Professionals for Association Revenue

What Professionals for Association Revenue does

Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR) is a private professional membership organization founded in 2019 and headquartered in Towson, Maryland. It serves association business executives — specifically revenue producers, sales and business development leaders, marketing executives, and membership strategists working inside trade associations and member-based organizations. PAR positions itself as the first dedicated community for association business development, addressing what it cites as a market-level problem: 86% of association leaders report having an underperforming or non-existent business development strategy.

The organization's product surface spans an annual membership program (auto-renewing annual subscriptions), the Association RevUP Podcast (multi-season content product), the annual RevUP Summit conference held at MGM National Harbor each November, fee-based live workshops that grant CAE credits, 30-minute member meet-ups, accelerator cohort groups, PAR Growth Coaching (1:1 paid coaching), the PAR Toolbox resource library, and industry research. PAR also operates a GOAT Awards program (now in its 5th year) and a Pathway PARtners ecosystem that brings solution providers (Swapcard, VPC Inc., credspark, MCI, popshap, insightguide, holmes corp) into the community. It holds CAE Approved Provider status from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), which gives its programs credentialing weight.

PAR's revenue model is diversified across recurring annual memberships, one-time conference registrations and sponsorship packages, and fee-based workshops and webinars. The GTM motion is community-led and event-driven: growth depends on word-of-mouth within the association industry, the annual RevUP Summit as a primary acquisition/retention moment, and ongoing content production (podcast, blog, social) as top-of-funnel. There is no disclosed funding, no parent company, no public listing, and the organization operates as an independent member-led body governed by a Founder & Leadership Advisory Board Chair (Sean Soth), a Director of Content (Carolyn Shomali), and the PAR Lab advisory board.

Name

Professionals for Association Revenue

Legal name

Professionals for Association Revenue

Website

https://mypar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR) is a private membership community founded in 2019 that serves revenue, sales, and business development professionals working inside trade associations and member-based organizations across the U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (81391), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Association business development
• Non-dues revenue strategies
• Membership organization services
• Association professional community
• Association revenue consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership subscriptions providing access to the PAR community, resources, workshops, member meet-ups, and CAE credits. Billed automatically on recurring annual basis.
2. Events and Conferences: Revenue from the annual RevUP Summit conference including registration fees, exhibitor booth fees, and sponsorship opportunities.
3. Workshops and Webinars: Live webcast programs offering CAE credit hours for association professionals, including workshops and member meet-ups.
4. Workshop Fees: Fee-based workshops providing education and professional development for association revenue professionals, with CAE credits available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR) is a membership-based professional community for association business executives and revenue professionals. It delivers annual memberships, the RevUP Summit conference, live workshops, peer meet-ups, accelerator cohorts, growth coaching, and on-demand content (podcasts, research, toolkits) focused on association revenue growth, non-dues revenue, sales leadership, and business development best practices.

Product overview

Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR) is a membership-based professional organization offering a comprehensive suite of resources for association revenue professionals. The core offering is the PAR Membership program, which provides access to the PAR member portal, growth coaching, accelerator groups, industry research, and the PAR Toolbox. PAR delivers educational content through multiple channels including the Association RevUP Podcast (seasons 1 and 2 covering topics from culture to sales leadership), live Workshops offering CAE credits, and Member Meet-Ups (30-minute peer collaboration sessions). The flagship event is the annual RevUP Summit conference. Additional offerings include the Pathway PARtners program for solution providers and the GOAT Awards recognizing top association revenue producers. PAR positions itself as the central hub for association business development, combining community, knowledge resources, and professional development to inspire revenue growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PAR Membership Annual membership program giving association professionals access to the PAR community, growth coaching, accelerator groups, workshops, industry research, and the PAR member portal.
• RevUP Summit Annual in-person conference for association professionals focused on revenue growth, business development, and networking, featuring keynotes, workshops, awards, and an exhibitor hall.
• Workshops Live webcast workshops that deliver CAE credit hours on sales mastery, event sponsorship, brand storytelling, membership transformation, and data-driven decision making for association professionals.
• Growth Coaching Personalized coaching service that connects association professionals with expert guidance to improve revenue performance and business development outcomes.
• Accelerator Groups Peer cohort-based learning program in which small groups of association professionals work together over time to accelerate revenue growth through shared insights and accountability.
• Member Meet-Ups 30-minute virtual peer collaboration sessions where association professionals discuss challenges, share ideas, and solve business development problems together.
• Industry Research Exclusive association business insights, benchmark data, and trend analyses on revenue performance for the association industry.
• GOAT Awards Annual awards program recognizing the top association revenue producers for the insight and innovation they bring to advancing association business.

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% of association leaders report underperforming business development strategies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SwapcardcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSwapcard was announced as the newest Pathway PARtner and official event app for the 2026 RevUP Summit. The partnership strengthens PAR's commitment to providing innovative solutions that help association professionals maximize event engagement, exhibitor value, and revenue opportunities.
• VPC Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVPC Inc. is the supporting partner of the Association RevUP podcast and serves as the production team that brings PAR's annual RevUP Summit to life. They are an award-winning, full-service boutique production and broadcasting company.
• credsparkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPathway PARtner - solution provider in the PAR ecosystem
• holmes corpminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPathway PARtner - solution provider in the PAR ecosystem, featured in podcast discussions on workforce development
• insightguideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPathway PARtner - solution provider in the PAR ecosystem
• MCIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPathway PARtner - solution provider in the PAR ecosystem offering event and association services
• popshapminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPathway PARtner - solution provider in the PAR ecosystem

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Community Brands (Personify): Provider of association management software (GrowthZone, MemberClicks, Wild Apricot) serving the same association market. Comparable because it sells mission-critical membership, events, and engagement tools to the associations PAR serves, and competes for the same relationship surface.
• MCI Group: A large global association and event management company and PAR Pathway Partner. Comparable because MCI serves the same association market with conferences, sponsorship, and engagement services — competing with PAR for the same sponsorship dollars and speaking opportunities.
• ASAE (American Society of Association Executives): The primary professional membership organization for association executives in the US. Directly comparable because it serves the same buyer (association leaders), runs the CAE credential that PAR leverages for CAE credits, and operates conferences, content, and research that overlap with PAR's offerings — but at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Higher Logic: An association member-engagement and community software platform. Comparable because it sells community/engagement technology directly to associations — overlapping with PAR's mission of building association communities, but at the software layer rather than the content/community layer.

Others

• Trade Press Media Group: B2B media and event operator serving associations and end-user markets. Comparable because it monetizes association audiences through publications and events, occupying adjacent ground to PAR's content and Summit strategy.
• Swapcard: An event and association engagement platform that is both a PAR Pathway Partner and a vendor category buyer (association events). Comparable because Swapcard sells technology into the same association-decision-maker personas PAR reaches, and its formal partnership signals overlapping customer bases.

Direct peers

• Association Forum: A membership community serving association professionals (historically Midwest-focused). Comparable as a direct peer in mission: providing education, networking, and resources to association executives, though its scope is broader than PAR's revenue-only focus.

Emerging players

• Sideqik: An influencer and partnership-marketing platform with a meaningful presence in the association/nonprofit sponsorship category. Comparable because it competes in the partnerships and non-dues-revenue space that PAR teaches and evangelizes to association members.
• Yoko Co: A digital agency and platform provider specialized in associations and member-based organizations. Comparable because it sells membership strategy, websites, and engagement tooling into the same association buyer that PAR targets.

Regional players

• CSAE (Canadian Society of Association Executives): The Canadian counterpart to ASAE, serving association executives north of the border. Comparable in model (membership, conferences, CAE-equivalent credential pathways) but operates in a different geography than PAR.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/p/Professionals-for-Association-Revenue-PAR-61580321531288
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/professionals-for-association-revenue
• Instagraminstagram.com/par_associationrevenue

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Professionals for Association Revenue