Virginia Education Association

What Virginia Education Association does

Virginia Education Association (VEA) is a non-profit professional association and teachers' union founded in 1863 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. It is the Virginia state affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA) and represents K-12 teachers, education support professionals (ESPs), aspiring educators (SVEA), and retired educators (VEA-Retired) through a federated structure of 133 local associations organized by school system. The organization is led by President Carol Bauer and operates through regional UniServ units that provide worksite representation across all major Virginia geographies.

VEA's core offering is a web-based membership portal that aggregates professional development programs (EPIC Conference, Summer Trainings, Jump Start NBCT certification support), member services (legal services, retirement planning, awards and grants), publications (Virginia Journal of Education), and digital advocacy tools (VEA Cyberlobbyist, Capitol Connection Reports). The technology stack is described as a standard web-based membership management platform with online member services, event registration, and digital advocacy capabilities — there is no proprietary technology, AI/ML capability, or notable platform architecture disclosed. Sub-brands include the VEA Fund (political advocacy), Strong Schools Strong Communities (public campaign), and the SVEA/VEA-Retired lifecycle segments.

The business model is predominantly recurring membership dues from individual educators on a subscription basis, supplemented by conference and training fees (EPIC Conference priced at $50-$300 depending on member status and registration type), publication revenue, and affiliate benefits programs distributed through NEA Member Benefits Corporation. Specific dues pricing is not publicly disclosed. Revenue data is not publicly reported, consistent with VEA's non-profit status. The organization has no parent company and no material subsidiaries beyond its 133 local associations, which operate as wholly-owned regional entities supporting grassroots member services and organizing.

Name

Virginia Education Association

Legal name

Virginia Education Association

Website

https://veanea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1863

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Virginia Education Association is a non-profit teachers' union and Virginia state affiliate of the National Education Association, representing K-12 teachers, education support professionals, aspiring educators, and retired members through 133 local associations and a web-based membership platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: VEA generates primary revenue through membership dues from educators (teachers, ESPs, aspiring educators, retired members) across Virginia's 133 local associations. Dues support union representation, professional development, advocacy activities, and member benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Virginia Education Association is a non-profit membership association and teachers' union that advocates for Virginia K-12 public educators through 133 local associations. Its core offerings are recurring membership dues-supported services including collective bargaining and worksite representation via UniServ, legislative advocacy (VEA Fund, Capitol Connection Reports), professional development programming (EPIC Conference, Jump Start NBCT certification, Summer Trainings), member benefits (legal services, retirement planning), and the Virginia Journal of Education publication.

Product overview

Virginia Education Association operates as a unified membership organization serving Virginia's educators rather than a traditional product company. The organization provides a comprehensive member portal with access to professional development programs, publications, advocacy tools, and member services. Key offerings include the VEA Membership Center, the Virginia Journal of Education publication, EPIC Conference for professional collaboration, Jump Start NBCT Training for National Board Certification, Summer Trainings (Leadership Training and Summer Organizing Institute), VEA Fund political advocacy, Capitol Connection legislative reports, the Strong Schools Strong Communities campaign, and specialized divisions for retired educators (VEA-Retired) and aspiring educators (SVEA). The organization also offers advocacy resources including the VEA Cyberlobbyist tool for legislative outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SVEA (Student VEA): Program for aspiring educators
• VEA-Retired
• VEA Fund
• Strong Schools, Strong Communities

Products and services

• VEA Membership Recurring membership in Virginia's largest educators' association, providing access to collective bargaining representation, worksite advocacy through UniServ, professional development, legal services, retirement planning, awards and grants, and VEA publications. Available to certified teachers, ESPs, aspiring educators, and retired members across 133 local associations.
• EPIC Conference (Educators in Collaboration) Annual professional development conference held in Richmond, Virginia, providing educators with sessions on cultural competence, diversity, and collaborative practice. Open to all educators with tiered registration pricing ($50-$300 depending on member status and overnight/commuter option), including meals, materials, and parking.
• Jump Start NBCT Training Three-day practical workshop delivered by National Board Certified Teachers to help Virginia educators begin the National Board Certification process. Organized by VEA as an NBPTS affiliate; appears to be free for VEA members.
• Summer Trainings (Leadership Training and Summer Organizing Institute) Intensive summer professional development programs including Leadership Training for local association leaders and Summer Organizing Institute for member empowerment, organizing skills, and grassroots mobilization.
• Virginia Journal of Education The official publication of VEA providing news, educational articles, classroom practice features, and professional resources for Virginia educators, with member-only access to full issues.
• Legal Services Member benefit service providing legal assistance and worksite representation (UniServ program) for VEA members facing workplace, contract, or administrative issues with their school administration.
• Retirement Planning Center Member-facing retirement planning service providing resources and guidance for VEA members planning their retirement, delivered as part of the member benefits portfolio.
• VEA Capitol Connection Reports Legislative updates and daily reports produced by VEA government relations staff covering Virginia General Assembly activity and education policy, delivered to members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Virginia ranks 36th nationally in per-pupil K-12 funding despite being top 10 in household income - highlighting ongoing advocacy need
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• NEA (National Education Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVEA is the Virginia state affiliate of NEA, the nation's largest professional employee organization. This affiliation provides access to national-level advocacy resources, professional development programs (including National Board Certification), research, and political influence. VEA grants NEA rights to use member-submitted content and collaborates on member benefits programs.
• NEA Member Benefits CorporationsupportingOthersVEA works with NEA Member Benefits Corporation to provide member benefits, insurance programs, and financial services to educators.
• NEA FoundationsupportingOthersVEA collaborates with NEA Foundation which provides grants and resources for educator professional development and student learning initiatives.
• National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVEA is a NBPTS affiliate organization. The Jump Start program provides National Board Certification support to Virginia educators. NBPTS is an independent nonprofit dedicated to promoting teaching quality and expanding access to excellent education.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New Jersey Education Association (NJEA): The state NEA affiliate in New Jersey; directly comparable to VEA as a large state-level teachers' union with local association structure, dues-funded operations, and similar member benefit portfolio. NJEA is widely cited as one of the most operationally mature state affiliates.
• California Teachers Association (CTA): The largest NEA state affiliate, representing K-12 educators in California. CTA mirrors VEA's structure of unified state + local associations, dues-driven revenue, and legislative advocacy on funding/pay, but at substantially greater scale.
• Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA): NEA state affiliate serving Pennsylvania educators. Another Mid-Atlantic state union with analogous local-association network, dues model, and collective bargaining/advocacy mission comparable to VEA's Virginia operation.
• Ohio Education Association (OEA): NEA state affiliate in Ohio with a similar local-association federation, professional development programming, and dues-funded advocacy model. Directly comparable structure for benchmarking VEA's member services and political operations.
• Florida Education Association (FEA): Florida's NEA state affiliate, providing a peer comparison point for VEA's organizing capacity and member benefits in a state with different political dynamics but comparable K-12 educator base.
• Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA): Texas's NEA state affiliate. Comparable structure to VEA in terms of state-level advocacy, dues model, and local association network; useful as a benchmark for southern-state organizing and member recruitment tactics.
• Illinois Education Association (IEA): NEA state affiliate in Illinois. Mirrors VEA's federated local-association model and education advocacy mission; comparable in scale and program offerings for benchmarking.
• New York State United Teachers (NYSUT): Combined NEA and AFT state affiliate for New York. Comparable to VEA in offering K-12 educator representation, professional development, and advocacy, but operates a dual-federation structure that VEA does not have.

Broad incumbents

• National Education Association (NEA): National umbrella organization of which VEA is the Virginia state affiliate. NEA provides shared benefits infrastructure (Member Benefits Corp, NEA Foundation) and national advocacy that VEA leverages; inclusion here as parent context rather than a direct competitor.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): Parallel national teachers' union competing with NEA for educator membership. AFT operates state affiliates in Virginia and elsewhere; relevant as a competitive backdrop to VEA's recruitment and collective bargaining strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vea4kids
• YouTubevimeo.com/vea
• Facebookfacebook.com/virginiaeducationassociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/vea4kids
• Pinterestpinterest.com/virginiaeducationassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/virginia-education-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Virginia Education Association