerce.
• Credit hours are given for participation in the ASAE Annual Meeting (3 days) or Winter Conference (3 days).
• Credit hours are given for participation in Allied Societies Educational Programs or Conferences.

Documentation Required in the Case of an Audit:

• Copy of the program brochure listing topics and agenda (including time spent on continuing education versus meals, breaks, etc.)

Academic Coursework

Course taken for credit (on association or nonprofit management) at a U.S. regionally accredited college or university, regardless of the delivery (e.g., face-to-face, independent study/correspondence, online).

Hours Approved:

• 15 hours per earned semester credit
• 14 hours per earned trimester credit
• 10 hours per earned quarter credit

Examples:
A 3-credit semester course would earn 45 hours
A 2-credit quarter course would earn 20 hours

Documentation Required in the Case of an Audit:

• Copy of an official transcript and a course description

Learning Groups

Preplanned group learning activities of in-depth study of specific topic(s) related to association management that include a minimum of three participants and provide for group interaction.

Hours Approved:

• 1 hour for each clock hour, up to a maximum of 20 hours for CAE application

Exclusions:

• Learning groups with all participants from the same employing organization are not approved for hours.

Documentation Required in the Case of an Audit

• Correspondence identifying group participants, meeting dates, agendas, topics discussed, and name / contact information of group organizer

Self-Study Programs

Educational materials used for individual, self-paced study. Examples include audios, videos, CD-ROMs, DVDs, online asynchronous courses, print-based publications, and any combinations of these media.

Hours Approved:

• 1 hour for each clock hour, up to a maximum of 20 hours for CAE initial application.
• The hours approved will be determined by peer reviewers of the individual programs.

Exclusions:

• All self-study programs must be prior-approved by the CAE Commission. The Commission will include a listing of programs as they are approved on the CAE section of the ASAE web site and in CAE literature.
• Video or audiotapes of previously held conferences, workshops, seminars, or courses are approved under the category of Conferences, Workshops, Seminars, or Courses and do not need to be pre-approved.

Documentation Required in the Case of an Audit:

• Proof of purchase and/or completion by the self-study provider (receipt, test scores, etc.)

What does recertification cost?
For each three-year period, there is a renewal fee of $185 for members and $265 for nonmembers. It must be paid when the Renewal Report form is submitted.