Learning Resources Network
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersRiver Falls, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Learning Resources Network does
Learning Resources Network (LERN) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It serves as a membership-based information, consulting, and benchmarking network for organizations that operate lifelong learning, continuing education, and recreation programs. Its primary constituents are parks and recreation departments, public school community education programs, community colleges, and university continuing education divisions across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Bermuda. The organization states it serves 2,000+ member organizations and supports 100,000+ learners annually through member programs.
LERN's product portfolio is anchored by three professional certifications (Certified Program Planner, Certified Faculty Developer, and Certified Online Instructor), the UGotClass online course sub-brand with a 300+ partner channel network offering certificate programs in Data Analysis, Power BI, AI, and Digital Marketing, the LERN Dashboard benchmarking tool, an annual conference drawing 1,500+ attendees, and customized consulting and program review services. The technology stack is web-based, centered on the lern.org membership platform, the lerndashboard.org benchmarking tool, and the ugotclass.org course delivery site, with no evidence of proprietary AI model development — AI is used as an applied teaching subject and writing aid rather than as an underlying platform capability.
LERN generates revenue through five primary streams: recurring membership dues with a 10:1 ROI guarantee for first-time members, certification course fees ($695-$995), annual conference registrations ($1,795-$1,995 for groups of up to 30), UGotClass revenue sharing with 40-50% paid to institutional partners, and fee-based consulting. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with member acquisition via direct outreach, conferences, webinars, virtual gatherings, and member referrals. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from member institutions and operates with a small professional staff supplemented by extensive volunteer leadership.
Learning Resources Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Learning Resources Network
- Legal name
- Learning Resources Network
- Website
- https://lern.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Learning Resources Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Continuing Education and Professional Development Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL), Group Work, Breakout & Collaborative Document/Workspace Tools (EDAFAGAE)
Keywords
Where Learning Resources Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- River Falls
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Learning Resources Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for organizations serving lifelong learning programs. The organization guarantees a 10:1 return on dues for first-time members who use their free benefits.
- UGotClass Revenue Sharing: LERN operates UGotClass online course platform. Partner organizations receive 40-50% of income from registrations. Members with 100+ registrations receive GOLD Club status.
- Professional Certifications: Revenue from Certified Program Planner (CPP) courses ($795 members, $995 non-members) and Certified Faculty Developer (CFD) courses ($995 first person, $695 second from same institution).
- Annual Conference: Conference registration fees ($1,795 for up to 30 people from same organization for members). Includes CPP certification, professional development, and networking.
- Customized Consulting: Fee-based consulting services including program review, remote program review, and customized consultations for member organizations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard Membership |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Certified Program Planner (CPP) Online Institute |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Certified Faculty Developer (CFD) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Annual | Annual Conference Registration |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Fall Institutes |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Learning Resources Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Learning Resources Network (LERN) is a nonprofit membership association that delivers consulting, benchmarking data, and professional development to organizations running lifelong learning programs. Members gain access to research, the LERN Dashboard benchmarking tool, professional certifications (CPP, CFD, COI), the UGotClass online certificate platform, annual conferences, and customized consulting services to help programs increase registrations and revenue.
Product overview
Learning Resources Network (LERN) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization serving lifelong learning programs since 1984. The core offering is a membership-based information, consulting, and benchmarking service supplemented by professional certification programs and events. Key products include: UGotClass (sub-brand for online certificate programs in Digital Marketing, Data Analysis, Power BI, Integrated Marketing, and AI); Certified Program Planner (CPP) and Certified Faculty Developer (CFD) professional designations; the LERN Dashboard benchmarking tool; LERN Institutes intensive training programs; and major annual conferences. Members receive free benefits including brochure critiques, marketing critiques, website critiques, monthly webinars, and Virtual Gatherings with peer panelists. The portfolio is organized around helping lifelong learning programs increase registrations and revenue through benchmarking data, best practices, professional development, and peer networking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- UGotClass: Superior quality online certificate programs provider offering courses in Data Science, AI, Marketing, Professional Development, and more. Partners with member institutions to deliver courses and share revenue (40-50%).
Products and services
- LERN Membership Annual subscription membership providing organizations that run lifelong learning programs with access to consulting, benchmarking data, monthly webinars, newsletters, brochures and website critiques, research, and peer networking. Includes a guaranteed 10:1 ROI for first-time members.
- Certified Program Planner (CPP) Twelve-week online professional certification course covering program development, needs assessment, finance, pricing, marketing, promotion, brochures, and customer service. The leading professional designation in lifelong learning programming, priced at $795 for LERN members and $995 for non-members, with weekly presentations, Q&A, discussion, self-quizzes, and a comprehensive manual.
- Certified Faculty Developer (CFD) Nine-week online certification for higher education faculty covering online and face-to-face teaching practices, learning styles, online discussion, visual design, multimedia, assessment, and hybrid course design. Priced at $995 for the first person and $695 for a second person from the same institution.
- Certified Online Instructor (COI) The leading professional designation for online faculty in higher education, established approximately 20 years ago. Certifies instructors in pedagogically sound online teaching practices.
- UGotClass Online Certificate Programs Nonprofit online certificate platform offering programs in Digital Marketing, Integrated Marketing, Data Analysis, Power BI, and AI. Partner organizations (300+) receive 40-50% of revenue from registrations, and members with 100+ registrations earn GOLD Club status. Limited to an Elite200 partner program.
- Annual LERN Conference Largest annual conference in lifelong learning programming, held virtually each November with 1,500+ attendees, 44+ concurrent sessions, pioneering breakthrough sessions, CPP certification opportunities, and premier membership benefits. Priced at $1,795 for up to 30 people from the same organization for LERN members.
- Consulting and Program Review Services Customized fee-based consulting engagements including program review, remote program review, and customized consultations for member organizations. Members also receive three free hours of consulting and free brochure, website, and marketing critiques.
- Contract Training & Workforce Development Conference Annual conference focused on open enrollment workforce development programs and advanced contract training, held online each June.
- LERN Leadership In-Person Conference In-person leadership and programming conference with networking and face-to-face discussion, previously held in Savannah (2026) and San Antonio (2025).
- Workforce Pell Network Network program helping institutions take advantage of new Workforce Pell funding, including 3-hour online seminars and guidance on federal regulations, planning strategies, and creating Pell positions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10% higher registrations for members vs non-members, verified by independent study
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Learning Resources Network
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Learning Resources Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature3 records
Learning Resources Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AugusoftcoreAugusoft is a leading registration software company that conducted independent analysis confirming LERN members generate 10% higher registrations than non-members. The study examined actual registration data in Augusoft's system.
- 222 Artisan BakeryminorLocal bakery in Edwardsville, IL partnered with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Educational Outreach to offer the Artisan Bread Series courses.
- UGotClass Partner NetworkcoreNetwork of 300+ organizations including universities, community colleges, and community education programs that promote UGotClass online courses and receive 40-50% revenue share. Top partners include Temple University, Harper College, and Arlington Public Schools.
- Portland Community CollegeminorWon 2019 LERN Course of the Year for Community College category with Catio Design Studio class that tied into Portland's Catio Tour.
- Mt. Cuba CenterminorWon 2019 LERN Course of the Year for Parks and Recreation category with From Field to Fork: Venison program.
- Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleminorWon 2019 LERN Course of the Year for University category with Artisan Bread Series in partnership with 222 Artisan Bakery.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Learning Resources Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Learning Resources Network social profiles
Digital presenceLearning Resources Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Learning Resources Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Learning Resources Network subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Learning Resources Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Learning Resources Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Learning Resources Network
What does Learning Resources Network do?
Learning Resources Network (LERN) is a nonprofit membership association that delivers consulting, benchmarking data, and professional development to organizations running lifelong learning programs. Members gain access to research, the LERN Dashboard benchmarking tool, professional certifications (CPP, CFD, COI), the UGotClass online certificate platform, annual conferences, and customized consulting services to help programs increase registrations and revenue.
Is Learning Resources Network a public or private company?
Learning Resources Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Learning Resources Network founded?
Learning Resources Network was founded in 1984. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Learning Resources Network based?
Learning Resources Network is headquartered in River Falls, United States, in the North America region.
How does Learning Resources Network make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are UGotClass Revenue Sharing, professional Certifications, annual Conference and customized Consulting.
Does Learning Resources Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Learning Resources Network.
What industry is Learning Resources Network in?
Learning Resources Network's product category is Continuing Education and Professional Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADACAF, Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies, with a secondary code of BPAMAJAL, Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.