Eligibility Requirements
I. Qualified candidates must have a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent.II. As a part of the application process, candidates must agree to adhere to the Code of Ethics for Certified Professional Organizers.
III. Candidates must be prepared to document a total of 1,500 hours of paid work experience in the last three (3) years. Paid work experience may include on-site organizing, coaching, consulting, training, virtual organizing, interactive workshops and speaking engagements, or any form of paid work experience which, through client interaction, transfers or teaches organizing skills.
Up to 250 substitute hours of the required 1,500 can be earned via college degrees, continuing education courses or professional development activities in the organizing field. Substitute hours may also be earned via organizing related writing and speaking engagements, or relevant paid work experience prior to becoming an organizer and accrued in the three years prior to the application date, as detailed below.
Candidates may claim a maximum of 250 hours of credit towards the required 1,500 hours of paid work experience from one or more of the following substitute categories:
A. Formal Education (non-cumulative, 100 hours credit maximum)
- AA Degree, 50 hours credit
- Bachelor Degree, 75 hours credit
- Advanced Degree, 100 hours credit
- Paid Speaking engagements, actual hours, maximum of 10 hours credit
- Mentor/Mentee/Apprenticeship, actual hours, maximum of 10 hours credit
- Publishing books, 20 per book, maximum of 40 hours credit
- Authoring articles (minimum 500 words per article), 10 per article, maximum of 30 hours credit
- Professional Association Membership, maximum of 10 hours credit
- Trainer/Teacher, maximum of 10 hours credit
- Serving on an Organizing Entity's Board of Directors, maximum of 10 hours credit
- Volunteer Work as an Organizer, maximum of 10 hours credit
C. Continuing Education Courses relating to Organizing (within the last 3 years)
For each course, the candidate may claim the actual hours attended, to a cumulative total of 250 hours. Sixty minutes of coursework is equal to one credit hour regardless of any number of continuing education credits (CEUs) another institution may have awarded for completion of the course.
D. Relevant Paid Work Experience Prior to Becoming an Organizer
25 per full-time year (maximum 3 years or 75 hours credit.) Experience must include the same criteria for transfer of skills as described in the 1500 hours requirement.
Recertification
After initial certification, recertification is required every three (3) years to ensure that a practitioner maintains his or her competence over time. Recertification may be achieved by either (a) asserting 1,000 hours of paid work in any area related to organizing, plus earning 45 organizing-related continuing education hours, during the 3-year period; or (b) retaking the examination. If the individual chooses to recertify by examination and fails, he or she may not then recertify via the Experience/Continuing Education method, and the prior certification is immediately revoked. Providing the eligibility requirements are met, he or she would be eligible to submit a new application for future examinations.
For CPOs eligible for recertification after December 31, 2010, recertification may be achieved by asserting 1,000 hours of paid work in any area related to organizing, plus either (a) earning 45 organizing-related continuing education hours during the 3-year period; or (b) taking a recertification examination.
If the individual chooses to recertify by examination and fails, he or she may not then recertify via the Experience/Continuing Education method, and the prior certification is immediately revoked. Providing the eligibility requirements are met, he or she would be eligible to submit a new application for future examinations.
