NODA

What NODA does

NODA is a 501(c)(3) professional association founded in 1977 that serves higher-education orientation, transition, and retention (OTR) practitioners. The association is administratively hosted by the University of Minnesota and headquartered in Roseville, MN, and maintains a global footprint through 7 U.S./Canadian Place Communities plus webinar-based outreach to Australia and New Zealand. NODA's membership exceeds 4,000 professionals representing more than 600 institutions, and the organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Joyce Holl.

The association's core products include the annual NODAC conference (NODAC 2026 scheduled for Atlanta, November 10-13), pre-conference institutes for emerging and senior professionals (Orientation Professionals Institute and Directors and Managers Institute), core competency courses spanning 12 foundational areas, the Student Leadership Institute, regional conferences, and the peer-reviewed Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention (JCOTR). Underlying technology is delivered through third-party SaaS platforms: MemberSuite powers the membership portal, Higher Logic powers the NODA Connect online community, Sessionize handles conference submissions, Givebutter handles donations, and Guidebook provides the conference mobile app. NODA also maintains a Core Competencies framework, CAS Standards alignment, and a Knowledge Base that together constitute the association's proprietary professional canon.

NODA's revenue model is a diversified nonprofit mix: recurring membership dues (with member/non-member pricing tiers across all events), conference registration and corporate sponsorships (Platinum/Gold/Exhibitor), and fees for educational programs and institutes. The NODA Excellence Fund provides charitable-funded scholarships. Distribution is community-led, layered through 7 geographic Place Communities and 9 Program & Professional Communities, with the annual conference as the flagship engagement and conversion moment. The association reports no AI/ML capabilities and operates as a content- and community-driven organization whose differentiation rests on four decades of accumulated professional standards and network density.

Name

NODA

Legal name

NODA-Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education

Website

https://nodaweb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

NODA is a 501(c)(3) professional association serving 4,000+ higher-education orientation, transition, and retention practitioners across 600+ institutions worldwide, delivering membership, an annual conference, institutes, core competency courses, and a peer-reviewed journal through a community-led model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to member portal, NODA Connect, resource library, member directory, discounted event rates, and community participation
2. Annual Conference (NODAC) Registration: Registration fees for the annual conference including various professional development sessions, networking events, exhibits, and pre-conference institutes
3. Educational Programs and Courses: Fees for pre-conference institutes (Directors and Managers Institute, Orientation Professionals Institute), core competency courses, webinar series, and Student Leadership Institute
4. Associate Membership (Corporate): Corporate/organizational associate membership providing increased access to NODA members, discounted event rates, and collaboration opportunities with association programming
5. NODA Excellence Fund Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions supporting scholarships and opportunities for professionals and graduate students to receive training through NODA
6. Conference Sponsorships and Exhibits: Platinum, gold, and general exhibitor sponsorships for the annual conference providing brand visibility, attendee access, and marketing opportunities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NODA is a nonprofit professional association that educates, leads, and develops professionals working in college student orientation, transition, and retention. It delivers an annual conference (NODAC), pre-conference institutes, core competency courses, regional and topical communities, an online member platform (NODA Connect), and a peer-reviewed journal (JCOTR) for higher education practitioners across 600-plus institutions.

Product overview

NODA is a professional association for orientation, transition, and retention (OTR) professionals in higher education, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services including the annual NODAC conference, pre-conference institutes (Orientation Professionals Institute, Directors and Managers Institute), core competency educational courses, regional and programmatic communities, scholarly publications (Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention), the NODA Connect online member platform, and the NODA Excellence Fund scholarship program. The association serves 4,000+ members representing over 600 institutions worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NODA Connect: Online community platform for NODA members to access resources, discussion forums, and collaboration tools.
• NODA Portal
• Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention (JCOTR)

Products and services

• NODA Connect Online Community Platform Member-only online community platform that provides access to discussion forums, resource libraries, event calendars, career center, and member networking features for higher education OTR professionals.
• NODA Annual Conference (NODAC) Annual multi-day conference bringing together hundreds of higher education OTR professionals for keynote sessions, educational programming, networking, exhibits, and professional development.
• Orientation Professionals Institute (OPI) Pre-conference institute serving new professionals and emerging leaders with comprehensive learning focused on orientation foundations, student populations, and functional best practices for OTR programs.
• Directors and Managers Institute (DMI) Immersive in-person program for experienced professionals leading OTR efforts, addressing leadership challenges through plenary sessions, panel discussions, interactive breakouts, and small-group dialogues.
• Core Competency Courses Educational courses covering NODA's twelve core competency areas including Organization and Leadership, Curriculum and Content Development, and others, offered at foundational, intermediate, and advanced skill levels.
• Student Leadership Institute Virtual interactive learning opportunity cultivating leadership and teamwork skills for student orientation and transition leaders at colleges and universities.
• Place Communities Geographic-based member communities covering seven U.S. regions plus Canada, enabling local connection, mentorship, networking, and programming based on location.
• Program & Professional Communities Communities serving members implementing specific programs, working at specific institution types, or sharing professional identities including Mid-Level Professionals, Small College Professionals, Family Engagement, Transfer Services, Large Institution, Transition Programs, Two-Year Institution, Graduate Student, and Directors & Managers.
• Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention (JCOTR) Peer-reviewed scholarly journal publishing original research, resources, and tools within the OTR field and broader higher education community.
• NODA Excellence Fund (NEF) Charitable scholarship fund providing financial grants for NODA members to participate in NODA experiences and leadership development opportunities.
• NODAC Sponsorship and Exhibitor Program Annual conference sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities including platinum, gold, and general exhibitor tiers providing brand visibility, complimentary registrations, and attendee access for higher education vendors and partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4,000 members representing over 600 institutions globally
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GuidebookcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Guidebook serves as Platinum Sponsor for NODAC 2026 annual conference. Guidebook provides mobile event app and platform services to the higher education market, aligning with NODA's technology focus areas.
• Metropolis ManagementminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Metropolis Management serves as Gold Sponsor for NODAC 2026 annual conference, providing event management and venue-related services.
• University of South Carolina (NRC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025National Resource Center at USC serves as an exhibitor and represents research and resources for the OTR community.
• ACPA - College Student EducatorsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ACPA serves as an exhibitor, representing collaboration between student affairs professional associations.
• FirstGenForwardminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025FirstGenForward organization serves as an exhibitor, supporting first-generation college student success initiatives aligned with OTR work.
• University of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNODA is administratively hosted by the University of Minnesota, providing infrastructure support for association operations including staff, finance, and office functions.
• Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNODA has a long history of collaboration with CAS. CAS Standards for Orientation Programs provide the framework for developing effective orientation programs. NODA CAS Council Representative participates in standards development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education: NASPA is the leading US professional association for student affairs administrators in higher education. Both NODA and NASPA serve higher ed student affairs professionals with memberships, annual conferences, institutes, and competency-based professional development — directly competing for the same institutional and individual member base.
• ACPA - College Student Educators International: ACPA is a major professional association for college student educators globally. Like NODA, ACPA offers an annual convention, institutes, scholarly publications, and competency frameworks, and exhibits alongside NODA at NODAC — making it a directly comparable peer serving overlapping higher ed audiences.
• AHEPPP - Association of Higher Education Parent/Family Program Professionals: AHEPPP is a smaller, focused professional association serving parent and family engagement professionals in higher education. It directly parallels NODA's Family and Supporter Engagement Program & Professional Community with a comparable niche-association operating model.

Broad incumbents

• AACRAO - American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers: AACRAO is a long-established higher education association serving registrars and admissions officers. It overlaps with NODA in the transfer-services and orientation-adjacent space and follows a similar membership, conference, and standards-driven association model.
• NAFSA: Association of International Educators: NAFSA is the largest US association serving international educators. It shares NODA's membership-association business model (dues, annual conference, institutes, publications) and intersects with NODA's international student orientation community.
• CASE - Council for Advancement and Support of Education: CASE is a global not-for-profit association serving advancement professionals in higher education. It uses a comparable revenue model (membership dues, conferences, training, sponsorships) and competes for institutional engagement budgets alongside NODA.
• ASHE - Association for the Study of Higher Education: ASHE is a scholarly association for higher education researchers and faculty. It overlaps with NODA's research and publication arm (JCOTR) and serves higher ed professionals with conferences and journals on a similar association model.

Regional players

• SACSA - Southern Association for College Student Affairs: SACSA is a regional association serving student affairs professionals in the US South. It mirrors NODA's community-based professional development approach at a regional level, and its members frequently overlap with NODA's Southeast Place Community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NODAotr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/noda-umn
• Instagraminstagram.com/noda_otr
• Xx.com/Noda_OTR

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NODA