Georgetown International Relations Club

What Georgetown International Relations Club does

Georgetown International Relations Association (GIRA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in Delaware, operates a portfolio of Model United Nations conferences and international relations education programs staffed entirely by Georgetown University undergraduates. Its core offerings are three flagship conferences segmented by age: NAIMUN (high school, 3,300+ delegates, 41 committees — described as the largest student-run MUN conference in the world), NCSC (collegiate, 800+ delegates, 29 security-focused committees, ranked #1 on the fall collegiate circuit for five consecutive years), and DistrictMUN (middle school, hosted on Georgetown's campus). Supporting programs include GIRA Local (training workshops and the SDG Youth Summit for DMV-area schools), GIRA Global (international MUN conferences in China, Colombia, France, Ethiopia, and New York City), and the Global Education Grant, which disburses approximately $60,000 annually to support student exchanges in international affairs.

GIRA's technology stack is operationally focused rather than differentiated: a web-based conference management platform handles online registration via website forms (fillout.com, Google Forms, PayPal invoices for payments with a 4% credit card surcharge), while internal conference logistics rely on a Google OAuth-authenticated Committee Tracker AppScript for committee assignments, a structured two-pad Crisis Committee workflow (40-minute pad exchange cycle for crisis updates), and Google Docs for resolution drafting. The organization has no public APIs, no mobile applications, and no proprietary AI/ML components. Revenue is generated primarily through tiered per-delegate and per-delegation registration fees (NCSC ranges from $80-$110 delegation plus $105-$125 per delegate across priority/regular/late periods; SDG Youth Summit charges $20/student regular and $25/student late), supplemented by donations and philanthropic fundraising that supports the Global Education Grant program.

GIRA markets through a multi-domain website network (modelun.org, irc.modelun.org, local.modelun.org), email newsletters, organic social media managed by an IRC Communications sub-board, and university event channels including the Campus Activities Board fair. Distribution combines direct website self-serve registration for individuals with school delegation registration blocks, supplemented by direct partnerships with regional schools and community organizations in the DC-Maryland-Virginia area. The Washington Hilton serves as the venue for NCSC and NAIMUN under a five-year venue partnership, while DistrictMUN and the SDG Youth Summit are hosted on Georgetown University's campus. All activities are governed by a student Board of Directors, and the organization's primary distribution advantage is its physical and reputational location in Washington, DC, enabling committee excursions to embassies, think tanks, and government institutions that competing MUN operators cannot easily replicate.

Name

Georgetown International Relations Club

Legal name

Georgetown International Relations Association, Inc.

Website

https://modelun.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Georgetown International Relations Association (GIRA) is a student-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating NAIMUN, NCSC, and DistrictMUN — three tiered Model UN conferences serving middle school, high school, and collegiate delegates worldwide from its base at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth International Relations Education & Model UN Conferences

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Model United Nations (MUN) (EDAMAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Model UN & Parliamentary Procedure Programs (Oratory-Focused) (EDAMAOAG), Short-Term Exchange & Visiting Student Programs (EDAIABAG)

Keywords

• Model UN conferences
• Youth education programs
• Diplomatic simulations
• International relations education
• Student-run nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Conference Registration Fees: GIRA generates revenue primarily through registration fees charged to delegate delegations attending its Model UN conferences. Fees are structured with delegation fees and per-delegate fees, with different tiers for priority, regular, and late registration periods.
2. SDG Youth Summit Registration: Per-student and per-advisor fees for the SDG Youth Summit educational conference, with regular and late registration periods ($20/$10 per person during regular registration, $25 per student during late registration).
3. NCSC Delegate and Delegation Fees: NCSC charges delegation fees ($80-$110 depending on registration period) and per-delegate fees ($105-$125 depending on period), plus optional Club Night tickets ($10 pre-conference). Individual delegate registration available for students without school teams.
4. Philanthropic Fundraising: GIRA raises approximately $60,000 annually for philanthropic initiatives, including through its Global Education Grant, donations to a philanthropic partner, and conference aid. Revenue from this stream supports the Global Education Grant program for students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GIRA operates Model United Nations conferences and educational programs that simulate diplomatic negotiations for students. It runs three flagship MUN conferences — NAIMUN for high school, NCSC for college, and DistrictMUN for middle school — along with supporting programs including GIRA Local training workshops, the SDG Youth Summit, GIRA Global international conferences, and the Global Education Grant providing philanthropic funding for IR education. All programs are staffed by Georgetown University students from the Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Product overview

Georgetown International Relations Association (GIRA) operates a portfolio of educational programs centered on Model United Nations conferences and international relations education. The core offerings include three major conferences: NAIMUN (the world's largest student-run high school MUN conference), NCSC (#1 ranked fall collegiate MUN conference), and DistrictMUN (middle school conference). Supporting programs include GIRA Local providing local DMV-area training workshops and the SDG Youth Summit, GIRA Global bringing simulations abroad to multiple countries, and the Global Education Grant funding student opportunities. The affiliated Georgetown International Relations Club (IRC) manages the GUMUN competitive traveling team and hosts the annual GDISC conference. GIRA is organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit with all programs staffed by Georgetown University students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NAIMUN: North American Invitational Model United Nations - the de facto national championship high school Model UN conference with 3,300+ delegates and 41 committees, the largest student-run MUN conference in the world.
• NCSC
• DistrictMUN
• GIRA Local
• GIRA Global
• GDISC
• SDG Youth Summit

Quantifiable outcome

• 800+ delegates attend NCSC annually from around the world
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• William Davis, Director, UN Information Center Washington DCminorOthers · 17 April 2026William Davis served as the keynote speaker at GDISC XI on April 17, 2026, delivering a speech titled 'Why Information Matters: Communication as a Tool of Diplomacy' as the featured keynote for the conference.
• Alice Ferguson FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlice Ferguson Foundation is a community partner for GIRA Local's SDG Youth Summit, collaborating on philanthropic and educational efforts focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals for middle and high school students in the DMV area.
• Chesapeake Climate Action NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChesapeake Climate Action Network is a community partner for GIRA Local's SDG Youth Summit, collaborating on educational programming related to climate and environmental sustainability for youth participants.
• Hardy Middle SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHardy Middle School is a partner school for GIRA Local's training programs and Model UN club support in the DMV area, providing students with GIRA-designed international relations education programming.
• Georgetown VisitationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgetown Visitation is a partner school for GIRA Local's training programs in the DMV area, receiving Model UN club support and educational workshops from Georgetown University student staffers.
• Many Languages One Voice (MLOV)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMany Languages One Voice (MLOV) is a community partner collaborating with GIRA Local on educational efforts, particularly related to multilingual and multicultural community engagement in the DMV area.
• GIRA Global International MUN Partners (China, Colombia, France, Ethiopia, New York City)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2025, GIRA Global initiatives supported Model UN conferences in China, Colombia, France, Ethiopia, and New York City. GIRA hires select Georgetown students to chair committees abroad, extending the organization's reach internationally. NAIMUN China is among the affiliated international programs.
• Washington HiltoncoreOthersThe Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC) serves as the venue for NCSC and NAIMUN conferences. The hotel, in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, has been the conference venue for 5 years and features 1,107 guest rooms along with conference facilities including the ballroom used for opening/closing ceremonies.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yale Model United Nations (YMUN): Yale's collegiate Model UN conference and travel team, regularly ranked among the top 5 in North America. Directly competes with NCSC for delegate registrations and staff talent from elite IR programs.
• Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN): Harvard's student-run Model UN conference serving high school and college delegates. Most direct competitor to NAIMUN/NCSC given Harvard's parallel prestige, similarly elite staff base, and shared goal of producing the top-ranked collegiate MUN conference.
• University of Pennsylvania Model UN (UPMUNC): Penn's student-run collegiate MUN conference, comparable in scale and operational model to NCSC. Competes in the Ivy League-adjacent segment for high school and college delegate registrations.
• National Model United Nations (NMUN): The world's largest college Model UN conference, drawing thousands of delegates annually. Competes with NCSC in the collegiate space and offers a similar conference-driven revenue model with tiered registration fees.
• Columbia Model United Nations (CMUN): Columbia University's student-run MUN conference and travel team, another top-10 ranked collegiate program competing for the same delegate pool and prestige positioning as NCSC.
• Cornell Model United Nations (CMUNCE): Cornell's collegiate Model UN conference, one of the older student-run conferences in the U.S. Comparable in structure and target audience to NCSC, competing for the same elite IR student delegates.

Others

• World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA): Global federation supporting Model UN programming worldwide, with similar international youth education mission to GIRA Global. Provides adjacent infrastructure and validation for international MUN expansion.
• Best Delegate: Online Model UN training and rankings platform that publishes the rankings citing NCSC as #1. Adjacent to GIRA's core conference business but enables the broader MUN ecosystem that GIRA depends on for delegate acquisition.

Emerging players

• UNA-USA Global Classrooms: UN Association of the USA's Model UN program serving primarily high school students with a mission-aligned educational focus. Overlaps with NAIMUN/DistrictMUN in the youth diplomacy education space but with a more nonprofit/UN-aligned positioning.
• Model United Nations Institute: Online MUN training and certification provider offering courses, training, and conference prep. Adjacent/emerging competitor in the supplemental MUN education space alongside GIRA Local's training programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/irc.georgetown
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/georgetownirc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Georgetown International Relations Club