Seven fundraising professionals in Australia took advantage of the opportunity to be the first to write the newly revised Australian CFRE exam on 21 August in four capital cities.  This new exam is the first CFRE exam available to Australians that has been entirely developed and reviewed by Australian fundraising professionals. 
 
Three dates for the CFRE exam have been set for Australia in 2005, the first of which is in conjunction with the Fundraising Institute – Australia (FIA) annual conference in Brisbane on 26 February 2005.  Other dates include 5 August, in advance of the “Madison Down Under” conference outside of Adelaide and 8 October in five of the capital cities.
 
The applicants are a diverse group, consistent with other candidate populations around the globe.  43% were from educational institutions, 29% from healthcare organizations.  70% were female.  All are members of the Fundraising Institute – Australia.  Candidates had an average of nine (9) years of fundraising experience at the time of application. 
 
Australian candidates will receive notification of certification in early October. 
 
The Australian examination for the CFRE programme was developed with the help of currently practicing fundraising professionals working in Australia.  The research conducted in 2003 through the CFRE Fundraising Practice Job Analysis demonstrated the body of knowledge required for competent fundraising practice.  Professionals in Australia contributed to the development of that survey, as well as being part of the 1,300 survey respondents.
 
The draft examination was reviewed by a group of Australian fundraising professionals for applicability to Australia.  Issues of language and culture were identified and addressed by Australian-specific exam questions being developed.  In addition, the exam tests current Australian-based laws and regulations affecting fundraising.
 
CFRE International worked with a group of CFRE certificants in Brisbane in late May to review the draft examination.  This included writing test questions that would reflect Australian fundraising practice.  Many thanks go to Dianne Armstrong, CFRE; Wayne Clarke, CFRE; Simone Garske, CFRE; Nigel Harris, CFRE; Bernadette Mann, CFRE; Daniel McDiarmid, CFRE; Errol Pike, CFRE; Lesley Ann Ray, CFRE; and Margaret Scott, CFRE for all their hard work and thoughtful deliberation throughout the review process.
 
The passing point for the exam was also entirely set by a panel of currently practicing fundraising professionals in the Australia to assure the exam and its standards are reflective of fundraising in that country.  .   This is a standard-setting process that assures that candidates are measured against a fixed-point, rather than against the performance of other test takers – sometimes referred to as “scoring on a curve.”  This is the first time the pass point was set solely by a group of Australian professionals. 
 
We greatly appreciate the work of Bobbie Dart, CFRE; Jenni Elliott, CFRE; Jannine Jackson; Michael LeCouteur, CFRE; Andy Markwell, CFRE; and Jan Pavey, CFRE during this important process.