Donors' contributions to a 501(c)(3) organization are tax-deductible only if the contribution is for the use of the 501(c)(3) organization, and that the 501(c)(3) organization is not merely serving as an agent or conduit of a foreign charitable organization.
Expect ~$1,000 USD per exam for the exam fees and the CFA Institute books. Most people will also use a third-party self-study packages, which include practice exams, condensed books (the CFA ones are 2x+ longer), study tips, online question banks, etc. Factor in an additional $500-1,000 USD per exam for these. Schweser is the most popular study package: http://www.schweser.com/cfa/. No matter how diligent you think you are, most people I know took an additional 5-10 days holiday in the run-up to the exam.
If youâre aged 30+, youâre a CFA outlier. The CFA Program isnât easy. Every exam requires 300 hours of study, which is tough when you also have a job and a family. In 2014, the CFA Institute tells us that the average CFA I candidate was aged 26.5, that the average CFA II was aged 28.2 and that the average CFA III candidate was aged 29.7.