Learn more about how becoming a CPO^® can enhance your professional life.
Top reasons to sit for the CPO^® exam:

• Show your professionalism.
• Demonstrate you are on the cutting edge of your industry.
• Attain instant credibility. By becoming certified, an organizer will validate their knowledge and experience, based on the highest industry, psychometric, and legal standards.
• Achieve personal satisfaction—sitting for the examination provides a rare opportunity to demonstrate your self-confidence, professional commitment, and personal initiative in a professional environment governed by rigorous standards.
• Gain recognition from clients, peers, employers, employees, coworkers, the industry, the media, publishers, and companies looking for spokespeople.
• Contribute personally to strengthening the profession. A CPO^® will serve as an example for newer organizers with regard to the importance of professional standards, contributing to the developing of industry standards as a whole.
• Display your ongoing commitment to personal development and education. Preparing for the examination is an opportunity to stay current in an increasingly competitive job market.
• Differentiate yourself from the competition. Give yourself an excuse to design new business cards, letterhead, and other print pieces featuring the coveted CPO^® designation after your name.
• Confirm your dedication to the professional organizing industry.

Professional Testimonials

“I encourage veteran organizers to consider seeking certification. As our industry grows, matures, and becomes more recognized as The Organizing Authority^®, many of our future clients will be looking for and asking about our knowledge and skills. I have already been asked by a couple of my clients what classes does one need to take and is there any certification of professional organizers. Yes, really. Certification indicates proficiency in the core competencies of a profession. It gives further credence to being the experts in the field. I will certainly be sitting for the exam. I want those initials behind my name and the opportunity to explain them to prospective clients. Better for my business and better for our industry, which, in turn, makes it better for all of us.”

—Sandy Stelter, Strategic Organizing Solutions-SOS, NAPO Treasurer

“If NAPO is The Organizing Authority^®, its members are the experts. Experts and professionals get credentialed whenever possible. The authority in any industry is the ''best.' The 'best' in NAPO will be those who have a CPO^® behind their name. I don't know how it is in your geographic area, but where I live, people shop in the phone book for an organizer. I'm told sometimes they choose my name first because my listing says I have been in business for 26 years. If I don't have the credential, but a colleague who has been in business a much shorter time does, it will not come across right. It will look like I think my longevity is enough to get by. That may be true in the beginning years of the credential, but it won't be long before the public is educated about what it means, and questions why I don't have the credential.”

—Kate Rhoad, Kate Rhoad-Professional Organizer, NAPO-Houston Past President

“I have been a leader in the professional organizing industry for 22 years. As certification is the next step in the development of our industry, I will definitely be part of the inaugural certification exam. Continued visibility as a leader is important to me as people will acknowledge the foresight and courage it took to initiate this step in the growth and development of our industry. The benefits to my business will continue through the years as Certified Professional Organizer^® becomes the norm.”

—Angela Wallace, Wallace Associates, NAPO Director

“As the largest Organizing Services firm in Washington State, the CPO^® exam will help set our company apart. I believe that clients will want to work with an individual that is certified, not just the certified business owner. Having a team of CPOs, will show that our POs have the necessary skills and are serious about the work they do. It will be impressive to individuals that may be 'shopping' around for a PO.”

—Laura Leist, Eliminate Chaos, NAPO President

“Certification of any industry is a milestone to be embraced and celebrated. It is a natural development and a measure of an industry's maturity and long-term viability in the marketplace. The professional organizing industry has matured to the point that potential clients are increasingly asking about our credentials and what makes us uniquely qualified to do the work we do. By becoming certified, I am demonstrating to the public that I have made a calculated commitment to my career as a professional organizer and have embarked on a course of continuing education to keep abreast of new developments. For me, certification is the next logical step in my professional maturity and will ensure my long-term viability in the marketplace.”

—Barry Izsak, Arranging It All, NAPO President 2003–2007