NACA

What NACA does

NACA (National Association for Campus Activities) is a US-based non-profit membership association founded in 1960 and headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, that serves the campus activities profession within higher education. Its primary constituents are college and university student affairs offices (school members), entertainers, agents, and vendors (associate members), student leaders, and mid-career student affairs professionals. Core products span a marketplace platform (NACA 24/7, an online database matching schools with talent and vendors, with filtering by genre and diversity ownership categories), an annual event portfolio (four national conferences in Winston-Salem, Hartford, Santa Clara, and St. Paul; the NACA Live annual event in Columbus, OH; plus regional institutes, drive-ins, and meetups), professional development courses (Early Career Professionals, Mid-Level Professionals at $499/$649, Forum for Student Leaders at $50/$100), a peer-reviewed journal (JCAPS), the CAS+ standards platform, the NACA Connect collaboration tool, and the NACA Foundation scholarship and grant programs.

Name

NACA

Legal name

National Association for Campus Activities

Website

https://naca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NACA is a non-profit membership association, founded in 1960, that serves US higher education campus activities professionals by connecting colleges, student leaders, and entertainers through conferences, an online talent/vendor marketplace, professional development courses, a peer-reviewed journal, and regional volunteer networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Organizations & Club Administration (EDALAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ)

Keywords

• Campus activities association
• Higher education membership
• Student leadership programs
• Professional development courses
• Campus entertainment booking

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: NACA generates revenue through various membership categories including Associate Membership, School Membership, Affiliate Membership, Transitional Membership, and Retiree Membership. Members pay annual dues to access resources, conferences, and the NACA 24/7 database.
2. Conference and Event Fees: Revenue from NACA Conferences (Winston-Salem, Hartford, Santa Clara, St. Paul), NACA Live (Columbus, OH), and regional events including registration fees, exhibiting fees, and sponsorship fees.
3. Professional Development Programs: Fees for educational programs including Mid-Level Professionals Course ($499 members, $649 non-members), Early Career Professionals Course, Summer Essentials virtual program, and Forum for Student Leaders ($50 members, $100 non-members).
4. NACA Foundation Donations: The NACA Foundation accepts donations to fund scholarships and grants for professional development and research in campus activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NACA is a non-profit membership association that provides schools, associate members (artists, agents, vendors), and student leaders with conferences, institutes, professional development courses, an online talent/vendor/school database (NACA 24/7), peer-reviewed research (JCAPS), and the CAS+ standards platform to plan, execute, and justify campus activities programs. Revenue is generated primarily through institutional and associate membership dues, conference/event registration and exhibit fees, paid professional development courses, and donations to the NACA Foundation.

Product overview

NACA (National Association for Campus Activities) is a non-profit membership organization serving as the central hub for campus activities professionals, student leaders, entertainers, agents, vendors, and other entities involved in planning and executing campus events. The organization offers a platform-and-services model consisting of: NACA 24/7, a comprehensive online database for matching schools with talent, vendors, and services; NACA Conferences and NACA Live for in-person professional development and networking; NACA Institutes (Programming Board Institute and Student Government Institute) for intensive training; NACA Connect for online collaboration; the Resource Library containing webinars, publications, and best practices; professional development courses (Early Career Professionals Course, Mid-Level Professionals Course, Summer Essentials); scholarships and grants through the NACA Foundation; The Case for Campus Activities research framework; and The Journal for Campus Activities Practice & Scholarship (JCAPS) for scholarly publishing. The organization also provides DEIA resources, hazing prevention programming, the CAS+ Platform for standards access, and the Employability Skills Assessment tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JCAPS (The Journal for Campus Activities Practice & Scholarship): The official peer-reviewed journal of NACA publishing scholarship related to postsecondary education co-curricular campus activities.
• NACA 24/7
• NACA Connect
• The Case for Campus Activities

Products and services

• School Membership Annual institutional membership for colleges and universities granting access to conferences, NACA 24/7 database, professional development, and member resources.
• Associate Membership Annual membership for entertainers, performers, agents, and vendors providing services to campus communities, with access to NACA 24/7 listings and conference exhibition opportunities.
• Affiliate Membership Affiliate membership category for entities affiliated with NACA's mission but outside the primary school or associate categories.
• NACA 24/7 Online Database Online database platform that matches users with talent, vendors, or schools and supports searching by act/service name, genre, diversity topics, and minority/woman/LGBTQIA+ owned businesses.
• NACA Conferences National conferences held across multiple U.S. cities (Winston-Salem, Hartford, Santa Clara, St. Paul) offering learning, networking, and engagement opportunities for campus activities professionals.
• NACA Live Annual flagship event in Columbus, OH featuring educational sessions, networking, talent marketplace, showcases, and professional development including Pre-Cons like the Forum for Student Leaders.
• NACA Institutes (Programming Board Institute & Student Government Institute) Intensive multi-day programs (Programming Board Institute and Student Government Institute) providing skills training, networking, and leadership development at host universities.
• Early Career Professionals Course Professional development course for higher education professionals early in their careers, helping them build foundational skills for campus activities work.
• Mid-Level Professionals Course Advanced professional development program featuring six seasoned professionals sharing expertise on topics aligned with Certified Student Affairs Educator domains, including strategic leadership, social justice, human resource management, and assessment. Priced at $499 (members) / $649 (non-members).
• NACA Summer Essentials Purchasable virtual summer program offering exclusive content and resources for schools covering student organizations, programming boards, student government, event planning, and leadership development.
• Forum for Student Leaders Pre-conference experience for student leaders focused on identity development, sense of belonging, decision making, and employability skills; priced at $50 for members and $100 for non-members.
• Hazing Prevention Program (One-Day Power Course) One-day power course and accompanying resources focused on hazing prevention education for campus communities, offered as a Pre-Con at NACA Live.
• NACA Foundation Scholarships & Grants Financial support programs funded by donations, including the Dr. Adam Peck Research Grants for scholarly research and Professional Development Grants for member professional growth.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students involved in Campus Activities have higher sense of belonging, which is a key factor in persistence and retention
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Next Gen•TeamcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNACA's Exclusive Marketing Partner connecting Next Gen Consumers to brands they love. Next Gen•Team sponsors NACA Live and other NACA events.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education): National association serving student affairs professionals in higher education with membership, conferences, and professional development. Directly comparable to NACA because both target the same institutional buyers and address overlapping competencies around student engagement, retention, and staff development.
• ACUI (Association of College Unions International): International association for college union and student activities professionals that runs conferences, institutes, and a marketplace for programs and services. Closely comparable to NACA in mission, membership model, and event-driven revenue mix.
• APCA (Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities): Campus activities association that connects schools with performers, agents, and vendors through regional conferences and showcases. A near-direct competitor to NACA's NACA 24/7 marketplace and conference portfolio, serving a similar school and talent buyer base.

Broad incumbents

• NIRSA (National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association): Long-established association serving collegiate recreation, intramural sports, and campus wellness professionals. Comparable to NACA as a higher-ed member-based association with conferences, certifications, and advocacy, though focused on recreational sports rather than campus activities programming.
• ASAE (American Society of Association Executives): Umbrella association for association professionals across industries. Comparable to NACA as a member-driven organization with conferences, professional development (CAE certification), and a peer-reviewed knowledge base, but operating at the meta level rather than in campus activities.
• ACPA (American College Personnel Association): Higher-ed association focused on student affairs and student development scholarship, with publications, conventions, and credentialing programs. Comparable to NACA in its research-led advocacy, journal publishing, and certification frameworks serving the same student affairs buyer.

Emerging players

• CampusLabs: Higher-ed technology vendor providing platforms for student engagement, involvement, and campus activities. Comparable to NACA 24/7 as a software-based engagement and involvement layer for the same institutional buyers, with a more tech-forward delivery model.
• Hubilo: Event technology platform for virtual and hybrid conferences, expos, and networking. Comparable to NACA's NACA Live and regional conference offerings as a technology-first alternative for member-based event delivery and marketplace engagement.
• Entourage Event Solutions: Vendor providing booking and event management software for campus entertainment and college programming boards. Directly comparable to NACA 24/7 as a talent marketplace and booking platform serving the same school and artist customer base.
• Higher Ed Talent (HET): Talent and entertainment booking service for colleges and universities, connecting campuses with performers and speakers. Comparable to NACA's associate membership and NACA 24/7 marketplace as an alternative channel for the same school-side buyer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheNACA
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheNACA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 NACA