The Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation demonstrates a commitment to ongoing professional development by individuals who have worked a minimum of 5 years within an association or other nonprofit staff; unless the rules have changed again (something the CAE Commission does regularly and then doesn’t publicize), you must have 100 hours of acceptable activity during the 12 months prior to taking the exam.
In addition to having to successfully pass the test to earn the CAE, you must continue to earn CAE credits to maintain the designation. CAE credits are earned by attending ASAE events, such as the annual meeting, lunch & learns, idea swaps, or other “big” conferences like Great Ideas.
Taking and passing the CAE exam is no easy thing. It takes months of preparation and working with a study group to prepare for the test. By successfully passing the CAE exam, you demonstrate that you understand association management theory and its practical applications in the real world.
Understanding association management theory and practically applying it in the service of client needs is something that consultants and industry partners do every day. Yet, we are banned from sitting for the exam – unless of course we have been on an association or nonprofit staff within the last 5 years. This rule was just changed in the last year or so. Thanks to the Commission’s commitment to not publicizing anything, I found out about this too late to apply.
But let me point out: the CAE is only a test.
There is no field work, no papers, no mentoring. In fact, after you earn your CAE, you don’t even have to prove that you attended the sessions that earn you credits towards certification maintenance. If you register and pay, and then pick up your badge, you can walk over to the corner coffee shop and update your apps on your smart phone and still get credit for attending. No one checks to make sure you are actually in the room or checks to make sure that you stay in the room long enough to learn something.
The clients I work with who manage continuing education programs have strict rules about attendance. For example, one client will only award partial credit if you leave the session early and you are not allowed to enter after the session begins. Session attendance is tracked by scanning name badges as attendees enter or exit the room so the appropriate credit is applied.
I see nothing like that happening at ASAE, yet the CAE Commission believes that this is a program that should be restricted to only certain individuals – basically, anyone who is not on an association staff, such as consultants, industry partners, or other vendors that support the association profession.
And yet, the CAE is just an exam that demonstrates knowledge and its application. Why can’t anyone who meets basic qualifications, such as minimum 5 years on a staff and works in the association field, be allowed to take it? The unemployed, who are definitely not on a staff, are allowed to take the CAE exam, but those who are actively working, but are outside a staff, cannot.
While providing a valuable service to those who want to demonstrate their commitment to professional development, the CAE is a revenue source for ASAE.
ASAE makes money from exam fees, book purchases, and then later from continuing education events that earn CAE hours for maintenance of the credential. And, once you get the CAE designation, you can maintain it for the rest of your career – whether or not you are on a staff. It seems to me there is a long-term revenue arc for each individual who passes the CAE and then maintains the designation.
Not being on a staff doesn’t automatically drain all the knowledge and experience from my brain. I use my association management experience and knowledge in the service of my clients, and in service as a volunteer to my chosen profession, every day. Many of my ASAE colleagues who happen not to be on a staff are doing the same thing: sharing association management knowledge and experience within our chosen profession.
We are not any less qualified for not being on a staff. In fact, I could make the argument that we are more qualified because we have been on a staff, volunteer, and now serve as consultants or other service providers. We’ve looked at life from three sides now, to paraphrase an old song lyric.
After 15 years of staff service in two professional societies, two industry organizations, one nonprofit arts organization, and seven years of service to association/nonprofit clients, and three years as an ASAE CenterU faculty member, my question is this: what is wrong with my money?
I agree that if you've had five years on staff at an association at any time, in addition to the education requirements and passing the exam, that you should be able to earn the CAE designation. I know many consultants and vendors who are more knowledgeable about association management than most staffers, yet cannot sit for the exam because they left their association position more than five years ago. Hopefully with the recent changes, the door will be open to correct this oversight.
Posted by: Deirdre Reid | Friday, October 08, 2010 at 01:07 PM