Ontario Association of Social Workers
The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1964 serving 10,500+ social workers across Ontario, Canada through collective advocacy, professional development via the OASW Learning Centre, networking through Local Engagement Networks, and member benefits including group insurance and career services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1964
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ontario Association of Social Workers does
The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1964 that serves as the unified voice of the social work profession in Ontario, Canada. Headquartered at 180 Dundas Street West in Toronto with 11-50 employees, OASW serves 10,500+ social workers across the province, including students, early-career professionals, part-time practitioners, and retired social workers. The organization operates as a provincial affiliate of the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) and maintains a distinct relationship with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW), which is the licensing regulator. OASW delivers collective advocacy, professional development, networking opportunities, and member benefits including group insurance, consumer discounts via Perkopolis, GoodLife Fitness access, and Dell Technologies offers.
OASW's product portfolio is anchored by the OASW Learning Centre (OLC), a web-based learning management system delivering free and low-cost webinars and courses via Zoom and GoToWebinar; Local Engagement Networks, province-wide regional communities led by Local Engagement Ambassadors that host in-person and virtual events; and SocialWorkJobs.ca, an online job board connecting employers with social work candidates. Supporting products include the bilingual member newsletter The Social/Le Social, a Social Work Merch e-commerce store, and a Legal Guide for Social Workers developed with legal expert Robert Solomon. The technology stack is conventional, consisting of standard web platforms, Zoom-based webinar delivery, GoToWebinar, Canva for report hosting, and e-commerce infrastructure.
The revenue model is primarily subscription-recurring through membership dues, supplemented by email admail advertising (2026 rates of 27.5 cents per address plus a $125 administrative fee, reaching approximately 7,100 valid email addresses), transactional job board fees on SocialWorkJobs.ca, merchandise sales, and freemium professional development offerings. The go-to-market motion is membership-driven, relying on word-of-mouth within the profession, event presence, and multi-channel digital marketing via the website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and email newsletter. The secondary customer segment consists of social work employers using SocialWorkJobs.ca for targeted recruitment, providing a transactional revenue complement to the individual-membership core.
Ontario Association of Social Workers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ontario Association of Social Workers
- Legal name
- Ontario Association of Social Workers
- Website
- https://oasw.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1964
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1964 serving 10,500+ social workers across Ontario, Canada through collective advocacy, professional development via the OASW Learning Centre, networking through Local Engagement Networks, and member benefits including group insurance and career services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ontario Association of Social Workers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement) (BPAGALAB)
Keywords
Where Ontario Association of Social Workers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ontario Association of Social Workers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Primary revenue stream financed by membership fees paid by social workers. Activities undertaken on behalf of the profession are financed by membership fees and the sale of products and services.
- Email Admail Advertising: OASW offers email admail advertising to reach its members with relevance to social workers. Each ad is sent individually. New 2026 rates are 27.5 cents per e-email address plus $125 administrative charge, reaching approximately 7,100 valid email addresses. Geographic targeting available.
- SocialWorkJobs.ca Job Board: Online job board for social workers where employers post jobs, search resumes, and contact candidates. Jobs remain on the site for up to 60 days. Various pricing plans available for single job posts or high-volume users accessing resume database.
- E-Commerce and Merchandise: OASW operates an e-store selling social work merchandise including branded apparel and accessories. Social Work Merch is marketed as exclusive collection for the profession.
- Professional Development Offerings: The OASW Learning Centre provides free and low-cost professional development including webinars, workshops, and courses. While many offerings are free for members, some programs may generate revenue through registration fees for non-members or premium content.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Email Admail Advertising: 27.5 cents per e-email address + $125 administrative charge |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Ontario Association of Social Workers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) is a non-profit professional association serving social workers in Ontario. It provides collective advocacy at local and provincial levels, professional development through the OASW Learning Centre, networking opportunities via Local Engagement Networks, and member benefits including group insurance and consumer discounts. The association operates SocialWorkJobs.ca as a job board for social work professionals and an e-commerce store for branded merchandise.
Product overview
The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) operates as a professional association providing a unified platform of member services rather than a single software product. The core offerings include the OASW Learning Centre (OLC) for professional development, Local Engagement Networks for community building, and SocialWorkJobs.ca for career services. Additional products include The Social member newsletter, a Legal Guide for practice protection, and a Social Work Merch Store. These services collectively support Ontario's 10,500+ social workers through advocacy, learning, networking, and career resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- OASW Learning Centre (OLC) A professional development platform providing knowledge-building and skills-based training opportunities for social workers and learners across Ontario, including free and low-cost webinars, on-demand courses, and certifications delivered via Zoom and GoToWebinar.
- SocialWorkJobs.ca Online job board connecting employers with qualified social work professionals in Ontario, offering job posting, resume searching, and candidate contact capabilities. Jobs remain on the site for up to 60 days with various pricing plans available.
- Social Work Merch Store E-commerce platform offering exclusive social work merchandise and branded products marketed as an exclusive collection for the profession.
- Local Engagement Networks Community-based networks that connect social workers, students, retired social workers, and newcomers across Ontario for networking, professional development, and local engagement activities, led by Local Engagement Ambassadors.
- Legal Guide for Social Workers Comprehensive legal resource developed in partnership with legal expert Robert Solomon to help social workers protect themselves and their practice.
Quantifiable outcome
- OASW surpassed 10,000 members in 2025, demonstrating growth and relevance of the association.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Ontario Association of Social Workers
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ontario Association of Social Workers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ontario Association of Social Workers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW)coreOASW is affiliated with CASW at the national level. CASW represents social workers across Canada's 10 provinces and territories. OASW provides access to CASW webinars and resources for members. In 2025, CASW achieved the addition of social workers to Canada's Student Loan Forgiveness program after nearly a decade of advocacy. CASW is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026.
- Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW)coreOCSWSSW is the regulatory body for social workers and social service workers in Ontario, separate from OASW. OASW encourages members to belong to both organizations as they serve distinct roles. OASW membership application requires OCSWSSW registration number for Registered Social Workers.
- Coalition of Health Professions in Auto InsurancecoreOASW collaborates with this coalition to advance recognition of Registered Social Workers as regulated health professionals within auto insurance frameworks, addressing unfair compensation practices in the sector.
- National Farmer Mental Health AllianceminorAngela Brenner, an OASW member, serves as Director of the National Farmer Mental Health Alliance, providing training and advocacy for mental health services tailored to agricultural communities with unique stressors.
- Inner Compass WellbeingminorFounded by OASW member Chioma Janelle Efejedia, this organization provides culturally competent mental health services and training in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, featuring an innovative app for ongoing client support.
- Hard FeelingsminorCommunity organization co-founded by OASW member Kate Scowen, offering low-cost psychotherapy services to address the 'missing middle' - people with some benefits but unable to afford private practice rates, with wait times of one year in the public system.
- School Social Work PartnerscoreOASW collaborates with school social workers, researchers including Dr. Marina Badillo-Diaz, and organizations like Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) for the annual School Social Work Symposium addressing youth mental health, AI in schools, and digital literacy.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ontario Association of Social Workers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW): The largest professional association of social workers in the United States. NASW operates the same core playbook — membership dues, advocacy, professional development, insurance benefits, and chapter structure — but at substantially greater scale and across U.S. state chapters.
- Canadian Psychological Association: National professional association for psychologists in Canada. Operates an analogous model — membership, advocacy, continuing education, and member benefits — serving an adjacent mental-health profession with significant overlap in employer and client base.
- Ontario Medical Association: Provincial professional association representing Ontario physicians. Comparable in advocacy intensity, member-benefit bundling (insurance, discounts, learning), and revenue diversification across dues, advertising, and events — but at much greater scale in a different profession.
Direct peers
- British Columbia Association of Social Workers: Provincial professional association serving social workers in British Columbia. Directly comparable to OASW in mandate, member services (advocacy, professional development, member benefits), and governance model.
- Canadian Association of Social Workers: National professional association representing social workers across Canada's 10 provinces and territories. OASW is an affiliated provincial member organization of CASW, sharing the same professional membership, advocacy, and member-benefit model.
Emerging players
- Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association: National professional association for counsellors and psychotherapists in Canada. Operates a similar member-driven model with advocacy, professional development, and member benefits, and overlaps with social workers in the mental health services market.
Others
- Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers: Ontario's statutorily-mandated regulatory body for social workers and social service workers. Not a peer in the voluntary-association sense, but the structural counterpart whose registration decisions drive OASW's addressable membership base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ontario Association of Social Workers social profiles
Digital presenceOntario Association of Social Workers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ontario Association of Social Workers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Ontario Association of Social Workers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ontario Association of Social Workers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ontario Association of Social Workers
What does Ontario Association of Social Workers do?
The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) is a non-profit professional association serving social workers in Ontario. It provides collective advocacy at local and provincial levels, professional development through the OASW Learning Centre, networking opportunities via Local Engagement Networks, and member benefits including group insurance and consumer discounts. The association operates SocialWorkJobs.ca as a job board for social work professionals and an e-commerce store for branded merchandise.
Is Ontario Association of Social Workers a public or private company?
Ontario Association of Social Workers is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ontario Association of Social Workers founded?
Ontario Association of Social Workers was founded in 1964. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ontario Association of Social Workers based?
Ontario Association of Social Workers is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Ontario Association of Social Workers make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are email Admail Advertising, socialWorkJobs.ca Job Board, E-Commerce and Merchandise and professional Development Offerings.
Who are Ontario Association of Social Workers's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Canadian Psychological Association and Ontario Medical Association. Direct peers are British Columbia Association of Social Workers and Canadian Association of Social Workers. Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association is listed as an emerging player. Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers is listed as an others.
Does Ontario Association of Social Workers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ontario Association of Social Workers.
What industry is Ontario Association of Social Workers in?
Ontario Association of Social Workers's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAB, Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement). Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.