Community Association Financial Management (CAFM)

Professional Certification for Accounting Professionals In The Community Management Industry

Earning the CAFM

Community managers can earn the CAFM in 5 steps:

STEP 1: Review CACM’s available Individual Memberships for exclusive savings on registration for courses, events, and certification applications – Join now! Contact membership@cacm.org for more information.

STEP 2: Access education.cacm.org, My Certifications, and enroll in the Community Association Financial Management (CAFM) Certification.

STEP 3: Complete the six (6) required courses: The Basics of Association Management (BAM) series, California Law Series Module II only, Foundational Ethics for Community Managers, Budgeting,  Assessment Collections, Strategic Financial Planning.

STEP 4: Collect three (3) recommendation forms from a 1) board member, 2) employer, and 3) a CACM Certified manager.

STEP 5: Upload the required course completion documents, recommendation forms, and a completed CAFM Certification Application to your in-progress certification on education.cacm.org.

Though you may begin the certification process without having HOA industry experience by completing the six required CAFM certification courses; three years accounting or finance work experience, or be employed within community association management in accounting/finance functions full-time for a minimum of 12 months experience is required to submit the CAFM certification application.