CPA Firm Management Association

What CPA Firm Management Association does

CPA Firm Management Association (CPAFMA) is a U.S.-based nonprofit professional membership association serving administrators, practice managers, and operations leaders of CPA firms across North America. Originally founded in January 1984 as the Association for Accounting Administration (AAA) and later rebranded to its current name, the association has operated for more than 40 years and currently maintains approximately 1,000 members distributed across 21 regional chapters. Its core offering is membership in a peer community, supplemented by structured education, proprietary benchmarking surveys, and an annual national conference.

CPAFMA's product surface spans a Membership Program, the PAFM (Professional Administrator in Firm Management) certification, a Connect online member community platform, an annual standalone Connections Conference (Louisville, June 15-18, 2027), recurring webinar series including the HR Series, the Digitally Driven Firm annual technology survey, a Job Market career center, and awards programs (ACE Award, Distinguished Service Award). The underlying technology is light: the association runs on a MemberClicks-hosted member portal (cpafma.memberclicks.net), a community platform (connect.cpafma.org), and standard webinar/event tooling rather than proprietary technology IP.

The business model is a classic professional association revenue stack: recurring annual membership dues from CPA firms, pay-per-event and pay-per-webinar registrations (e.g., $40 member / $80 non-member per HR Series session), and partner referral/sponsorship value from vendors such as Agility Recovery, Thomson Reuters/PDI Global, Reference Services Inc., and Xcentric. GTM is community-led — acquisition occurs primarily through peer referrals, regional chapter outreach, co-hosted events with AICPA PCPS and Association for Accounting Marketing, and the association's website and newsletter. The association is governed by an elected board and led by Chair Daniel Gregory, PAFM (2026), with Kim Fantaci serving as Executive Director and Tammy Goodwin as Director of Professional Awareness.

Name

CPA Firm Management Association

Legal name

CPA Firm Management Association

Website

https://cpafma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CPA Firm Management Association (CPAFMA) is a U.S. nonprofit professional association serving administrators and practice managers of CPA firms across North America through membership, the PAFM certification, regional chapters, webinars, and an annual conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services for CPA Firms

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting, Audit & Tax (CPA/CA/ACCA CPE) (EDAAALAA)

Keywords

• CPA firm management
• Professional association membership
• Accounting practice administration
• Firm administrator education
• Peer networking chapters

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CPAFMA generates revenue through annual membership fees paid by CPA firm administrators and managers. Membership provides access to conferences, webinars, resources, chapter events, and the online member community.
2. Event and Webinar Registrations: Revenue is generated through paid registrations for conferences (e.g., Connections Conference), HR Series webinars, Fly-In events, and educational programs. Non-member pricing is set at a premium (e.g., $80/non-member vs. $40/member for webinar series).
3. Partner Sponsorships and Discount Programs: CPAFMA partners with vendors (Thomson Reuters/PDI Global, Agility Recovery, Reference Services Inc.) who offer member discounts, generating referral relationships and sponsorship value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CPA Firm Management Association (CPAFMA) is a nonprofit professional membership association that provides community, education, resources, and networking to administrators and practice managers of CPA firms across North America. Its core offerings include the membership program (with access to the Connect online member community), the annual Connections Conference, educational webinars and roundtables, the PAFM (Practice Administrator in Firm Management) certification, member recognition awards, and proprietary benchmarking surveys such as the Digitally Driven Firm technology survey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CPAFMA Membership Program Recurring annual membership providing CPA firm administrators and practice managers with access to the Connect online member community, chapter events, educational programs, webinars, conferences, resources, and member discounts.
• Connections Conference Annual national conference for CPA firm management professionals featuring high-level practice management sessions and breakout sessions led by firm managers, covering operational, strategic, and HR topics.
• CPAFMA HR Series Webinars Webinar series focused on human resources challenges for CPA firms, including talent acquisition, development, retention, and HR strategy; priced at $40 per session for members and $80 for non-members.
• PAFM Certification Program Certification and professional development program conferring the Practice Administrator in Firm Management (PAFM) designation, recognizing competence in CPA firm administration, operations, and management.
• Member Roundtables Interactive peer-led discussion sessions where CPAFMA members share best practices, swap tactical advice, and network on firm management topics.
• Digitally Driven Firm Technology Survey Annual proprietary benchmarking survey identifying the technologies and applications CPA firms are adopting, including AI impact assessment and hardware/software benchmarking; the 2026 edition had 162 participating firms.
• CPAFMA Awards Programs Recognition programs including the ACE Award and Distinguished Service Awards honoring CPA firm administrators for outstanding contributions to elevate firm management across the accounting profession.
• Member Community (Connect Platform) Online member portal where CPAFMA members connect, share resources, post questions, and collaborate with peers; accessed at connect.cpafma.org.
• Job Market / Career Center Career center and job board connecting CPA firms with qualified practice management and administrative professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of conference attendees found the annual conference well worth the time and money invested.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agility RecoverycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2014Partnered with AAA since April 2014, Agility Recovery provides disaster recovery and business continuity solutions to AAA members. Services include emergency office space, power, communications, and computer systems. AAA members receive a special 'Member's Only Rate' starting at $445/month. The partnership addresses the need for business continuity planning among CPA firms.
• Thomson Reuters / PDI GlobalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThomson Reuters PDI Global offers a 15% association member discount on its 2014-2015 Tax Planning Guide products, including online WebTaxGuide, email Flex-E-TaxGuide, print Tax Planning Guide, and PowerPoint Tax Planning Seminar. This partnership provides AAA members with content marketing tools to build brand awareness and grow their tax practice.
• AICPA PCPS (Private Companies Practice Section)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAA and AICPA PCPS collaborate on conferences, educational programs, and information sharing. The 2015 National Practice Management Conference was held jointly with the AICPA Prac-Tech Conference in Orlando. The HR Fly-In was combined with the PCPS Human Capital Forum. Both organizations share content on their respective websites and occasionally co-host webinars.
• Reference Services, Inc. (RSI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSI is AAA's preferred background screening partner, offering comprehensive criminal searches, county courthouse searches, employment verifications, and compliance support. RSI is one of only 46 NAPBS-accredited background screening firms in the U.S. They provide special member-only pricing and educational resources on negligent hiring liability.
• Association of Accounting Marketing (AAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAM joined AAA and AICPA PCPS for the 2015 combined conference in Orlando, bringing together firm management, practice management, technology, and marketing perspectives for a comprehensive professional development experience.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AICPA PCPS (Private Companies Practice Section): The AICPA section dedicated to CPA firm practice management, with whom CPAFMA co-hosts conferences and shares content. PCPS is the closest functional peer in CPA firm management, serving a similar audience with overlapping programming.
• Association of Accounting Marketing (AAM): A peer professional association serving marketing and business development professionals in accounting firms. AAM co-hosts conferences with CPAFMA and AICPA PCPS, making it a directly comparable niche association in the CPA firm ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• NASBA (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy): The nonprofit association representing state boards of accountancy that regulate the CPA profession. Comparable as a CPA-ecosystem membership organization, though focused on regulatory oversight rather than firm management practice.
• IMA (Institute of Management Accountants): A global professional association for management accountants and finance professionals with 140,000+ members. Comparable as a membership association providing CPE, certification (CMA), and networking to accounting-adjacent professionals.
• AICPA (American Institute of CPAs): The dominant U.S. professional association for CPAs, offering CPE, credentialing, advocacy, and conferences to a vastly larger member base. CPAFMA is comparable as a professional association serving the accounting ecosystem, but AICPA operates at much greater scale and scope.

Others

• ASAE (American Society of Association Executives): The leading membership organization for association professionals, including those running organizations like CPAFMA. Comparable as the umbrella body that supports the staff and governance of professional associations themselves.
• Xcentric, LLC: A cloud hosting and IT consulting provider specifically serving CPA firms, referenced as a CPAFMA partner. Comparable as an ecosystem participant targeting the same CPA firm management buyers with enabling technology services.

Emerging players

• CPA Practice Advisor: A media brand providing news, technology reviews, and how-to content for CPA firm professionals. Comparable as a content/community resource targeting CPA firm management buyers, overlapping with CPAFMA's educational programming.
• ConvergenceCoaching: A coaching and consulting firm that trains CPA firm leaders and administrators, featured in CPAFMA's HR Series events. Comparable as a vendor serving the same CPA firm management audience with educational and advisory offerings.
• Boomer Consulting: A consulting firm focused on CPA firm management, technology, and growth — directly relevant to CPAFMA's audience of CPA firm administrators. Sells research (e.g., AICPA PCPS MAP Survey), events, and consulting to the same buyer personas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cpafma
• Facebookfacebook.com/CPAFMA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cpafma

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 CPA Firm Management Association