Over 5,150 European fundraisers have achieved EFA certified qualification

The number of qualified fundraisers is rising across Europe, with more than 5,150 fundraisers having been awarded an EFA certified qualification to date.

EFA certified qualifications are available for fundraisers in 11 European nations: Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Over two thirds of qualification-holders are based in the UK and Germany, where academic programmes have been in place for many years. France, Italy and the Netherlands are the next most prevalent nations for fundraising qualifications.

Developed with EU funding in 2007, EFA certification is a framework that enables members to develop national qualifications based on a core syllabus and set of fundraising competencies.

The scheme is currently under review to establish how it may need to evolve to ensure qualifications reflect more recent fundraising developments, ranging from technological capabilities to changes in regulation.

The review is led by EFA’s certification committee, which is headed up by Charlotte Rydh. The committee’s role is to manage the development of the framework and to support fundraising associations and their educational partners in setting up and delivering accredited qualifications.