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.
But in summary, you need: 1  4 years of relevant experience. 2  It can gained before, during or after the CFA exam. 3  If you qualify for the exam using the experience route (#3 and #4 in the CFA exam requirements above), you canât double count the same experience for this step.  Only full-time work is acceptable.