Association of Independent Information Professionals

What Association of Independent Information Professionals does

The Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) is an international nonprofit professional association founded in 1986 and headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Its stated mission is to equip independent information entrepreneurs for ongoing business success. AIIP serves self-employed consultants and small-business owners who deliver information-centric services — research, information management, marketing communications, training and consulting, and writing and editing — to clients across business, education, government, and non-profit sectors in more than 20 countries.

The association operates a membership platform with Full, Student, and Supporting tiers, runs an online Business Directory searchable by service and subject specialty, delivers year-round Learning Programs (including courses on virtual assistants, word-of-mouth marketing, and entrepreneur well-being), publishes the AIIP Connections blog, and hosts an annual Symposium (AIIP24 in St. Louis, AIIP25 virtual April 2025, AIIP26 planned). Underlying technology is the Wild Apricot third-party membership management platform. AIIP monetizes through annual membership dues, symposium registration, and a tiered Industry Partner program (Gold partners include Dialog, Information Today, LexisNexis, Skyminder, Chemical Abstracts Service) plus Allied Organization relationships with SLA, APRA, PIUG, STC, Taxonomy Bootcamp, and Internet Librarian International.

Governance is by a volunteer Board of Directors under President Margaret Harrison, with Marj Atkinson as Editor in Chief of AIIP Connections. The association maintains Professional Standards, awards programs, and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative. It is privately held, non-listed, and not venture-backed; financial terms are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Association of Independent Information Professionals

Legal name

Association of Independent Information Professionals

Website

https://aiip.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AIIP is an international nonprofit association founded in 1986 that serves self-employed information professionals across more than 20 countries through annual membership, a Business Directory, learning programs, an annual Symposium, and preferred-pricing partnerships with major information vendors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for independent information professionals joining the association to access community, resources, professional development, preferred pricing from industry partners, and business directory listing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AIIP is a nonprofit professional association that provides paid membership services to independent information professionals worldwide. Its core offering includes membership enrollment (Full, Student, and Supporting tiers), a searchable Business Directory, an annual Symposium, year-round learning programs, the AIIP Connections blog, and preferred pricing arrangements with industry partners.

Product overview

AIIP is a professional membership association for independent information professionals, not a software product company. The organization offers a unified membership platform that includes access to a business directory, annual symposium/conference events, learning programs, the AIIP Connections blog, industry partner discounts, and awards recognition. The core offering is membership in the association itself, with supporting resources including a Guide to Starting Your Own Information Business and various networking opportunities. AIIP does not develop or sell software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AIIP Membership
• AIIP Annual Symposium

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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered gold level and allied organization.

• Dialoggold levelGTM or Marketing PartnerGold level industry partner offering preferred pricing on information resources and tools for AIIP members.
• Information Todaygold levelGTM or Marketing PartnerGold level industry partner providing preferred pricing and resources for AIIP members.
• LexisNexisgold levelGTM or Marketing PartnerGold level industry partner offering preferred pricing on legal and business information resources for AIIP members.
• Skymindergold levelGTM or Marketing PartnerGold level industry partner providing business intelligence resources at preferred pricing for AIIP members.
• Chemical Abstracts Servicegold levelGTM or Marketing PartnerGold level industry partner offering preferred pricing on chemical and scientific information for AIIP members.
• STC (Society of Technical Communication)allied organizationStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllied professional association benefiting each other's members through collaboration and mutual recognition.
• PIUG (Patent Information Users Group)allied organizationStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllied professional association for patent information professionals.
• APRA (Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement)allied organizationStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllied professional association for fundraising and advancement researchers.
• SLA (Special Libraries Association)allied organizationStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllied professional association for special libraries and information professionals.
• Taxonomy Bootcampallied organizationStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllied organization for taxonomy and metadata professionals.
• Internet Librarian Internationalallied organizationStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllied conference organization for internet and library professionals.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Patent Information Users Group (PIUG): Membership organization for patent and intellectual-property information professionals. An AIIP allied organization, providing a community-of-practice model directly comparable to AIIP's specialist-area structure.
• Special Libraries Association (SLA): International professional association for information professionals and special librarians. Already an AIIP allied organization, and serves an overlapping member base of research, knowledge-management, and information-management professionals.
• Society for Technical Communication (STC): Professional association for technical communicators, including writers, editors, and information designers. An AIIP allied organization serving an adjacent population of independent and corporate information professionals.
• National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE): US association serving independent writers and editors. Directly comparable business model to AIIP—membership dues, professional development, and community for solo information professionals—specifically in AIIP's Writing & Editing specialty.
• Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA): Association for advancement-research professionals in fundraising and nonprofit settings. An AIIP allied organization, comparable as a niche professional association offering peer support, learning, and conferences.
• American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T): Premier association for information science researchers and practitioners. Comparable in providing professional development, publications, and community for information professionals, though with a more academic orientation.

Emerging players

• International Association of Business Communicators (IABC): Global network for business communication professionals. Overlaps with AIIP's Marketing & Communications specialist community and provides a comparable membership, learning, and conference model.

Broad incumbents

• Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP): UK-based chartered body for library and information professionals. Comparable in serving information professionals, but operates at broader scale with chartered-status credentials and a wider institutional footprint.
• American Library Association (ALA): Largest library and information-services association in the US. Touches AIIP's audience through overlapping concerns with information access and management, but at much larger institutional scale and scope.

Regional players

• Internet Librarian International: Conference organization focused on internet and digital information professionals. An AIIP allied organization whose event programming addresses a similar independent-practitioner audience, primarily in English-speaking markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-independent-information-professionals
• Instagraminstagram.com/official_aiip
• Xx.com/aiip
• Facebookfacebook.com/officialaiip

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Association of Independent Information Professionals