If you’re a floral professional or hope to become one, you may be wondering what is AIFD and if you should join or obtain floral certification through AIFD. 

Becoming a member of organizations that support your professional work and encourage lifelong learning can be an important step to creating and maintaining a sustainable floral business. 

At Team Flower, we’re all about lifelong education and uplifting our industry community. In this article we’ll be diving into:

• What AIFD is

• The incredible tools AIFD offers

• AIFD floral certification

• The advantages and alternatives to joining AIFD

• Real-life insight about AIFD shared by experienced professional floral designers—and more!

Let’s jump right in.

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What Is AIFD?

The acronym AIFD stands for the American Institute of Floral Designers. AIFD is a nonprofit organization that is committed to establishing, maintaining, and recognizing high standards in professional floral design work as a valued art form.

AIFD offers a membership, certification, education, and yearly AIFD symposium to support, educate, and celebrate the art of floral professionals. It is a revered organization and proudly invests in the future of the floral industry through high school and college floristry initiatives. 

The organization also offers local chapters. Like any professional organization, joining a group that supports your work as a florist can help strengthen your business and your network. Membership with AIFD is one way to do so.

What Does AIFD Offer?

If you decide to join AIFD, there are a couple core benefits that the organization offers.

AIFD Membership

Floral professionals can join AIFD as a candidate before they’re officially certified through the organization’s education and testing requirements.

According to the AIFD website (as of the date of this article), it costs $150 to enroll as a candidate, $1,550 for the complete Professional Floral Design Evaluation and testing, and then additional induction and certification fees are required if you’re invited to join the organization as a certified member.

After certification, members pay annual dues ranging from $164 to $339, depending on level of certification within the organization and early bird pricing. Continuing education credits are required to maintain certification status, and AIFD offers online classes for continued learning for $79 for each member ($99 for those who are not members).(1)

AIFD Certification

Certification through AIFD is something many floral professionals hold in high esteem, as AIFD is a reputable and honored national organization. There are two routes within the organization to becoming a certified floral designer:

1. Certified Floral Designer (CFD): To become a certified floral designer through AIFD, interested floral professionals must apply and complete either the Professional Floral Design Evaluation or the education and testing requirements. CFDs must also complete a certain number of continuing education hours to be met every five years.(2)

2. Accredited Member of AIFD: To become an accredited member of AIFD, interested floral professionals must be certified floral designers and, according to the AIFD, be “committed to advancing the art of professional floral design through education, service and leadership.” Accredited Members of AIFD are able to use the trademark after their name. (That’s an honor that accredited members have worked hard for!) There are also additional continuing education requirements with AIFD to maintain your accreditation status.(3)  

AIFD Symposium

The AIFD symposium is a yearly floral show where floral designers across the globe come together to learn, induct new members, compete in floral design through a judged competition, and honor floral work as an art form. It’s open to AIFD members and nonmembers alike.

Should You Become an AIFD Member If You’re a Professional Floral Designer?

If you’re asking this question, you’re not alone! At Team Flower, we get questions like these all the time: 

• How do you become a certified floral designer? 

• Do you need to be a certified florist to start a business?

If you’re in the United States, earning a floral designer certification through any organization isn’t required to start your business or to begin your floral career. 

However, becoming a Certified Floral Designer (CFD) with AIFD is a professional honor and achievement that many career floral professionals choose to earn—and we celebrate that achievement and goal right alongside you!

But you may be surprised to know that some of your favorite industry-leading floral designers do not have formal floral certification. Professional floral education comes in so many forms, and we honor the great diversity of educational options that a career in floristry offers.

Ultimately, AIFD is a widely known and reputable floral certification program in the industry. Deciding to become an AIFD member is personal to each floral professional. AIFD has plenty of educational information available to help you make the decision for your business, but we’ll be diving into some key advantages below.

Looking for a professional floral industry group to grow with? Check out the Team Flower Community—a lifetime membership is only a small one-time membership fee.

Advantages to Joining AIFD

1. Professional accomplishment

One of the advantages to joining AIFD is the personal and professional accomplishment of being a floral designer with a nationally recognized certification.

Getting certified requires additional floral design education and a challenging testing process.

Real-life insight: If you’re looking to hear directly from others who made the leap to join AIFD, Team Flower Member Courtney Kroymann shares her journey to making the decision in her article “Top Reasons Why I Decided to Get My AIFD Floral Accreditation.”

2. Possible long-term income benefits

Joining AIFD and receiving certification through their process may lead to additional income. Your clients may like knowing they’re working with a floral designer who is committed to long-term professional education and growth, and AIFD is one way to do so. In addition, other floral professionals may seek you out for teaching or apprenticeship opportunities, which can earn additional income.

However, again, you might be surprised to discover that many floral leaders in the industry are not certified through AIFD. Not being certified through AIFD does not necessarily mean that your income potential will be limited.

Real-life insight: Team Flower Member Marlowe Long is a second-generation floral professional who shares the benefits of hiring a professional florist to teach the staff of her family’s floristry business. (And she hired an AIFD accredited florist to do so!)

3. AIFD Can Provide a Sense of community and a large professional network

There’s no doubt that one of the biggest advantages to joining any professional organization is the support, insight, and community received from like-minded individuals.

Real-life insight: Experienced floral designer, second generation florist, and Team Flower Member Marissa Guerrero writes about expanding your floral education by growing your network. Organizations such as AIFD can be a crucial step in building a larger network of “flower friends” and growing professionally as you do.

Alternatives to Becoming an AIFD Certified Floral Designer or AIFD Member

For experienced floral designers (or individuals new to the floral industry) who are looking for alternatives to joining AIFD—or alternatives to getting certified through the organization—there are many reputable options available. 

And if you’re wondering how you can ensure clients of your design reputability, education, and experience, you can advertise that your business commits to ongoing professional education and development, including training in on-trend florals, sustainable design techniques, and more.

Here are three alternatives to becoming an AIFD Member if you’re looking for other options.

Option #1: Education Led by Experienced, Innovative Floral Designers

If you’re seeking out professional growth or initial floral education, receiving floral design training through workshops or classes taught by experienced designers is a great route to take.

Many organizations (and even individual floral design professionals) offer in-person classes, online floral design courses, in-person workshops and floral intensives, conferences, and more.

If you’re looking for comprehensive floral education (with lifetime access to all the videos, supplemental materials, and more!), check out Team Flower’s lineup of online floral design classes. (We also offer growing and business classes, too!)

Option #2: Apprenticeships and Freelancing

Designing under experienced and acclaimed floral pros (in your local community and beyond) through apprenticeships and freelancing can provide a wealth of knowledge, fresh ideas, and industry connections.

And for students working through floristry degree programs, floral design internships can offer the same benefits as apprenticing and freelancing.

Option #3: Team Flower Community Membership

We might be a little biased, but the Team Flower Community is one of the most welcoming, inclusive floral industry membership groups available. The Team Flower Community is an online support network that is made up of floral professionals across the globe and from every sector of the industry—floral designers, botanical artists, flower farmers, farmer-florists, wholesalers, and so many more!

It’s more than a floral forum or Facebook group. It’s a safe, private, kindhearted place to:

• Give and receive business and design feedback

• Discover insightful floral mechanic tips

• Find freelancers

• Search for help by topic

• And more!

In the Community, you’ll receive a lifetime of meaningful professional support as you care for your clients through the art and beauty of flowers.

Is a Professional Floral Organization Right for You?

Overall, there are many different routes a floral professional can take to grow a network, continue their floral education, and participate in professional development.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, and the floral industry provides a variety of educational and networking opportunities.

Joining a professional organization not only provides a strong sense of camaraderie, but it also strengthens your professional network and has the ability to help your career long term. And in the case of becoming a certified floral designer through AIFD, that is an honor to be celebrated! 

Whatever choice is right for your floral business and career goals, we give you three cheers to the good work you’re doing in the world as you love the world through flowers.

Sources:

(1) “Membership FAQs.” AIFD. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://aifd.org/membership/frequently-asked-questions/#q6

(2) “Membership FAQs.” AIFD. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://aifd.org/membership/becoming-a-cfd/ 

(3) “Membership FAQs.” AIFD. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://aifd.org/membership/frequently-asked-questions/#q2