Certified Practitioner
Become an Expert in Relational Fundraising
APPLY NOW
Join a community of like-minded professionals.
Knowledgeable
Relational
Intuitive
Successful
Fundraising is Changing
Becoming a Practitioner enables you to navigate what’s coming.
The Struggle to Meet Goal Never Ends
Donor Renewal Rates Remain in the Basement
The number of donors continues to shrink.
The same approaches are less and less effective.
Donor behavior is changing.
Practices and assumptions that for decades have remained steadfast are now being called into question or are no longer relevant or accurate.
For decades, “best practice” in fundraising was to construct a conventional strategic funnel for donors using techniques such as moves management in conjunction with demographic donor screening and increasingly sophisticated CRM tools.
And For A Long Time, Transactional Methods Worked
But Now. . .
There Will Be Winners and Losers.
In the worst cases, fundraising practice will become little more than a transaction mill.
Quite frankly, we can’t imagine a more dreadful prospect. Those organizations who embrace at least a portion of what we call the “relational paradigm” continue to float above some of the disruption. For now.
In the near future, the fundraising programs which exhibit resilience and grow sustainably will be built on authentic bi-lateral relationships between investors and the organizations in which they invest.
Move Donors From Cash to Wealth
By adopting a fundamentally new paradigm of engagement.
By learning a fundraising path built on psychographics not demographics. By relegating tracking tools to their original purpose—tracking, not herding. By being genuine and responsive to investors and sensitive to situations.
Embracing this paradigm—and putting it into practice—requires a fundamentally different understanding and point of view distinct from conventional wisdom. The new paradigm is a complete inverse of conventional practice. Moving to this model takes serious effort. Outside coaching and encouragement is almost always required.
Business as Usual Won’t Work .
That means zero work-life balance.
Constantly worrying about your career path and not feeling confident about the future?
You shouldn’t have to waste your time trying a million things to improve your fundraising skills and results when there’s already a proven path which will work for you.
The Eight Principles Practitioner Certification program is a hands-on, 3-month program for fundraisers and nonprofit executives who are serious about implementing strategies which will improve their fundraising outcomes dramatically and permanently.
We’ve seen this coming for years.
Only recently is donor indifference and push back getting wide-spread attention.
We’ve created an approach that is just as disciplined and requires every bit as much rigor as the one with which we’re all familiar. The assumptions, measurements and goals are different, however.
Our Solution
An in-depth, training experience for practicing professionals and nonprofit executives within a like-minded community.
We’ve created our solution based on the experience and success of our Founder, Larry C Johnson, using the fundamental laws of fundraising, The Eight Principles®.
The training platform is a hybrid of original HD video, exclusive exercises and worksheets, live-stream coaching, interactive community, and ongoing support conducted in small cohorts of your peers. All presented in one, integrated easy-access completely enclosed platform.
Created as an interactive training experience with peers and live-stream coach it provides participants with a comprehensive and actionable understanding of the relational paradigm.
You achieve your certification in three months. Thereafter, you continue benefit from live access to your cohort community and exclusive webinars. A certification certificate, recognition on The Eight Principles website and exclusive swag complete the package.
A modest annual subscription fee guarantees continued access along with the continuance of your certification.
What You Achieve
A wealth of new skill and understanding.
Outcomes which combine to strengthen the whole.
- Experience lowered friction donor progression to true financial ability
- Raise donor retention rates
- Move to higher donor conversion rates
- Achieve gift size growth
- Gain overall revenue growth
- Become more strategic in allocating time and efforts to donors and donor prospects
- Create stronger, more durable donor relationships
- Achieve higher levels of donor loyalty–up to 80% donor retention
- Accelerate the movement from cash to wealth in your program–gains to 500%+
- Become grounded in relational fundraising through practice not just intuition
- Experience the joy of fundraising
- Reaffirm your belief in the equal worth of donors and the organizations they support
- Achieve higher levels of professional satisfaction
- As a certified professional you become more valuable to the organization and also makes you more marketable to others.
Oh, and did we say having (a lot) more fun?
What You Get
Learning media, community, tools, and live-stream instruction.
You’re guided and supported every step of the way:
- Guided six-month cohort, 4-8 participants
- Bi-weekly live streaming session with Larry Johnson
- The complete Eight Principles online curriculum, paced using the Circle.so platform and allowing for real-time community interaction.
- The 14-module curriculum includes:
- 84+ Instructional HD videos
- Concept worksheets
- Application exercises
- Planning templates
- Case studies
- Practitioner podcasts
- A final competence evaluation instrument
- Exclusive online community
- Exclusive swag
- Certificate awarded and awardee posting on The Eight Principles website.
- Continued membership in the community with member webinars.
- Renewal annually after one year with modest subscription.
- The 14-module curriculum includes:
And receiving support and camaraderie from your peers.
Click Here to Read More
The learning materials and curriculum cover every aspect of strategic fundraising:
- donor acquisition
- donor renewal
- cash or “annual” funds
- monthly giving
- multiple channel giving
- donor revenue progression
- higher cash giving (sometimes referred to as “major giving”)
- asset giving, (sometimes referred to as “major giving”)
- volunteer management
- board and leadership engagement
- solicitation strategies
- planned or deferred giving
- gift acceptance policies
- dealing with conflicts or interest
- understanding the right use of technology including CRM, moves management, and prospect screening tools.
The difference? Learning how to apply these tools and techniques within a relational framework.
How is the Practitioner Certification Different from The Eight Principles Membership?
The Eight Principles Membership is perfect for someone looking to implement a proven growth plan at their own pace without much direction or support. The Practitioner Certification is for fundraising professionals and nonprofit executives who want to accelerate their ability to execute at a rapid six-month pace alongside peers with the weekly support of our team.
The Eight Principles Membership
-
On-demand courses through The Eight Principles platform
-
Access to our Fundraising Growth Plan
-
Access to The Eight Principles on-line membership community
The Eight Principles Practitioner Certification
-
Access to the complete Eight Principles online curriculum and all digital assets
-
Access to our Fundraising Growth Plan
-
Three-month training series covering all aspects of relational fundraising
-
Bi-weekly live stream sessions with Larry Johnson
-
Access to the members-only Professionals Community
-
Exclusive Webinars
-
Certification, Certificate and Exclusive Swag signifying your accomplishment and competence
Become a Recognized Expert in Relational Fundraising in Six Months
Practitioner Training Sessions are Conducted in Cohorts of 4-8 Participants.
The next available cohort begins November 1.
Apply now and avoid being wait listed.
Apply Now
Whose Talking?
What Others Say About The Eight Principles®
Answers to Your Questions
Our Practitioner Certification Training and Community is unique. Employing cutting edge training methods and live-community technologies it’s specifically designed for practicing fund development professionals and nonprofit executives seeking to step into the power and effectiveness of the relational model.
Click below to see answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
Click Here to Read More
Is the Eight Principles Practitioner Certification suitable for any fundraiser or nonprofit executive?
Yes. It’s designed for professionals want to step up to the power of relational fundraising. It’s the strategic model reinvented and supercharged. Independent research has demonstrated that sustained revenue results are 500%+ over conventional programs. Donor retention rates that are double and triple that normally experienced.
Three months is too slow for me. Can I go through at a different pace?
Although it’s possible to work through the material at a faster pace, its strongly discouraged. The online content is only a part of the learning experience. The superior value of the program is its live peer community and direct live access to Larry Johnson, Founder of The Eight Principles. By learning with the cohort, you enrich your experience and understanding dramatically.
What if my organization doesn’t have a full-time professional fundraiser?
Many smaller organizations don’t have the ability to have a full-time fund development professional on staff. The Practitioner Certification program enables your part-time staff, be they the executive or someone tasked with both fundraising and another function, to be far more productive. Raising more money–sustainably. This allows your organization to grow and become able to support full-time fundraising efforts, thereby growing your revenue even more.
What happens after six months. Will I lose my access to the Practitioner content and community?
No. The enrollment fee covers the first-year access to both the training material and the live community. Thereafter, an annual fee of $395 will maintain your access to both content and community.
The primary purposes of the program are,
- first, to allow you to acquire and maintain competency in the relational paradigm,
- second, to apply that understanding in your profession and,
- third, to promote an active community of like-minded nonprofit professionals.
How can I interact with other members of The Eight Principles Practitioner Community?
When you’re certified you become a member of both the Practitioner community and also the larger Eight Principles community. With an active subscription you have live real-time access to both. You’re able to develop friendships to pursue on your own.
Once I’m certified, how long is the certification valid?
The Practitioner certification is valid indefinitely. You’re noted on The Eight Principles website in our roster of Practitioners. You receive exclusive communications and ongoing educational opportunities such as topical webinars.
Your annual fee of $395 ensures these benefits and the privilege of identifying yourself with the Practitioner credential.
How much does it cost?
The Eight Principles Practitioner Certification is a valuable investment providing immediate benefits for your career as a nonprofit professional and for the organization which you serve.
The certification fee covers all materials, training materials, live streams, web-site directly listing, certificate, and swag.
Pricing in the US is an initial fee of $3,275 can be paid in one sum or in six monthly installments of $615. If you are already an Eight Principles member, you’re membership fee of $275 is deducted from your Practitioner enrollment fee. For pricing in India and Asia please contact us at info@TheEightPrinciples.com for details.
