10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The ACFRE exam has 7 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free ACFRE questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A regional scholarship organization can add one prospect to a six-month major-gift portfolio. Its approved opportunity is a $250,000 scholarship fund, and each prospect can be approached through an existing relationship. Which profile provides the strongest basis for assigning individualized solicitation work now?
Correct answer: A - A volunteer with verified capacity for this gift who has requested a discussion of funding these scholarships.
'I understand the project and have discussed it with my family. Please send me a proposal for $300,000 paid over three years,' a donor tells the development director. The request fits the approved project, and the director has authority to make the proposal. A colleague recommends waiting because the donor has not attended the organization's usual series of cultivation events. The director should:
Correct answer: A - Prepare the requested proposal and confirm the donor's terms and decision timetable.
An arts organization has costed a $9 million expansion and confirmed demand. Feasibility interviews show broad support, but every prospect identified for the three largest gift opportunities says they would consider giving only after someone else leads. The board wants to announce the full campaign to create momentum. How should the development executive address this evidence?
Correct answer: B - Test specific leadership commitments before deciding the campaign's public launch goal and timing.
During a gift-planning meeting, a U.S. donor describes three priorities: make an irrevocable transfer now, provide her son with annual payments that rise or fall with the value of the invested assets, and leave the remaining assets to the charity at his death. Her advisers will address drafting and tax qualification. Which arrangement matches the payment pattern she is seeking?
Correct answer: D - A charitable remainder unitrust
The annual-giving report shows 900 donors last year. This year, 540 of them gave again, alongside 240 first-time donors and 120 donors who returned after skipping last year. The prior-year cohort contributed $1.08 million this year, compared with $1 million last year. The chief executive says the unchanged donor count proves relationships held steady. Which response correctly interprets the renewal result?
Correct answer: B - Donor retention was 60%; revenue growth from the prior-year cohort coexists with substantial donor loss.
At fiscal year-end, a U.S. literacy nonprofit has received a $240,000 foundation payment. Entitlement depends on opening two new teaching sites by the following June, and the agreement requires repayment if that requirement is not met. Neither site has opened, although management expects both to open next quarter. The award purchases no services for the foundation. Under U.S. GAAP, how should the receipt be classified now?
Correct answer: D - Record a refundable advance because the site-opening condition has not been substantially met.
While preparing a stewardship mailing, a domestic-violence charity discovers that a publicly accessible donor export includes current contact addresses of several survivors. Access logs show downloads are continuing. The development director can have access revoked immediately without deleting the file or logs. What response takes priority in the next few minutes?
Correct answer: C - Revoke public access, preserve the evidence, and activate the designated incident-response team.
A development committee has agreed to replace two events with a volunteer-led annual campaign. Members explain the case accurately, endorse the change, and correctly describe the solicitation process. In realistic rehearsals, however, they lose their place when a donor questions the amount and avoid making the ask. What would most directly improve their performance?
Correct answer: C - Use coached donor-role practice with feedback until members can make and handle the ask.
A capital donor offers to pay the full construction cost of a neighborhood service center. Demand and construction feasibility are established. Staffing, utilities, and maintenance would create substantial recurring costs that existing unrestricted revenue cannot cover. The board asks for an acceptance recommendation that addresses more than whether construction is funded. What belongs at the center of the development executive's recommendation?
Correct answer: C - A multiyear operating plan testing recurring funding and phased delivery against full expansion.
The executive director tells the fundraising team, 'AFP's ethics rules mean development staff cannot receive performance bonuses.' The organization already offers fair, documented merit bonuses across other departments. Which proposed correction is consistent with AFP's compensation standards?
Correct answer: B - Allow a fixed-dollar merit award consistent with organizational practice, not percentage-based fundraising pay.
The ACFRE exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
The full bank has 1,020 more ACFRE questions with explanations.
Continue in the free practice test →
View plans