Incentive Award Program

At its June 8, 2011 meeting, the Chapter Board of Officers established an Incentive Award Program to encourage members to obtain the CFE professional certification. Each calendar year (January 1 – December 31) the Board will recognize one associate member who becomes a Certified Fraud Examiner during that year, by granting him/her an award of not more than $500 to help defray the cost of obtaining the CFE professional designation.

Yearly Schedule

Deadline to Fulfill all Requirements – December 31 of each year
Winner Announced – at the Chapter's February Fraud Seminar Meeting the following year

Eligibility

Anyone who does NOT already have their CFE professional certification is eligible for the Incentive Award Program.

How to Apply for the Incentive Award

Complete the pre-requisites to sit for the ACFE exam
Be or become a Member of the ACFE
Be or become an Associate Member of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the ACFE
Study and prepare for the ACFE exam
Register for the CFE Examination
Communicate to the PNW Chapter Board of Officers, your intent to apply for this Chapter Incentive Award
Attend at least two (2) of the Chapter's monthly fraud training seminars during the calendar year
Take and pass the CFE examination
Notification of CFE examination results
Document and communicate your completion of the Chapter Incentive Award requirements to the PNW Chapter Board of Officers
Incentive Award Program winner announced

Exam Pre-Requisites

There are multiple pre-requisites to sit for the CFE examination including an education and experience component, and three reference letters. Although the reference letters are not required immediately, the education and experience requirements may take time to fulfill, so we recommend you review and achieve those before considering applying for this incentive award.

Associate Memberships

To become an Associate Member of the ACFE please review the requirements at https://www.acfe.com/associate-membership.aspx. To become an Associate Member of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the ACFE please review the requirements on the Membership tab above.

Study and Prepare for the ACFE exam

The applicant needs to prepare for the CFE exam. This can be accomplished on your own or by any of the methods listed at http://www.acfe.com/details-exam-preparation.aspx.

Register for the CFE Examination

Next the applicant needs to apply to take the CFE exam. This can be done at http://www.acfe.com/apply-for-cfe-exam.aspx. At this point the exam pre-requisites need to be completed, including the three letters of reference and education and experience.

Communicate Intent to the PNW Chapter Board

The award applicant must notify the Chapter Board of Officers, after January 1, that he/she has registered to take the CFE Examination, and that he/she intends to apply for the Chapter Incentive Award after becoming a Certified Fraud Examiner. This declaration of intent should be in writing, either through US Postal mail or through a simple e-mail. See below for mailing information.

Training Attendance Requirement

All award applicants must attend at least two (2) of the Chapter’s monthly Fraud Training Seminars during the annual Incentive Award Program period. These training events are held generally each month. The applicant can attend these events anytime during the calendar year for which the applicant is applying for this award. It does not need to be done before or after taking the actual exam.

Take and Pass the CFE Examination

The applicant must sit for and pass the CFE examination by following the requirements at http://www.acfe.com/details-taking-exam.aspx.

Notification of CFE Examination Results

Upon ACFE notification of passing the CFE Examination, the award applicant must mail the following documents to the Chapter Board of Officers not later than December 31 of the annual period:

A copy of the congratulations letter from ACFE
A written statement certifying which PNW Chapter trainings were attended
A list of personal expenses incurred to become a CFE
A written statement certifying they have not, and will not, be otherwise reimbursed for CFE certification expenses

The copy of the congratulations letter from the ACFE should state that the applicant has passed the CFE Examination, specifying that the award applicant has met all ACFE requirements to become a Certified Fraud Examiner, and providing their new CFE professional certification number granted by the ACFE. The actual frameable certification does not have to be received to be eligible. The Chapter Incentive Award will not reimburse more than $500. It will only reimburse personal expenses which have not been and will not be reimbursed from any other source, such as from their employer.

Incentive Award Program Selection Process

After December 31st, the Chapter Board of Officers will determine which applicants are qualified to receive the award. At the February Chapter Fraud Training Seminar, each qualified award applicant's name will be recorded on a piece of paper, all pieces of paper will be placed in a suitable container and mixed. In a random drawing, the President (or next ranking Chapter Officer) will designate a member of the Board of Officers to draw the name of the winning applicant. After verification, the Chapter Board of Officers will declare this individual to be the winner of the annual Incentive Award Program. The Chapter Treasurer is then authorized to disburse the appropriate amount of funds to the award recipient.

The award recipient does not have to be present to win. However, if the award recipient is present at the February fraud seminar meeting, the President (or next ranking Chapter Officer) of the Chapter Board of Officers will make the award presentation during the meeting. If not, the award presentation will be made at a subsequent meeting. Any pictures taken of the award presentation may be published in a subsequent Chapter newsletter.

Mailing Information

Applicants should scan the required Incentive Award Program documents into PDF formatted files and e-mail them to the Board at info@pnwacfe.org

Further Information / Questions

Questions regarding the Pacific Northwest Chapter/ACFE Incentive Award program should be directed to the Chapter President by e-mail at i nfo@pnwacfe.org.