Membership > Maintaining AIFD Accreditation

To maintain the status of an Accredited Member of AIFD, members must: 1) pay their annual membership dues (click here to renew your membership online); AND 2) meet certain continuing education requirements every three years.

Continuing Education Requirements for Maintaining AIFD Accreditation
Continuing professional development activities are essential in enabling professional floral designers to demonstrate their creative abilities and talent. Therefore, to retain the coveted Accredited in Floral Design designation, an AIFD Accredited Member must accumulate 25 points of continuing education or floral industry leadership every three years AND submit a completed Accreditation Renewal Report form for the first 21 years of his or her Accreditation. There is no longer any fee associated with submitting your Accreditation Renewal Report form. Members can submit this form online or print the form, complete it and mail or fax it to AIFD headquarters. See the chart below to learn more about how to earn your 25 Continuing Education units

Accreditation Renewal Report Form
The Accreditation Renewal Report form can be submitted online or printed out, completed and mailed or faxed to AIFD headquarters.

Continuing Education Points Must be Reported Every Three Years
Continued education points for renewal of AIFD Accreditation can be earned from the date immediately following the National Symposium in which a member was inducted, until the final date of a National Symposium three years later. Then, in a similar pattern for each of the next three year periods until the member has reached 21 years of membership. (Click here to see the schedule for reporting CEU's).

Upon reaching 21 years of continuous Accredited Membership, the member shall be waived from needing to meet further continuing education requirements provided that he or she maintains his or her membership in good standing with the Institute. Also, should a member have reached the age of 65 and be fully retired from the floral industry, the requirement of continuing education shall be waived.


Procedures
AIFD will mail reminder notices to all AIFD Accredited Members of the continuing education maintenance requirement six months prior to the expiration of any three year continuing education renewal cycle. A report on maintenance points can be submitted online or via mail/fax at any time the AIFD Accredited Members has earned the total 25 continuing education units. This report will be kept in a member personnel file. You may reproduce this report form on your word processor or include additional pages as necessary. Renewal forms are retained for three (3) years by the Institute’s Accreditation Department. If you plan to complete your 25 CE credits by attending the
next Symposium, please indicate such and return this form now. AIFD will verify your attendance.


Those Failing to Report CE Points Face Termination of Membership
CE Reporting Forms are due by June 15.

The Board of Directors of the American Institute of Floral Designers and its Accreditation Evaluation Committee have set the following policy to address the loss of Accreditation due to failure to meet the renewal requirement:

AIFD members who have not acquired sufficient continuing education points for renewal ont he scheduled renewal date will be notified in writing that their Accreditation is suspended and they are prohibited from using the AIFD designation and will no longer be listed as an AIFD Accredited Members until the floral designer:

1. Resubmits to the Accreditation process and successfully meets the criteria for Accreditation or;

2. Accumulates and reports a total of 25 continuing continuing education points within one year of his/her date of suspension.

Should an AIFD Accredited Member fail to comply with either of the above or fail to renew his/her annual membership in AIFD within 12 months, he or she will be terminated from membership and shall have no alternative but to resubmit to the Accreditation process and successfully meet the criteria for Accreditation.

How to Earn Your 25 CE/Service Units Every 3 Years

National Symposium	CEUs Earned
Attendance to all educational programs	20 (or 5 per full day)
Stage or Program presentation	25
Regional Symposium
Attendance	10
Stage Presentation	15
Other Program	10
AIFD Across America
Attendance	10
Presenter	15
Allied Design Program
Attendance	3 (Max. 9 pts)
Design Program Presenter	5
State Conventions
Attendance	5
Design Program Presenter	10
Wholesale Design Program
Attendance	3 (Max. 9 pts)
Design Program Presenter	5
Educator
University Instructor	10/for 3 years
Floral Design School Instructor	5/for 3 years
Public Presentations
Presenter	2 (Max. 10 pts)
Attendee	1 (Max. 5 pts)
Design Articles in National Floral Publication
Writer	5 (Max. 10 pts)
Designer - No Ads	5 (Max. 10 pts)
Design Articles in State/Local Industry Publication
Writer	2 (Max. 10 pts)
Leadership Service
Officer AIFD National	4 per year
Director AIFD National	3 per year
Officer/Director AIFD Regional Chapter	2 per year
Officer/Director Other National Floral Organization	1 per year
Officer/Director State/Local Floral Organization	1 per year
Committee Chairperson AIFD	2 per year
Committee Chairperson Other National Floral Organization	2 per year
Committee Chairperson State/Local Floral Organization	1 per year
Membership Committee AIFD	2 per year
Committee Member AIFD	1 per year
Committee Member Other National Floral Organization	1 per year
Committee Member State/Local Floral Organization	1 per year

Schedule for Reporting CEUs

AIFD is demonstrating leadership in floral design education by asking that its members earn 25 units of continuing education and/or industry leadership every three years. Below is the schedule of when members will need to report their education/leadership accomplishments based on their year of induction.

Year of Induction	Years When CE Report Due
1988 or earlier	Not Required
1989-1991	2010
1992-1994	2010 & 2013
1995-1997	2010, 2013 & 2016
1998-2000	2010, 2013, 2016 & 2019
2001-	2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 & 2022
2002-	2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2020 & 2023
2003-	2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021 & 2024
2004-	2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022 & 2025
2005-	2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2023 & 2026
2006-	2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2024 & 2027
2007-	2010, 2013, 2016, 2020, 2023 & 2026