ARNOVA

What ARNOVA does

ARNOVA (Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action) is a scholarly membership association founded in 1971 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. It serves as the primary professional home for academic researchers, educators, and practitioners engaged in the study of nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, voluntary action, and civil society. The association connects a community spanning more than 35 countries and draws over 800 scholars to its annual conference.

ARNOVA's core offerings center on two peer-reviewed journals — the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ), published six times per year in partnership with SAGE Publications, and the Nonprofit Policy Forum (NPF), an open-access journal published in partnership with De Gruyter Brill. The annual conference (55th edition scheduled for November 2026 in Philadelphia) is the flagship scholarly gathering, complemented by a year-round email discussion listserv (ARNOVA-L), an online job board, a curriculum library co-developed with the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council, the monthly ARNOVA News newsletter, and a structured scholarly community organized into 10 topical Sections and 12 Common Interest Groups (CIGs). Technology infrastructure is operational rather than proprietary: member management runs on MemberClicks, conference registration on Cvent, and the ARNOVA-L listserv is hosted by Indiana University.

The business model is membership-based, with tiered individual dues ranging from $60 (student/retiree) to $247 (income over $100,000) and an Individual Supporting tier at $677. Institutional memberships span $725 to $1,602, providing up to four delegates with full privileges. Supplementary revenue is generated through conference registration fees (with member/non-member differential), job board postings ($100 for non-members), section add-on fees ($12 each beyond the first free section), and philanthropic support through the ARNOVA Forward campaign and foundation funders including the Lilly Endowment. With a staff of 1–10 employees, ARNOVA operates as a lean professional association under member-elected governance.

Name

ARNOVA

Legal name

Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action

Website

https://arnova.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ARNOVA is a 1971-founded scholarly association serving over 35 countries' worth of nonprofit, philanthropy, and civil society researchers through peer-reviewed journals (NVSQ, NPF), an annual conference drawing 800+ scholars, and structured research communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scholarly Association Services

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Education, Research & Academic Congresses (THAHAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Nonprofit research association
• Scholarly membership organization
• Voluntary sector research
• Academic professional association
• Nonprofit scholarly community

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

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: ARNOVA generates primary revenue through tiered membership dues based on income level. Individual memberships range from $60 (student/retiree) to $247 (income over $100,000), with institutional memberships starting at $725 and supporting memberships at $1,602.
2. Annual Conference Registration: Revenue is generated from conference registration fees, with member and non-member rates for the Annual Conference. The 55th Annual Conference in Philadelphia (November 2026) is a significant revenue driver.
3. Section Membership Fees: Additional section memberships are available for $12 each beyond the first free section included with membership.
4. Job Board Posting Fees: Non-members pay $100 for 30-day job postings, while members receive free posting access.
5. Donations and Philanthropic Support: ARNOVA receives donations through its ARNOVA Forward campaign, conference scholarships, research awards initiative, and general fund contributions from individuals and institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ARNOVA provides a scholarly professional association membership program for academics, researchers, educators, and practitioners studying nonprofit organizations and voluntary action. Its core deliverables include peer-reviewed journals, an annual research conference, a discussion list, awards, sections and common interest groups, and member-only resources such as a job board and curriculum library, all funded through individual and institutional memberships, conference fees, and donations.

Product overview

ARNOVA (Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action) is a professional association, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of a portfolio of member services and scholarly programs organized around advancing nonprofit and voluntary sector research. The core portfolio includes two peer-reviewed journals — NVSQ (Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly) and the Nonprofit Policy Forum (NPF) — along with the flagship Annual Conference drawing 800+ global attendees, the ARNOVA-L email discussion listserv, an online Job Board, the ARNOVA & NACC Nonprofit Curriculum Library, the monthly ARNOVA News newsletter, an annual Awards Program, ten Sections (scholarly topic-focused communities), twelve Common Interest Groups (CIGs) for emerging or specialized topics, and the annual Symposium on Public Policy for Nonprofits. These offerings are delivered through the ARNOVA website and member portal (MemberClicks), with conference management via Cvent and journal publishing through partnerships with Sage (NVSQ) and De Gruyter Brill (NPF). No standalone software product, API, or SaaS platform is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• De Gruyter BrillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDe Gruyter Brill is the publisher partner for the Nonprofit Policy Forum (NPF), ARNOVA's partner journal focused on the intersection of nonprofit organizations and public policy. This is a formal publishing partnership that makes NPF fully open access.
• SAGE PublicationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGE Publications publishes the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ), ARNOVA's flagship peer-reviewed journal and the leading scholarly publication in nonprofit, philanthropic, and civil society research, published six times per year.
• Independent SectorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent Sector co-hosts the annual Symposium on Public Policy for Nonprofits with ARNOVA and Nonprofit Policy Forum. This partnership brings together researchers and practice leaders to discuss public policy issues affecting nonprofits and philanthropy.
• Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARNOVA partners with NACC on the ARNOVA & NACC Nonprofit Curriculum Library, an open repository of syllabi, assignments, and teaching materials supporting nonprofit and philanthropic studies programs.
• Indiana UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndiana University hosts the ARNOVA-L listserv infrastructure through its Listserv portal, providing technical infrastructure for ARNOVA's email discussion community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/arnovacommunity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arnovacommunity
• Instagraminstagram.com/arnovacommunity
• Xx.com/ARNOVA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ARNOVA