The International Women's Writing Guild

What The International Women's Writing Guild does

The International Women's Writing Guild (IWWG) is a New York-headquartered nonprofit literary arts organization founded in 1976 to support the personal and professional empowerment of women writers. For five decades it has served a global membership of women writers across genres (poetry, fiction, memoir, creative non-fiction) through online workshops delivered via Zoom, an annual in-person summer conference, regional retreats, writing circles, free writes, open mics, and a monthly e-newsletter. Its operations also include a member bookstore that promotes member-authored publications and a series of themed anthologies, most recently the 2025 'Write Forward' anthology aligned with the 69th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and the 50th Anniversary Anthology 'Something Inside So Strong—Women's Words on Resilience, Resistance, and Reverence.' IWWG holds preview readings at the United Nations and has secured grants from the Kettering Foundation, The de Groot Foundation, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.\n\nThe organization's technology footprint is intentionally lean: all member management, event registration, online bookstore, newsletter distribution, and member directory functionality run on the Wild Apricot membership software platform. Integrations are limited to standard SaaS—Google, Microsoft, and Apple OAuth for member login, Zoom for workshop delivery, PayPal for donations, Facebook for the private members-only community, and Amazon for anthology distribution. No proprietary software, mobile app, API, or AI/ML capability is disclosed. Products and services are organized around a membership program that bundles workshop discounts, directory access, bookstore promotion, Facebook community access, and book fair opportunities for members.\n\nIWWG's revenue model is a hybrid of subscription/dues (annual membership fees), per-event fees (workshop and retreat registration), transactional sales (anthologies and member-authored books via Amazon and direct channels), and tax-deductible donations, including tiered anniversary-year donations ranging from $50 to $1,000. Membership pricing is not publicly disclosed and new memberships are currently closed. In its 50th anniversary year (2025–2026), IWWG announced it is closing its doors due to unexpected events and accumulated financial liabilities over the past several years, with a final $30,000 fundraising goal to repay outstanding debts and closing expenses. The entity operates as The International Women's Writing Guild Inc., governed by a Board of Directors with no disclosed parent, institutional investor, or external ownership structure.

Name

The International Women's Writing Guild

Legal name

The International Women's Writing Guild Inc.

Website

https://iwwg.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Women's Writing Guild is a 50-year-old New York-based nonprofit literary community that serves women writers globally through membership, online and in-person workshops, anthologies, conferences, and a member bookstore, and is currently winding down operations in its 50th anniversary year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Arts Community Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAK

Literary Arts & Writing Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAMAMAL

Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Creative Writing Workshops

SECONDARYEDAMALAM

Writing, Journalism & Publishing Camps

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

Keywords

• Women writing community
• Creative writing workshops
• Literary anthologies
• Writer membership program
• Publication opportunities

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to workshops, member directory, newsletter, and community benefits
2. Workshop Fees: Registration fees for online workshops and events with member discounts
3. Book Sales/Anthology Sales: Sale of member-authored books and IWWG anthologies through Amazon and direct channels
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations to support organization operations and anthologies

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The International Women's Writing Guild is a membership-based nonprofit literary community that supports women writers globally through annual membership, online and in-person writing workshops, published anthologies, a member bookstore, a monthly e-newsletter, and events such as summer conferences and regional retreats. Membership provides access to workshop discounts, a member directory, a private Facebook community, and opportunities to publish in IWWG anthologies.

Product overview

The International Women's Writing Guild operates as a membership-based writing organization offering a unified suite of services centered on community, publishing, and education. The core offerings include published anthologies (50th Anniversary Anthology and annual Write Forward Anthology), online and in-person writing workshops delivered via Zoom, a member bookstore for promoting member publications, monthly e-newsletters, and a comprehensive membership program with benefits including discounts, a member directory, and access to a private Facebook community. The organization also hosts annual summer conferences and regional retreats. All operations are powered by Wild Apricot membership software which handles member management, event registration, and communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Something Inside So Strong—Women's Words on Resilience, Resistance, and Reverence (50th Anniversary Anthology) 50th Anniversary Anthology featuring women's writings on resilience, resistance, and reverence, published with support from the Kettering Foundation. Targeted at IWWG supporters, donors, and members celebrating the organization's 50-year legacy.
• Write Forward Anthology 2025 2025 anthology aligning with the 69th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), supported by The de Groot Foundation, bringing together global voices on the 12 critical areas of concern in the Beijing Platform for Action.
• Online Writing Workshops

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wild ApricotcoreTechnology or IntegrationMembership software platform powering IWWG's website, member management, event registration, and communications

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Mystery Writers of America: Professional membership organization for mystery/crime writers providing conferences, networking, anthologies, and publishing support. Closely mirrors IWWG's community-led model.
• Sisters in Crime: Women-focused writers' membership organization offering networking, conferences, and advocacy for mystery/crime writers. Directly comparable demographic and mission focus.
• Romance Writers of America: Membership-based nonprofit organization for writers in a specific genre, offering workshops, conferences, and publishing opportunities. Highly comparable community-and-education model to IWWG.
• VIDA: Women in Literary Arts: Nonprofit organization advocating for women writers through research, programming, and community — directly aligned with IWWG's mission to empower women through writing.
• The Authors Guild: Professional membership organization for published authors, offering advocacy, contract advice, and community. Mirrors IWWG's membership-and-publishing model though serving a broader demographic.
• The Loft Literary Center: Nonprofit literary arts center offering workshops, classes, readings, and community for writers of all levels. Closely aligned with IWWG's workshop-and-community programming model.
• GrubStreet: Nonprofit creative writing center offering workshops, events, and community for writers. Directly comparable education-and-community programming model.
• National Writers Union: Labor union and membership organization for writers offering community, advocacy, and support. Comparable membership-driven model serving professional writers.
• Hurston/Wright Foundation: Nonprofit supporting writers through workshops, mentoring, and awards with a community-driven educational model. Comparable nonprofit literary-arts programming.

Broad incumbents

• PEN America: Large literary organization supporting writers through advocacy, programming, and published works, including UN-aligned initiatives. Overlaps with IWWG's literary-mission and publishing dimensions but at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iwwg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The International Women's Writing Guild