Professional Women’s Network

What Professional Women’s Network does

Professional Women's Network (PWN) is a private nonprofit membership organization headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, founded in November 1979 by Jean Kruse, Liz Sparks, and Carolyn Stephens. It serves professional women across the Eastern Iowa region with a horizontally segmented membership spanning healthcare, legal, project management, entrepreneurship, real estate, government, and adjacent industries, plus students and retirees. PWN's stated mission is to improve the upward mobility of women in the professional and business world through the tagline "Women Helping Women." The organization is governed by a volunteer board of 10–14 directors serving three-year terms, supported by a part-time administrative coordinator, and runs on a community-led, volunteer-driven operating model.

PWN's product surface consists of three membership tiers — Regular ($89/calendar year), Student ($44.50 with full-time enrollment verification), and Retiree ($44.50 for members 65+) — plus monthly general membership meetings on the fourth Thursday of each month, irregular Networking Night Out social events, a member-only Facebook group, a monthly email newsletter, the Partnering/Pairing onboarding program, and the PWN Scholarship Foundation, which awards up to five approximately $1,000 scholarships annually to non-traditional female students at Iowa institutions within 60 miles of Linn County. Underlying technology is a standard website with cookie-based analytics and social media integration; there is no proprietary software platform, mobile app, or AI capability.

The business model is a subscription recurring dues structure billed annually on a calendar-year basis, processed via website self-service through PayPal, supplemented by tax-deductible donations and corporate sponsorship. Distribution is overwhelmingly community-led: prospective members may attend two events before joining, new members are onboarded through the Partnering/Pairing Program, and existing-member referrals are the primary acquisition channel. No revenue figure, member count, or external funding is disclosed, and the organization does not operate outside the Eastern Iowa region.

Name

Professional Women’s Network

Legal name

Professional Women's Network

Website

https://pwnia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Professional Women's Network is a Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based nonprofit founded in 1979 that serves professional women across Eastern Iowa through tiered annual memberships, monthly networking meetings, a scholarship foundation, and a community-led referral model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Networking Membership Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional & Career Networks (BPAMABAB)

Keywords

• Professional women's networking
• Membership association
• Women's scholarship foundation
• Career development community
• Monthly networking meetings

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees provide the primary revenue stream. Standard membership is $89 per year, with discounted rates of $44.50 for students and retirees. All memberships operate on a calendar year basis (January 1 through December 31), valid for one year from application date.
2. Donations and Corporate Sponsorship: The organization accepts tax-deductible donations to support operations and the scholarship foundation. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are also available as an alternative giving pathway.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Professional Women's Network is a nonprofit membership association that sells annual individual memberships ($89 Regular; $44.50 Student and Retiree) to professional women in Eastern Iowa. Members gain access to monthly networking meetings, an exclusive Facebook group, a monthly newsletter, social/networking events, and the PWN Scholarship Foundation. The organization also facilitates a Partnering/Pairing Program that pairs new members with veteran members.

Product overview

Professional Women's Network is a membership-based professional networking organization offering a unified membership program with tiered pricing (Regular, Student, and Retiree memberships) at $89.00, $44.50, and reduced rates respectively. The core offerings include monthly general membership meetings held on the fourth Thursday of each month, Networking Night Out events throughout the year, an exclusive member-only Facebook group, and the PWN Scholarship Foundation which awards up to five scholarships of approximately $1,000 annually to non-traditional female students. Members also receive a monthly newsletter with updates on meetings, events, and announcements. New members are welcomed through the Partnering/Pairing Program which pairs them with veteran members. All memberships run on a calendar year basis from January 1st.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PWN Scholarship Foundation: Scholarship program established to financially assist non-traditional female students with their educational endeavors.

Products and services

• Regular Membership Annual full-privilege membership for professional women at $89.00 USD, providing access to monthly networking meetings, the member-only Facebook group, social events, scholarship eligibility, and a monthly newsletter for one calendar year.
• Student Membership Discounted annual membership at $44.50 USD for women enrolled full-time in a degree or certificate program, providing the same benefits as Regular Membership for one calendar year.
• Retiree Membership Discounted annual membership at $44.50 USD for women at least 65 years of age, providing the same benefits as Regular Membership for one calendar year.
• PWN Scholarship Foundation Financial assistance program awarding up to five scholarships of approximately $1,000 per academic year to non-traditional female students attending qualifying Iowa educational institutions within 60 miles of Linn County (including Coe College, Cornell College, Kirkwood Community College, Mount Mercy University, University of Iowa, and University of Northern Iowa), plus encouragement and emotional support from PWN members.
• Monthly General Membership Meetings Monthly in-person membership meetings held on the fourth Thursday of each month (typically luncheons from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM) featuring keynote speakers and structured assigned-table networking, available to members and to guests attending up to two meetings free of charge before joining.
• Networking Night Out Events Irregularly scheduled social events held throughout the year that double as professional networking opportunities for PWN members.
• Member-Only Facebook Group Exclusive online Facebook community available to PWN members for sharing wins, events, and news, facilitating ongoing peer connection between meetings.
• PWN Newsletter Monthly newsletter delivered to members and sign-ups with updates on PWN meetings, special events, and announcements.
• Partnering/Pairing Program Onboarding program that pairs each new PWN member with a veteran member to help with welcome, networking facilitation, and answering questions during meetings.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• eWomenNetwork: Membership-based business networking and education organization for women entrepreneurs, with local chapters hosting monthly meetings and conferences. Directly comparable in format and target member profile.
• Zonta International: Global service organization of professionals that empowers women through service, advocacy, scholarships, and local clubs. Closely aligned with PWN's mix of professional networking, scholarship foundation, and chapter-based governance.
• The Links, Incorporated: National service and professional organization of accomplished African American women with local chapters running programming, networking, and service initiatives. Comparable in chapter-based, volunteer-run, mission-driven women's professional community model.
• American Business Women's Association (ABWA): National membership-based organization for working women that combines networking, professional development, and education across local chapters. Directly comparable to PWN in mission (women in the workforce), local chapter model, and programming format.
• Ellevate Network: Global professional women's network offering in-person and virtual networking circles, mentorship, and events. Closest digital-first analog to PWN's monthly meeting and pairing-based community model, though operating at significantly greater scale.
• Athena International: Professional women's leadership organization offering local affiliated groups, networking, and mentorship programs. Directly comparable to PWN's local-chapter professional development and networking focus.
• Women Presidents' Organization (WPO): Membership-based peer advisory organization for women business owners with monthly chapter meetings. Highly comparable structure to PWN (assigned tables, monthly cadence, peer learning) but focused on $2M+ revenue business owners.
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO): Membership organization for women business owners that provides networking, education, and advocacy. Comparable to PWN's professional networking and development model, but skewed toward entrepreneurs rather than cross-industry professional women.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) / Forbes Woman: Acquired by Forbes, NAPW was a large-scale women's professional networking membership organization. Comparable as a broader incumbent women's networking brand, though lacking PWN's local chapter intimacy.

Emerging players

• Lean In Circles: Sheryl Sandberg's small-group peer mentoring model for women that operates as informal local circles. Comparable to PWN's small-group mentorship and peer support dynamics, but free and digitally native.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Professional Women’s Network