Building New Skills: Certified Association Executive (CAE) Designation

The Certified Association Executive (CAE) program is designed to elevate professional standards, enhance individual performance, and designate association professionals who demonstrate the knowledge essential to the practice of association management. **GSAE uses ASAE's CAE Study Guide in our review sessions.

The 2023 exams will be held May 1-14, 2023 and December 1-14, 2023 with testing at a Scantron center. Please see ASAE's website for more info.

Watch the recording and download resources from MSAE's CAE Rap Session featuring Wendy W. Kavanagh, CAE, GSAE, Mark McSweeney, CAE, ISAE, and Sue Radwan, MEd, CAE, SMP, ARM. Moderated by Donna Oser, CAE, MSAE, the panelists discussed exam preparation, effective study strategies and what to expect day of the exam. 

New CAE exam outline beginning December 2020 - new domains, new material. Highlighted additions version.

Need to check your CAE credits earned with GSAE or add a recent class? Log in to your profile to see your qualifying credits since 2018. More instructions here.

CAE Study Group and Guide Information

The next formal GSAE CAE Study Group will begin meeting summer 2023
$89 - GSAE members
Each session is eligible for CAE group study hours based on instruction time.

2023 agenda - subject to change

Sessions and Domains

Times

Date and Location

Kick-Off
Overview of testing, application, etc.

10:00 am - 11:30 am

Friday, August 

Session I
Domain 1- Governance 

ZOOM
9:30 am - 10:30 am

Friday, August 

Session II
Domain 2: Executive Leadership

ZOOM
9:30 am - 10:30 am 

Friday, August 

Session III
Domain 3 - Organizational Strategy 

ZOOM
9:30 am - 10:30 am

Friday, August 

Session IV
Domain 8 - Marketing & Communications 

ZOOM
9:30 am - 10:30 am

Friday, September 

Session V
Domain 6 - Member and Stakeholder Engagement and Management

ZOOM
9:30 am - 10:30 am

Friday, September

Session VI
Domain 5 - Business Development

ZOOM
9:30 am - 10:30 am

Friday, September

Session VII
Domain 7 - Advocacy

 ZOOM
9:30 am - 10:30 am		 Friday, October

Session VIII
Domain 4 - Operations

 ZOOM
9:30 am - 10:30 am		 Friday, October
Mock Exam

10:00 am-12:00 pm - testing period online
12:15 - 1:30 pm - Discussion

1st Friday in November
CAE Exam

New info - The CAE exam is offered in a two-week window in December. 
The test is administered at scheduled test sites throughout the U.S. and internationally at Scantron testing centers. 

  

Need a class sooner than this summer?

Information for all courses is available at https://www.msae.org/certified-association-executive

Michigan SAE extends the member discount to GSAE members. Log in to your profile under "Member Offers" for the discount codes.   

  • The Full Course (save $300)
  • The Concentrated Course (save $200)
  • CRAM course fees are based on current/previous attendance so no discount code is needed

501c League CAE Study Groups

NEW 2023 CAE Study Guide Information from ASAE

The new CAE Study Guide 2023 is out now. The new guide has been updated to reflect the current CAE Core Resources and includes new study questions for each domain, and guiding principles and key terms for each subdomain. The material has also been streamlined and reorganized to help learners make a study plan and prepare for exam day. $82.00 member/nonmember price.

The new CAE Study Guide 2023 is for sale only in digital format via ASAE Bookshelf. ASAE Bookshelf is ASAE’s brand new digital books platform. It launched at the end of 2022 and now includes all the CAE Core Resources and the CAE Study Guide.

  • Users can highlight key text, make, and create flash cards to study key terms.
  • Great for learning cohorts: Users can share highlights and notes with anyone else who has the same book in ASAE Bookshelf.
  • ASAE Bookshelf is searchable across all purchased texts, so users don’t have to flip through pages or try to remember in which chapter or even which book they read a key insight.

Accessibility:

  • The Bookshelf platform conforms to level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and was "the first in the world" to receive a 100% accessibility score at EPUBtest.org in 2013.
  • Compatibility with screen readers, such as Microsoft Narrator, JAWS, NVDA, TalkBack, VoiceOver, and more
  • Common accessibility shortcuts with our scrubber bar, table of contents, and search that make navigation easy.
  • Built-in speech functionality with Read Aloud
  • Users have a choice of fonts, including OpenDyslexic fonts, so users can read in comfort.
  • Content controls, including altering screen colors, night mode, and magnification. 

CAE renewal info

CAE Renewal application link

Recertification due the third December 31 after original certification*

To maintain the certification, you must accumulate 40 CAE credit hours, submit a qualifying completed Certification Renewal Form, and pay certification renewal fees. CAE credit hours for certification renewal may be accumulated in a wide variety of ways, and executives involved in the profession should have little difficulty maintaining the certification. Qualifying activities for renewal credit include continuing education programs as outlined for CAE applicants and up to 10 CAE credit hours from leadership, instruction, and writing activities.

* All information courtesy of ASAE 

  • ASAE classes will auto-fill as long as you start your renewal while logged into the system
  • This sentence will appear: “The listed activities below have been imported from your ASAE record.  You will be able to submit additional professional development activities under the ASAE transcript. If you feel there is a discrepancy in your ASAE transcript please contact [email protected].”
  • To add an Ethics course, you must specify Ethics in the “Type of Program” drop-down menu
  • You need a total of 40 hours to renew, only 20 of those can be self-study. Live webinars count just like in-person clock hours.

To get your GSAE profile record to cut and paste into the application - Instructions online, including a full list of everything we’ve offered or sponsored over the last three years (sorry, it’s everything so you’ll have to go to the end of the doc)

To get your SeminarWeb record (these are the webinars offered at $45 per hour recorded or live), log in from this screen.

more helpful resources

asae assistance and info

For more information on the CAE designation, contact ASAE staff directly or visit ASAE's website

“CAE” is a registered trademark of the American Society of Association Executives and the Certified Association Executive Commission. The Study Guide is independent of the CAE certification program. No specific preparatory program is endorsed by the CAE Commission. The CAE Commission and CAE staff are solely responsible for the policies and administration of the CAE program. To learn more about CAE certification contact Credentialing at caedept "at" asaecenter.org or (202) 626-2759.

some of our favorite things

societies in the southeast

the nonprofit center

Easily one of our favorite folks on association management issues, Bob Harris, CAE, has 20 years experience with associations. His seminars are interactive, focused on core-knowledge and member needs. He utilizes case studies, trends and headlines board orientation, training, strategic planning, staff training and consulting. Best of all, Bob offers free templates and documents on his website so we can all benefit from his knowledge. Visit the Nonprofit Center.

Application for the CAE Exam
eligibility to sit

Approved Provider Update

The Georgia Society of Association Executives is a CAE Approved Provider. Where noted, the programs we offer meet the requirements for fulfilling the professional development requirements to earn or maintain the Certified Association Executive credential. Every program that we offer which qualifies for CAE credit will clearly identify the number of CAE credits granted for full participation, and we will maintain records of your participation in accord with CAE policies.

Note: GSAE programs are not endorsed, accredited, or affiliated with ASAE or the CAE program. Applicants may use any program that meets eligibility requirements in the specific time frame towards the exam application or renewal. There are no specific individual courses required as part of the applications – selection of eligible education is up to the applicant based on his/her needs.