What OnWrd & UpWrd does

OnWrd & UpWrd is a women-owned, full-service integrated marketing and communications agency founded in October 2020 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. The firm serves trade associations and nonprofit organizations, delivering public relations, marketing and communications, social media management, association communications audits, and conference media programs on a project-based or retainer basis. Disclosed clients span the fleet management, concrete/materials, marriage and family therapy, technology/workforce, and apartment housing verticals, including NAFA, TCA, AAMFT, CompTIA, and the Northern Virginia Apartment Association.

The agency operates without proprietary technology platforms, instead leveraging standardized third-party tools. Its only productized software offering is a $250 "How to Use ChatGPT to Improve Your PR Efforts" toolkit (launched in 2023) that packages step-by-step guides, video tutorials, and prompt cheat sheets for PR practitioners. Primary assets are content-based and include a weekly podcast (The Association Insights Podcast, originally The Association 100), a newsletter distributed to more than 25,000 association professionals, a 24-page blog archive, and a gated resource library of eBooks and tip sheets. Marketing and business development are direct, content-led, and event-driven, anchored by ASAE Annual Conference activity.

Revenue mechanics combine professional services (project engagements and retainers priced by scope, no public tiers) with a single one-time digital product SKU at $250 per license. Distribution is single-country (United States) via direct sales outreach, website forms, and inbound from content channels. The firm carries Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) certification from WBENC and is an AMI Accredited Agency, credentials that support access to association procurement channels favoring diverse-vendor suppliers. Headcount is in the 1–10 range, with leadership split between co-founder Meghan Henning and CEO/Founding Partner Colleen Lerro Gallagher.

Name

OnWrd & UpWrd

Legal name

OnWrd & UpWrd

Website

https://onwrdupwrd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OnWrd & UpWrd is a women-owned, Alexandria-based integrated marketing and communications agency serving trade associations and nonprofits with public relations, marketing, social media, and AI-toolkit services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. PR and Marketing Services: Full-service public relations and integrated marketing communications services delivered to trade associations and nonprofits. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements and retainer arrangements for ongoing strategic counsel.
2. AI/PR Toolkit Product: Sale of the ChatGPT for PR toolkit at $250 per license. Includes comprehensive how-to guides, video tutorials, prompt cheat sheets, AI glossary, and ongoing updates through 2025.
3. Communications Audit Services: Association communications audit engagements that include stakeholder interviews, materials review, strategic recommendations, and implementation roadmaps. Billed as project work with typical timelines of 6-10 weeks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OnWrd & UpWrd is a women-owned, full-service integrated marketing and communications agency that delivers public relations, marketing communications, and social media services to trade associations and nonprofits. Engagements are structured as project-based work or ongoing retainers covering earned media, thought leadership, member engagement, crisis communications, and event PR. The firm also sells a standalone $250 ChatGPT-for-PR toolkit as a perpetual digital product.

Product overview

OnWrd & UpWrd operates as a full-service integrated marketing and communications agency, not a unified software platform. The core offerings center on PR Services (earned media, thought leadership), Marketing & Communications, and Social Media Management for trade associations and nonprofits. The agency also produces The Association Insights Podcast (also branded as The A100 or Association 100), a weekly industry podcast. The ChatGPT Toolkit represents a standalone digital product—a $250 AI-focused guide with video tutorials and prompt libraries for PR professionals. The Association Communications Audit is a discrete consulting service deliverable. All offerings work together under the agency's integrated communications approach, with free educational resources (eBooks, tip sheets, frameworks) supporting lead generation and thought leadership positioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Relations Services Strategic earned media and thought leadership services helping trade associations and nonprofits amplify their message, secure media coverage, and achieve business goals through voice development for top thinkers and thought leaders.
• Marketing & Communications Services Integrated marketing and communications services enabling trade associations and nonprofits to communicate with customers, grow brand awareness, and deliver targeted messages to the right audience at optimal times.
• Social Media Services Strategic, data-driven social media management to build and grow social channels, engage communities, and expand reach with measurable ROI for trade associations and nonprofits.
• Association Communications Audit External audit service evaluating an association's communications efforts, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement through stakeholder interviews, materials review, and industry positioning analysis, with strategic recommendations and an implementation roadmap.
• Association Convention/Conference Media Program Event-focused PR and communications program helping trade associations and nonprofits maximize media coverage and attendee engagement during annual conferences and conventions.
• How to Use ChatGPT to Improve Your PR Efforts Toolkit A $250 AI toolkit for PR professionals containing step-by-step guides, video tutorials, a ChatGPT prompt cheat sheet, AI glossary, and ongoing updates through 2025. Covers pitching, SEO, influencer engagement, predictive analytics, and crisis communications. Sold as a standalone digital product.

Quantifiable outcome

• 36,000+ journal articles downloaded for AAMFT campaign
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SmithBucklin: Largest association management company in the U.S., providing full-service management including communications, PR, and member engagement to trade and professional associations. Directly comparable because both serve the same trade association buyer with integrated communications capabilities.
• Association Headquarters, Inc. (AHi): Chartered association management company providing full-service management including marketing, communications, and PR to trade and professional associations. Comparable because both compete for the same association-client communications budget.
• JPA Health: Public relations and communications agency focused on health-focused nonprofits, associations, and patient advocacy groups. Comparable to OnWrd & UpWrd because both deliver PR, content, and member/audience engagement services to association clients with limited internal communications capacity.
• Virtual, Inc. Association management company providing operational, communications, and PR services to technology and standards-based associations. Directly comparable target customer (associations) and services portfolio (integrated marketing and communications).
• Marketing General Incorporated: Marketing agency exclusively serving associations and member-based organizations with member acquisition, retention, and communications services. Closely comparable to OnWrd & UpWrd in target customer (associations) and core service mix (membership marketing and engagement).
• GMMB: Large U.S. PR and integrated marketing agency specializing in nonprofit, association, and issue advocacy clients. Directly comparable to OnWrd & UpWrd because both serve mission-driven organizations with earned media, brand positioning, and member-engagement services, though GMMB operates at materially larger scale.
• Greentarget: B2B public relations and integrated marketing firm with a strong association and professional services client base. Comparable to OnWrd & UpWrd because both provide earned media, thought leadership, and content marketing to association and niche-vertical clients.

Broad incumbents

• FleishmanHillard: Global public relations and integrated marketing agency with dedicated nonprofit, association, and public affairs practices. Comparable as a broader incumbent competing on larger association engagements where OnWrd & UpWrd cannot credibly bid.
• Weber Shandwick: Global public relations and communications agency with significant association, nonprofit, and public affairs practices. Comparable as a holding-company-scale incumbent that competes for the same association-client engagements as OnWrd & UpWrd.
• Edelman: Largest global PR firm with broad industry verticals including associations, nonprofits, and purpose-driven work. Comparable as a competitor on larger association RFPs, though Edelman's association practice is one segment within a much broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/onwrd-upwrd
• Xx.com/onwrd_upwrd
• Facebookfacebook.com/OnWrdUpWrd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 OnWrd & UpWrd