World Association of Detectives

What World Association of Detectives does

The World Association of Detectives (WAD) is a non-profit professional membership association founded in 1928 (operational since 1925) and incorporated in Nevada, USA, with an operational mailing address in Evans, Colorado. It serves licensed private investigators and security professionals who meet a 3+ year experience and credential verification threshold, providing them with a vetted global referral network, a searchable online directory ('Find an Investigator'), an exclusive WADmembers email list serve for cross-border case work, a quarterly 'Beyond Global' newsletter, and an annual international conference program that has rotated across six continents since 1928. The association celebrated its 100th anniversary with a 2025 conference in Chicago and is preparing a 2026 conference at Le Gray d'Albion in Cannes.

WAD does not develop proprietary technology. Its operational stack consists of a Memberclicks-hosted membership portal for dues payment, profile management, and forum access, a WordPress-based public website, and standard email communications. Products and services are organized around five core offerings: the W.A.D. Membership Directory, the WADmembers E-List, the Beyond Global Newsletter, the Annual Conference Program, and the W.A.D. Members Only Portal — supplemented by published governance documents including bylaws and a Code of Ethics.

The business model is membership-subscription based. Active members pay $225 in annual dues, plus a one-time non-refundable $50 application fee, for total initial cost of $275. Revenue is supplemented by conference fees and corporate sponsorships (ISOG, Kelmar Global, Philip Investigation Services, Navirisk, Rhino Legal Assistance). Customer segments are horizontally structured, with primary personas of private investigators and security professionals, and secondary segments including attorneys/paralegals, corporate security directors, insurance investigators, government investigators, and forensic expert witnesses. Day-to-day operations are led by Executive Director Robert A. Heales and Administrative Manager Karen Beers, under the governance of an elected Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Name

World Association of Detectives

Legal name

The World Association of Detectives, Inc.

Website

https://wad.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The World Association of Detectives is a 100-year-old non-profit membership association serving licensed private investigators and security professionals globally, providing a vetted referral directory, an email list serve, conferences, and a newsletter to facilitate cross-border case work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Investigative Services Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital/Online Investigations & OSINT (Non-cyber) (BPAKAEAF)

Keywords

• Professional investigation services
• Private investigator association
• Security services membership
• Global investigator directory
• Investigative networking organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Evans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues constitute the primary recurring revenue stream for the association. Active members pay $225.00 annually. Life Active Members under age 70 pay half the annual dues, while those age 70 and above are exempt from dues.
2. Application Fees: One-time application processing fee of $50.00 (non-refundable) collected from new applicants upon submission of their membership application.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The World Association of Detectives is a non-profit international professional membership association serving private investigators, security professionals, and investigative firms. It sells annual memberships ($225/year plus a $50 application fee), maintains a searchable global member directory, publishes the Beyond Global newsletter, operates the WADmembers E-List for peer communication, and hosts an annual international conference.

Product overview

The World Association of Detectives (W.A.D.) is a professional membership association for private investigators and security professionals, not a technology product company. The organization offers a suite of membership services including a global investigator directory for cross-referrals, an exclusive email list serve (WADmembers) for business networking, the Beyond Global newsletter publication, annual international conferences, and a member-only portal for dues payment and profile management. The association also provides governance documents including bylaws and a code of ethics. These services are designed to foster international cooperation among investigators, facilitate exchange work referrals, and maintain high ethical standards in the profession.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• W.A.D. Membership Annual paid affiliation in the World Association of Detectives ($225/year plus a one-time $50 application fee) that grants the member access to the W.A.D. member directory, the WADmembers E-List, the Beyond Global newsletter, member rates for the annual conference, and the right to display W.A.D. credentials.
• W.A.D. Annual Conference The W.A.D. Annual Conference is an international gathering of W.A.D. members, prospective members, and industry guests that provides professional development, networking, and association governance programming. It is open to members at member rates and to non-members at higher registration fees.
• Beyond Global Newsletter Beyond Global is W.A.D.'s periodic membership newsletter containing association news, member updates, and industry-relevant content for credentialed private investigators and security professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Millions of dollars in exchange work referred annually through the global member network

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ISOG (International Security Professionals)minorOthersISOG (International Security Professionals) appears as a sponsor/partner organization supporting the global investigation and security network. The partnership is displayed on the WAD homepage as a sponsor logo.
• Kelmar (Kelmar Global)minorOthersKelmar Global appears as a sponsor/partner of the World Association of Detectives global network. Displayed on the WAD homepage sponsor section.
• Philip Investigation ServicesminorOthersListed as a sponsor on the E-List Rules page. Swiss investigation firm (investigation.ch).
• NaviriskminorOthersListed as a sponsor on the E-List Rules page. Wearenavirisk.com - risk management services.
• Rhino Legal AssistanceminorOthersListed as a sponsor on the E-List Rules page. lllegalassistance.com - legal assistance services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC): A global membership association for independent security consultants and investigators, with ethics standards and referral networking — a closely analogous professional association model to WAD.
• International Security Management Association (ISMA): An invitation-only global association of senior corporate security executives from Fortune 500 firms — overlaps with WAD's corporate security director customer segment and its international referral ethos.
• Society of Professional Investigators (SPI): A New York-based professional society of licensed investigators offering networking, education, and ethical standards — analogous trade-association model to WAD but operating at a regional level.
• Council of International Investigators (CII): A long-standing international association of licensed private investigators offering global referral networking, codes of ethics, and annual conferences — the closest direct functional peer to WAD.
• ASIS International: The largest global association for security management professionals, offering certifications (CPP, PSP, PCI), chapters, and an annual tradeshow — directly comparable as a security/investigation professional association.
• National Council of Investigation & Security Services (NCISS): US-based trade association for private investigation and security firms, providing advocacy, ethics standards, and member resources — operating in the same US PI/security space as WAD's domestic footprint.

Emerging players

• High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA): An international membership association for investigators and prosecutors focused on high-tech and digital crime — overlaps with WAD's investigative membership, particularly around digital investigations.
• Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE): The world's largest anti-fraud organization offering the Certified Fraud Examiner credential to investigators, auditors, and security professionals — serves a closely adjacent professional investigator constituency with similar association economics.
• International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI): A global association for professionals involved in the prevention, detection, and investigation of financial crimes — comparable member-base and association model, with a specialized financial-crime slant.

Regional players

• British Security Industry Association (BSIA): The UK trade association for the professional security industry, representing private security and investigation services — comparable to WAD but regionally focused on the United Kingdom.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WADnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/worldassociationofdetectives
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-association-of-detectives
• Instagraminstagram.com/wad_news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 World Association of Detectives