The National Association of Social Workers
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), founded in 1955, is the largest professional membership organization for social workers in the United States, providing continuing education, licensure support, advocacy, and professional development through a federated state-chapter model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1955
- HeadquartersOlympia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The National Association of Social Workers does
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest professional membership organization for social workers in the United States, founded in 1955. It serves licensed social workers through a federated structure of state chapters — with active operations evidenced in Washington, Virginia, Illinois, and Vermont, among others — providing continuing education, professional development, licensure support, advocacy, networking, and chapter-level events. Core offerings include the NASW Online CE Institute for continuing education credits, annual chapter conferences, malpractice insurance access, and representation in scope-of-practice and licensing rulemaking.
NASW's product surface includes traditional online self-study continuing education, in-person chapter conferences, and a newly launched VR-based dementia care training delivered through a partnership with Jolly Good Inc. via the JOLLYGOOD+ application. The underlying technology of the core CE Institute is a standard online course platform; the VR modality is licensed technology rather than internally developed. The organization also operates a legislative advocacy function, actively engaging on bills such as Illinois HB 1806 (WOPR Act) and Vermont AI legislation affecting mental health and social services practice.
Revenue is generated primarily through individual membership dues, continuing education course purchases, conference registration fees, and training program delivery. The customer base is composed of individual licensed social workers across multiple states, supplemented by chapter-level B2B training engagements with healthcare and long-term care facilities. No financial figures, headcount, or membership counts are disclosed in the available data.
The National Association of Social Workers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The National Association of Social Workers
- Legal name
- National Association of Social Workers
- Website
- https://nasw-wa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1955
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), founded in 1955, is the largest professional membership organization for social workers in the United States, providing continuing education, licensure support, advocacy, and professional development through a federated state-chapter model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The National Association of Social Workers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Olympia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The National 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, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: NASW generates revenue through annual membership dues from social work professionals. Members pay fees to join and renew their membership, with access to benefits including professional development, advocacy services, networking, and member resources.
- Continuing Education Courses: The organization offers CE (continuing education) courses and webinars for professional development, including self-study courses, live webinars, and conference sessions. These generate revenue through course fees, typically priced per credit hour.
- Conferences and Events: NASW organizes annual conferences such as the 2026 NASW-WA Conference, generating revenue through registration fees for professional development events.
- Chapter Seminars: State chapters such as NASW-Virginia conduct seminars and specialized lectures, including the VR Dementia Education Course partnership with Jolly Good Inc.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
The National Association of Social Workers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NASW is a professional membership association that sells annual memberships to social workers and offers continuing education courses, self-study programs, webinars, and chapter conferences for licensure maintenance and professional development. It also provides legislative and policy advocacy representation for the social work profession at state and federal levels through its national organization and state chapters.
Product overview
The National Association of Social Workers operates primarily as a professional membership organization rather than a technology product company. Its core service offering centers on the NASW Online CE Institute, an online continuing education platform providing professional development courses for social workers. The organization also operates chapter websites (such as the Washington Chapter) that provide membership management, event registration, professional development resources, and advocacy tools. These are membership services and organizational infrastructure rather than a unified software product or SaaS platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- NASW Online CE Institute An online self-service continuing education platform providing professional development courses for licensed social workers, including self-study courses and webinar-based CE opportunities that satisfy state licensure requirements.
- NASW Professional Membership Annual membership subscription for licensed social workers and students providing access to CE courses, advocacy representation, ethical practice resources, malpractice insurance discounts, licensure support, networking, and member-only resources.
- NASW-WA Annual Conference (2026) An annual chapter conference offering professional development sessions, networking, and CE credits for social workers, with paid registration.
- NASW-WA Self-Study Courses Self-paced continuing education courses offered by the Washington Chapter for social workers to earn CE credits at their own pace.
- VR Dementia Education Course An immersive VR-based training course designed for healthcare and long-term care staff to build empathy and dementia care skills, offered through NASW Virginia Chapter seminars and the JOLLYGOOD+ app.
- NASW Live CE Webinars Live webinar-based continuing education sessions on topics such as Boundary Crossings, Suicide Assessment, and Trauma-Informed Care, awarding CE credits to participants.
Quantifiable outcome
- 53% annual turnover rate in U.S. long-term care facilities addressed through VR Dementia Education partnership
Companies that use The National Association of Social Workers
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The National 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
The National Association of Social Workers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Jolly Good Inc.coreJolly Good Inc. partnered with NASW Virginia Chapter to launch the VR Dementia Education Course globally. The course, supervised by George Mason University, addresses the 53% annual turnover rate in U.S. long-term care facilities by using immersive VR experiences to convey empathy and dementia care skills. Specialized VR lectures began on March 26, 2026, at NASW Virginia chapter seminars. The course is available via the JOLLYGOOD+ app, compatible with smartphones and Meta Quest VR headsets.
- George Mason UniversitycoreGeorge Mason University supervised the development of the VR Dementia Education Course offered through Jolly Good Inc. and NASW Virginia Chapter. The university's oversight provides academic credibility and ensures the course meets professional education standards for dementia care training.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The National Association of Social Workers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- American Counseling Association (ACA): Professional membership association for counselors with a similar dues-plus-CE-plus-advocacy model. Directly comparable in target audience (mental-health professionals) and product portfolio (CE Institute, conferences, state chapters).
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE): National accrediting body for social work education programs; complements NASW by setting educational standards and credentials. Strong peer for understanding the social-work professional ecosystem.
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW) — National: The national headquarters of the same organization; the subject company is the Washington Chapter entity operating under the NASW umbrella. Listed as a peer for completeness of comparable membership association context.
Broad incumbents
- National Education Association (NEA): Largest U.S. employee/professional association with state affiliates, dues-funded, and politically active. Comparable in chapter-based structure and advocacy-driven revenue, though serving educators rather than social workers.
- American Psychological Association (APA): The largest professional membership organization for psychologists in the U.S., offering CE, advocacy, and publications. Highly comparable to NASW in mission, dues-based revenue, and regulatory advocacy role, but serving psychologists rather than social workers.
- American Nurses Association (ANA): The largest U.S. professional association for registered nurses, offering membership, CE, and policy advocacy. Comparable in scale, chapter structure, and advocacy influence, though serving the nursing profession rather than social work.
- American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA): Professional membership organization for occupational therapists with state chapters, CE programs, and federal advocacy. Comparable in structure, member-services portfolio, and regulatory engagement.
Regional players
- International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW): Global federation of social-work professional associations. Comparable as the international umbrella organization for the same profession; useful peer for benchmarking global reach and advocacy standards.
Emerging players
- National Association of School Psychologists (NASP): Professional membership association for school psychologists offering CE, advocacy, and publications. Smaller and more specialized than NASW, but directly comparable in dues-driven model and advocacy focus.
- National Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT): Professional membership organization for marriage and family therapists offering CE and advocacy. Smaller than NASW but directly comparable in target member profile (mental-health practitioners) and revenue model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The National Association of Social Workers social profiles
Digital presenceThe National Association of Social Workers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The National Association of Social Workers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The National Association of Social Workers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The National Association of Social Workers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about The National Association of Social Workers
What does The National Association of Social Workers do?
NASW is a professional membership association that sells annual memberships to social workers and offers continuing education courses, self-study programs, webinars, and chapter conferences for licensure maintenance and professional development. It also provides legislative and policy advocacy representation for the social work profession at state and federal levels through its national organization and state chapters.
Is The National Association of Social Workers a public or private company?
The National Association of Social Workers is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The National Association of Social Workers founded?
The National Association of Social Workers was founded in 1955. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The National Association of Social Workers based?
The National Association of Social Workers is headquartered in Olympia, United States, in the North America region.
How does The National Association of Social Workers make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are continuing Education Courses, conferences and Events and chapter Seminars.
Who are The National Association of Social Workers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are American Counseling Association (ACA), Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and National Association of Social Workers (NASW) — National. Broad incumbents are National Education Association (NEA), American Psychological Association (APA), American Nurses Association (ANA) and American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and National Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT).
Does The National Association of Social Workers have an API?
No public API is recorded for The National Association of Social Workers.