National Association of Stock Plan Professionals

What National Association of Stock Plan Professionals does

The National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP), founded in 1993 and headquartered in Concord, California, is a nonprofit professional membership association and the largest dedicated body serving equity compensation professionals in the United States. Its membership community numbers nearly 6,000 individual practitioners — primarily stock plan administrators, HR compensation professionals, and equity managers at public and private companies — supported by an 11–50 person staff. The association operates a digital platform stack comprising the main naspp.com website, a dedicated learning management system at education.naspp.com, a community hub at community.naspp.com, and an event microsite at conference.naspp.com, supplemented by a US-wide regional chapter network.

NASPP's product portfolio spans four categories: education and certification (Stock Plan Fundamentals course at $900–$1,800, ECA Exam Study Group at $175–$250, AI Week at $399–$499, and the CEP certification pathway administered via CEPI at Santa Clara University), flagship and chapter events (the annual Orlando conference at $1,525–$2,895 plus regional chapter programming), proprietary benchmark research (four annual surveys including the Equity Administration Survey co-produced with Deloitte and the Private Company Equity Plans Survey with Pave), and content distribution (NASPP Advisor newsletter, Equity Expert Podcast, and topic-specific blogs).

Revenue is generated across four streams: recurring membership dues, course and certification fees, conference and event registration, and sponsorship/advertising from Strategic Partner Alliance members and chapter sponsors including Computershare, Cerity Partners, Charles Schwab Workplace Services, Baker McKenzie, Korn Ferry, and Morgan Stanley. Distribution is hybrid self-serve (web/LMS) plus direct (conference and chapter field events), with a community-led go-to-market model where growth is driven by peer referrals, chapter engagement, and the Distinguished Equity Fellow recognition program.

Name

National Association of Stock Plan Professionals

Legal name

National Association of Stock Plan Professionals

Website

https://naspp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) is a US-based nonprofit professional membership association serving nearly 6,000 equity compensation practitioners with education, certification, annual conferences, proprietary benchmark surveys, and a regional chapter network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Equity Compensation & Global Share Plan Administration (BPACAHAI)

Keywords

• Equity compensation education
• Stock plan training
• Professional association membership
• Executive compensation certification
• Equity compensation research

Headquarters

HQ city

Concord

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to resources, community, chapters, and member benefits including free webinars.
2. Educational Programs and Certifications: Revenue from course fees (Stock Plan Fundamentals $900 member/$1,800 nonmember), ECA Exam Study Group ($175 member/$250 nonmember), and AI Week ($399 member/$499 nonmember). Also CEP certification fees through CEPI.
3. Conference and Event Fees: Registration fees for annual conference (ranging from $1,525-$2,895 depending on membership and timing), regional events, chapter events, and webinar registrations for nonmembers ($299).
4. Sponsorships and Advertising: Event sponsorships (e.g., Computershare sponsoring Seattle Chapter events, Cerity Partners & Charles Schwab sponsoring Nashville events) and advertising opportunities on the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The NASPP is a professional membership association that delivers paid educational courses, certification preparation, an annual conference, and proprietary benchmark survey data to roughly 6,000 equity compensation professionals working at public and private companies. Its commercial offerings center on annual membership dues, multi-week paid courses such as Stock Plan Fundamentals and AI Week for Equity Compensation, the ECA Exam Study Group Program supporting CEP certification, the annual NASPP Conference, and four annual research surveys including the NASPP/Deloitte Equity Administration Survey. Non-paid member benefits such as the Community Hub, regional chapter programming, the NASPP Advisor newsletter, and the Equity Expert Podcast are layered on top of the membership to drive retention and community engagement.

Product overview

The NASPP offers a comprehensive suite of professional development and research products for equity compensation practitioners. The core offering is the NASPP Learning Center, which provides live and on-demand webinars and courses including the Stock Plan Fundamentals course and the ECA Exam Study Group Program for CEP certification preparation. The organization also hosts the annual NASPP Conference in Orlando and runs AI Week, a specialized program on AI applications in equity compensation. Additional products include research surveys providing industry benchmarks (ESPP, Equity Administration, Private Company surveys), publications like the NASPP Advisor Newsletter and Equity Expert Podcast, and the Community Hub connecting members through forums and chapters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NASPP Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 6,000 members access resources, education, and community through the NASPP

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASPP partners with Deloitte on the annual Equity Administration Survey, providing benchmark data for the equity compensation industry. This collaboration produces one of the most comprehensive surveys on stock plan administration practices.
• Certified Equity Professional Institute (CEPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEPI administers the CEP (Certified Equity Professional) certification program at Santa Clara University. NASPP provides exam preparation through the ECA Exam Study Group Program and references CEP certification throughout its educational offerings.
• PaveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPave collaborates with NASPP and CEPI on the Private Company Equity Plans Survey, providing market data on private company equity compensation practices.
• Baker McKenzieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaker McKenzie attorneys contribute as speakers at NASPP events, including sessions on global equity compensation and new developments in global share plans.
• ComputershareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerComputershare sponsors NASPP Seattle Chapter events, providing financial support for chapter programming and networking activities.
• Cerity Partners & Charles Schwab Workplace ServicesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCerity Partners and Charles Schwab Workplace Services co-sponsor NASPP Nashville Chapter events, supporting professional networking and educational programming.
• Korn FerryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKorn Ferry experts present at NASPP Connecticut Chapter events on topics related to equity compensation and total rewards.
• Morgan StanleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMorgan Stanley experts present at NASPP Connecticut Chapter events on equity compensation topics.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO): A nonprofit membership organization serving companies, advisors, and employee-ownership practitioners. Directly comparable as a specialized professional community offering research, conferences, and education in the same equity/incentives space, with particular overlap on private company plans.
• Global Equity Organization (GEO): A global membership association dedicated to equity compensation professionals, focused specifically on global share plans, cross-border taxation, and mobility. Directly comparable to NASPP because both serve the same stock plan professional audience via conferences, education, and community — GEO leans global while NASPP is deeper on US tax and disclosure.
• National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA): A professional community for advisors in the retirement and equity compensation plan space (401(k), ESPP, executive benefits). Comparable as a community-led association serving plan practitioner personas with education, advocacy, and events, overlapping with NASPP members on the corporate-side advisor persona.
• American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA): A membership association serving retirement plan professionals with credentials (QPA, QKC), education, publications, and advocacy. Closely analogous to NASPP — niche professional association with a credentialing backbone, recurring dues, and conference revenue — in the adjacent retirement plan design/administration space.
• WorldatWork: A larger professional association for total rewards (compensation, benefits, work-life, and recognition) professionals. Comparable in operating model — certification (GRP), member publications, regional chapter events, and an annual conference — and overlaps with NASPP in compensation/HR personas, though WorldatWork is much broader.

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Management Accountants (IMA): A global membership association for accountants and financial professionals in business (CMA credential, publications, conferences). Comparable as an association-of-the-professions operating at the intersection of education, certification, and community in the corporate-finance sphere where NASPP's auditor-facing audiences also sit.
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): The dominant US HR professional association, with the SHRM-CP/SCP credential, an annual conference, and broad L&D content. Comparable as an association model and audience (HR compensation professionals), but serves a much broader HR mandate than NASPP's equity-specific focus.
• Financial Executives International (FEI): A membership association for senior financial executives (CFOs, controllers, treasurers) offering peer networking, advocacy, and education. Comparable as a professional association serving corporate finance personas, with overlap at member-companies on the disclosure and accounting sides of equity comp.
• SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association): The trade association for broker-dealers and securities issuers, with research and policy output relevant to securities-law aspects of stock plans (Rule 10b5-1, insider trading). Comparable as a research-and-advocacy association, but its scope (US capital markets) is far broader than NASPP's compensation-specific mission.

Others

• Certified Equity Professional Institute (CEPI): A credentialing body housed at Santa Clara University that administers the CEP and ECA certifications. Closely tied to NASPP — a referral partner on certification prep — but functionally an adjacent credentialing/standards body rather than an association competing for the same members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NASPP
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHcE-O71EYTVtddmYmgAWnw
• Facebookfacebook.com/NASPP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naspp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about National Association of Stock Plan Professionals