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Renewal Requirements

CAEs are required to renew their certification every three years (the third December 31st after certification or renewal.) The renewal application with payment is due no later than December 31 of the year of certification expiration. Renewal fees are reduced if the renewal application is received by October 31 of the year of certification expiration. All requirements must be complete when the application is submitted.

As outlined below, the renewal application documents 1) ongoing adherence to professional conduct requirements and 2) completion of professional development activities, or a combination of professional development activities and contributions to the profession:

  • Renewing certificants must have completed a minimum of 40 credits of association management related professional development, or a minimum of 30 credits of association management development plus 10 credits of qualifying leadership, authorship, and teaching activities contributing to the profession of association management. Qualifying leadership activities include volunteer service as a chairman, chair-elect or officer for committee service to a qualifying organization other than the applicant’s employer.
  • Beginning with CAEs who are due to renew in 2020, one of the 40 credits of continuing education required for renewal must be focused on ethics. The ethics credit may be earned through qualifying professional development as currently defined.
  • When renewing for the first time, applicants may include qualifying CAE credits not previously submitted for CAE credit provided the credits have been completed less than three years prior to the certification cycle end date (December 31 of renewal year.) For example, those who passed the December 2014 exam have a certification start date of January 20, 2015. For their first renewal, these certificants may use credits earned between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2017. Those who passed the May 2015 exam have a certification start date of June 24, 2015. For their first renewal, these certificants may use credits earned between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2017.
  • Renewal applicants must again agree in writing that they will adhere to the ASAE Standards of Conduct and they must re-attest that they have not been convicted of a felony related to the practice of association management

 

Credits for CAE Renewal
There are a variety of ways to accumulate the required 40 credits of association or nonprofit management-related continuing professional education for CAE renewal. They include: 

Qualifying Professional Development Activities
Any continuing professional education offered by any professional entity may be acceptable toward the professional development requirement as long as it is directly related to either association or nonprofit management as defined by the CAE exam content outline, and meet the guidelines outlined below. Please see the CAE Approved Provider page for a list of organizations, in addition to ASAE, that offer education that is eligible for CAE credit.

Acceptable professional development activities include:
1.  Live conferences, workshops, seminars, or classes (including face-to-face, audio/videoconference, and online delivery) offered by ASAE, societies of association executives, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Organization Management, or other providers, earn CAE credit for actual clock time of qualifying education including partial credits, up to a maximum of 8 CAE credits per day.  (Ex. 1½ credits of qualifying education equals 1.5 CAE credits.) (Note: Online courses must be instructor led, or meet the criteria outlined for self-study credit. General software training courses are NOT acceptable.)

2.  College or university courses (e.g., face-to-face, independent study/correspondence, online) taken for academic credit at a U.S. accredited academic institution earn CAE credits as follows:

  • 15 CAE credits per earned college semester credit
  • 14 CAE credits per earned college trimester credit
  • 10 CAE credits per earned college quarter credit

Examples:
A 3-credit semester course would earn 45 CAE credits.
A 2-credit quarter course would earn 20 CAE credits.
Documentation Required: Copy of a transcript and a course description

3.  Preplanned in-depth group study of specific association management topic(s) with interaction between a minimum of three participants from different organizations earn 1 CAE credit for each clock hour, up to a maximum of 20 credits per CAE application.

  • 4. An educational program used for individual, self-paced study may be recognized for CAE credits if it meets the following criteria:
  • The program must be suitably recent, as defined by the oldest reference included in the CAE Core Resources.
  • The program must have clearly identified learning objectives linked to the CAE Exam Content Outline.
  • It must include an interactive component such as quizzes, post-tests, or other learning assessment exercises or activities by which participants apply and demonstrate comprehension of the covered content areas.
  • The program must meet recognized standards for effective self-study programs.

Proof of completion (i.e. a certificate of completion) must be submitted with the application. Self-study credits may only account for one-half of any applicant’s education credits.

The following are NOT eligible to earn CAE credit:

  • General software/training courses
  • Expo hall hours
  • Industry-specific programs (not general association management; e.g. physicians' CME courses)
  • Networking receptions
  • Breaks between educational sessions
  • Product-specific promotional courses or training

5.  Certificants providing and/or receiving mentoring or coaching specifically focused on the field of association management and representative of the exam content outline for a minimum of 10 clock hours can qualify for up to a maximum of 10 CAE credits towards renewal under the professional development category.  Two hours of mentoring/coaching or two hours being mentored/coached equals one CAE credit, up to a maximum of 10 CAE credits. The individual providing mentoring/coaching must be a CAE or CAE (Ret.). The mentor/coach & mentee/individual being coached cannot be employed by the same organization.

(Please note that mentoring/coaching is a one-on-one relationship. Facilitating and/or teaching a study group and/or study course does not count under professional development activities, but may be eligible for CAE credit under Leadership, Instruction, or Writing.)

  • 0-9 hours mentoring/coaching /being mentored/being coached = 0 CAE credits
  • 10 hours mentoring/coaching /being mentored/being coached = 5 CAE credits
  • 12 hours mentoring/coaching /being mentored/being coached = 6 CAE credits
  • 14 hours mentoring/coaching /being mentored/being coached = 7 CAE credits
  • 16 hours mentoring/coaching /being mentored/being coached = 8 CAE credits
  • 18 hours mentoring/coaching /being mentored/being coached = 9 CAE credits
  • 20 hours mentoring/coaching /being mentored/being coached =10 CAE credits

Download a PDF of the CAE Mentoring Form. 

Leadership, Instruction, or Writing 
A maximum of 10 credits may be used in the category toward the 40 credits required for renewal. These are:

  • 2 credits will be given per year for service as an officer of an association, or professional society, or for service as chairman, vice-chairman of a committee, section, or special interest group. 
  • 2 credits will be given for each course/workshop on association management topics that is instructed. 
  • 2 credits will be given for each article, chapter or book written on association management topics.