AIA|DC

What AIA|DC does

AIA|DC is a non-profit professional membership association and the Washington DC chapter of the American Institute of Architects, founded in 1887 and headquartered at 421 7th Street NW in the District Architecture Center. The organization serves licensed architects, emerging professionals, and architecture firms in the DC metropolitan area through a hybrid model combining membership subscriptions, continuing education, professional committees, awards and competitions, civic advocacy, and in-person programming. It also serves as a regional cultural institution, delivering public exhibitions, architectural tours, and youth programs through its co-located affiliate, the Washington Architectural Foundation (WAF).

The organization's core product is the AIA|DC Job Center, a Naylor Association Solutions–hosted job board and career services platform with applicant tracking, resume database access, and candidate matching. It is monetized through tiered transactional job posting packages ($165-$1,815), annual Featured Employer branding subscriptions ($525-$6,950), and add-on professional services including career coaching sessions, reference checking, and resume writing. A secondary product surface is the District Architecture Center website and ArchitectureDC Magazine, which support membership acquisition, event promotion, and content marketing. Most recently, AIA|DC has expanded into AI-themed professional education through a partnership with Deltek.

Revenue is generated through five primary streams: recurring membership dues, transactional job posting fees, recurring Featured Employer branding subscriptions, professional services (coaching, reference checking), and educational program fees. Go-to-market is community-led, with distribution via direct membership at the DC headquarters, self-serve online job board sign-up, social media (Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn), email newsletter, and in-person events. The organization does not disclose revenue, has 11-50 employees, and is governed under Maryland law as a non-profit.

Name

AIA|DC

Legal name

American Institute of Architects - DC

Website

https://aiadc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AIA|DC is a non-profit professional membership association and the DC chapter of the American Institute of Architects, serving architects, design professionals, and architecture firms in the Washington DC metro area through membership programs, continuing education, a Naylor-hosted job board, and civic advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Appointment Setting & Sales Development (SDR/BDR) Services (BPAFAKAD)

Keywords

• Professional membership association
• Architecture career services
• Continuing education programs
• Industry job board
• Professional networking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for architects and design professionals to join AIA|DC and access professional resources, networking, and member benefits
2. Job Posting Fees: Revenue from employers paying to post job listings on the AIA|DC Job Center platform. Packages range from single 30-day postings to bulk 10-post packages, with member and non-member pricing tiers
3. Featured Employer Branding: Premium branding packages for employers including header banner ads, enhanced logo visibility, highlighted job listings, brand profile pages, and corporate video integration
4. Career Services: Coaching sessions, resume writing services, and reference checking services provided through partnerships with certified career coaches and TopResume
5. Educational Programs: Free and paid continuing education courses, live courses on AI in architecture, and professional development workshops offered to members and non-members

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AIA|DC is a non-profit professional membership association serving architects and design professionals in the Washington DC metropolitan area. It sells individual and firm memberships, an architecture-industry job board with paid employer postings, career services (coaching, resume writing, reference checking), continuing education courses, networking events, and advocacy programs. The organization operates the District Architecture Center as a physical and programmatic community hub.

Product overview

AIA|DC operates a platform-plus-services model centered on its Job Center, a comprehensive career services portal for architecture professionals. The core offering includes the job board platform with tiered posting packages, enhanced by Featured Employer branding options. Supporting services include a Career Learning Center with articles and video presentations, professional coaching packages, reference checking, and resume writing services (via TopResume partnership). The organization also maintains its main District Architecture Center website for membership, events, and professional resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AIA|DC Membership Annual membership for individual architects and design professionals in the DC metropolitan area, providing access to continuing education, networking events, member-only pricing on job postings and career services, advocacy, awards, and committee participation.
• AIA|DC Job Center
• Career Coaching Services
• Reference Checking
• Continuing Education Programs Free and paid continuing education courses, live courses (e.g., on AI in architecture), and professional development workshops offered to members and non-members to support licensure and ongoing professional learning.
• ArchitectureDC Magazine

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DeltekcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026AIA|DC partners with Deltek to offer a free live course on using AI to improve specification workflows in architecture. The course highlights AI-driven accuracy, error reduction, and collaboration benefits for architectural firms, coinciding with architectural events and conferences.
• Naylor Association SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationNaylor provides the software platform and hosting for the AIA|DC Job Center sub-domain (jobcenter.aiadc.com). Their data processor agreement covers the collection and processing of user information for the job board and career center services.
• Washington Architectural Foundation (WAF)coreOthersWAF is a related organization housed at the District Architecture Center that shares the power of architecture to transform community. It operates alongside AIA|DC under the DAC umbrella.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AIA San Francisco: Major metro AIA chapter offering parallel programming, continuing education, and community hub operations. Comparable on member-services sophistication and urban professional association scale.
• AIA Virginia: Neighboring AIA chapter in the Mid-Atlantic region serving Virginia architects with the same chapter-level membership, events, and career services model. Direct geographic and structural competitor for DC-area member attention.
• AIA New York: Another large metropolitan AIA chapter operating the same member-services, continuing education, advocacy, and job board model under the same AIA national umbrella. Closely comparable on structure, revenue mix, and product offerings.

Emerging players

• Archinect: Architecture-focused online community and job board serving architects and design professionals. Directly comparable as an alternative architecture talent marketplace competing for the same job-seeker and employer relationships.
• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA): Professional association for landscape architects with parallel chapter-level structure, member events, advocacy, and continuing education. Comparable on professional society economics serving design professions.
• American Society of Interior Designers (ASID): Professional membership association for interior designers with analogous chapter structure, continuing education, advocacy, and member benefits. Comparable on association economics and member-services model.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): International counterpart professional body for architects offering membership, education, and advocacy. Comparable on professional credentialing and member-services architecture for the design profession.
• American Institute of Architects (AIA National): The national parent organization providing membership credentials, national advocacy, and shared services. AIA|DC operates as a chapter under AIA national, making it the structural umbrella rather than a pure competitor.
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): Large national professional association for civil engineers using a similar dues-plus-programming model with local sections. Comparable on association operating economics and continuing education compliance.

Others

• Urban Land Institute (ULI): Membership-based research and education organization focused on land use and real estate development. Overlaps with AIA|DC's community on DC-area development professionals and built-environment programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WashingtonDCAIA
• Facebookfacebook.com/AIADC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aiadc
• Instagraminstagram.com/districtarchcenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AIA|DC