Association of Professional Genealogists

What Association of Professional Genealogists does

The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) professional membership organization founded in 1979 and headquartered (by mailing address) in Poulsbo, Washington. It is the world's largest association dedicated to professional genealogists, representing more than 2,000 members in 40 countries. APG serves two distinct audiences: (1) professional genealogists who join for credibility, networking, continuing education, and ethical standards, and (2) members of the public who use APG's public directory to find qualified genealogists for family history research, DNA analysis, and lineage society work.

APG's core products are interconnected around a membership platform (powered by MemberLeap) and include a publicly searchable member directory, the APG Quarterly digital journal (with 40+ years of back issues), the monthly APG eNews newsletter, the annual Professional Management Conference (with a 2026 Virtual edition and new Symposium), a member-only webinar and online learning library, member message boards organized by topic and region, and a mandatory continuing education program (12 hours annually). Supporting services include Code of Ethics enforcement with a formal complaint process, advocacy for records preservation and access (notably through the Records Preservation and Access Coalition), chapters and special interest groups, scholarships, and advertising placement in publications.

The business model is a hybrid membership/content organization. Revenue is generated through annual membership dues (the core recurring stream), conference and symposium registration fees (one-time), advertising in APG Quarterly and eNews, and content/programming sales. Membership pricing is not publicly disclosed; fees are gated behind a login portal and are non-refundable. The organization is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors and operates with a lean staff of approximately 15–20 employees and contractors, including an Executive Director (Michelle Dwyer Cohen), editorial, communications, IT, and event roles.

Name

Association of Professional Genealogists

Legal name

Association of Professional Genealogists

Website

https://apgen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit founded in 1979 serving 2,000+ professional genealogists in 40 countries. It operates a membership platform with a public directory, publications, annual conference, continuing education, and ethics enforcement to connect vetted genealogists with consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Code of Conduct & Business Ethics (EDABADAB), Programmatic Accreditors (Discipline/Profession-Specific) (EDADACAC)

Keywords

• Professional genealogy services
• Genealogy membership association
• Records preservation advocacy
• Genealogy professional directory
• Continuing education genealogy

Headquarters

HQ city

Poulsbo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide core revenue. Members pay dues for access to professional directory, publications, webinars, message boards, and networking opportunities.
2. Conference Fees: APG Professional Management Conference (PMC) generates revenue through registration fees. Members receive discounted registration.
3. Publications: APG Quarterly (digital magazine) and APG eNews provide content. Publications may include advertising revenue.
4. Advertising: Advertising rates available for APGQ and eNews publications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Association of Professional Genealogists is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit membership organization that provides professional development, ethics enforcement, networking, and advocacy services to professional genealogists worldwide. Its core offerings include annual membership with directory listing, the APG Quarterly digital journal, APG eNews newsletter, an annual Professional Management Conference, continuing education programming, Code of Ethics enforcement, and records preservation advocacy. The public can access the member directory free of charge to find qualified genealogists for hire.

Product overview

The Association of Professional Genealogists operates a membership-based professional organization providing a suite of interconnected services for professional genealogists. The core offering includes the APG Directory (a searchable database of 2,000+ members), the APG Quarterly digital journal, APG eNews monthly newsletter, and the annual Professional Management Conference. Supporting services include webinars and an online learning library, member-only message boards for professional discussions, mandatory continuing education tracking (12 hours/year), and Code of Ethics enforcement with a formal complaint process. The organization also conducts advocacy for historical records access through participation in the Records Preservation and Access Coalition. Additional member benefits include chapter and special interest group affiliations, sample contracts and marketing materials, and advertising opportunities in publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• APG Member Directory
• APG Quarterly (APGQ)
• APG eNews
• Professional Management Conference (PMC)
• APG Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,000+ genealogists available through searchable directory
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Records Preservation and Access Coalition (RPAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPG is a supporter of RPAC, which is sponsored by the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, National Genealogical Society, Board for Certification of Genealogists, American Society of Genealogists, and International Commission for Accreditation of Professional Genealogists. RPAC focuses on policy priorities for records preservation and access.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists: An international accreditation body for professional genealogists that operates similarly to BCG but with broader international scope. ICAPGen is a direct peer in terms of standards-setting and is a fellow RPAC member, providing an alternative credentialing pathway to APG membership.
• Board for Certification of Genealogists: The leading U.S. credentialing body for genealogists that issues the Certified Genealogist (CG) credential. BCG is a direct peer in terms of professional standards-setting for genealogists and is a fellow RPAC member, though BCG focuses on credentialing while APG focuses on broader membership and ethics.
• International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies: An umbrella organization for Jewish genealogical societies worldwide, and the sponsor of RPAC. IAJGS is comparable to APG in operating model (professional society, conferences, publications) but serves a specialized ethnic/religious genealogical community rather than the broader professional genealogy market.
• National Genealogical Society: The other major U.S.-based professional/family genealogy society with similar mission of supporting the genealogical community. NGS is a fellow member of RPAC and serves as the most direct comparable organization in terms of membership association model, conferences, publications, and advocacy work.
• Association of Professional Researchers for Ancestry: The UK-based equivalent of APG, providing a professional association for genealogists researching UK and Irish ancestry. APRA is a direct peer in business model (professional membership, directory listing, Code of Ethics) and is most comparable for UK/Ireland-focused genealogy practitioners.
• American Society of Genealogists: An honorary society for distinguished genealogists founded in 1971. ASG is a direct peer in the professional genealogy association space and a fellow RPAC member, though it operates more as an elite recognition body rather than a broad membership organization.

Broad incumbents

• MyHeritage: A major international genealogy platform competing with Ancestry. MyHeritage is comparable to APG only loosely as an adjacent player in the broader genealogy ecosystem, but creates demand for APG members through its DNA testing and family tree platform.
• Ancestry (Ancestry.com): The largest commercial genealogy platform and a key indirect stakeholder in the professional genealogy market. Ancestry serves as the dominant consumer-facing brand that drives demand for APG members' services, but operates at much greater scale with proprietary technology and consumer subscriptions.
• Federation of Genealogical Societies: A historical umbrella organization for genealogical societies (now merged with NGS). FGS served a similar membership-society role to APG but at the society-institution level rather than the individual-practitioner level, making it a broader incumbent in the genealogy association ecosystem.
• FamilySearch (Genealogical Society of Utah): The free genealogy platform operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. FamilySearch is a broad incumbent that provides foundational records access that APG members rely on, making it an ecosystem partner/dependency rather than direct competitor but highly comparable as a major genealogy organization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/APGgenealogy
• Facebookfacebook.com/AssociationofProfessionalGenealogists

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Association of Professional Genealogists