CATESOL

What CATESOL does

CATESOL (California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) is a nonprofit professional membership association founded in October 1969 in Monterey, California, and headquartered at PO Box 6092, Eureka, CA. It is the largest TESOL International affiliate in the United States, with over 3,000 members within and outside California, and operates as one of the first five official TESOL affiliates since March 1970. The organization serves TESOL educators across five academic levels (K-12, Adult Education, Community College, Higher Education, and Intensive English Programs), 10 regional chapters covering California's major population centers, and 13 Interest Groups addressing specialized areas such as Online Teaching, Refugee Concerns, NNLEI, LGBTQ+, and Teaching of Pronunciation.

CATESOL's product surface spans membership services, an annual State Conference rotating between Northern and Southern California (most recently scheduled for November 6-7, 2026 at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, CA), the refereed CATESOL Journal hosted on UC eScholarship, a quarterly Newsletter, an active Blog, a structured Mentorship Program delivered via Canvas and Zoom, a Jobs Board, and the affiliated CATESOL Education Foundation which administers awards, grants, and scholarships. Its technology stack is built entirely on third-party SaaS: MemberLeap for the membership portal and online community/message boards, Whova/InEvent/Sched for conference registration and logistics, Canvas for asynchronous mentorship activities, Zoom for webinars, and YouTube (@catesol_youtube) for on-demand professional development video. Approximately 21 staff are supported by around 60 member-volunteers annually.

The revenue model combines individual memberships at a flat $30 per year, institutional memberships at $150 per year for 5+ members, conference registration fees (member $85–$212, non-member $145–$287 across early bird/regular/late tiers), and exhibitor/sponsor fees (standard booth $600–$750, double booth $1,200–$1,500). Distribution is community-led and event-driven: members join through the website, regional chapters drive grassroots engagement, and the annual State Conference and spring regional chapter conferences serve as primary acquisition and retention events. The organization is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors and has no parent company, subsidiaries, or external ownership.

Name

CATESOL

Legal name

CATESOL

Website

https://catesol.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CATESOL is a California-based nonprofit professional association serving over 3,000 TESOL educators through $30 annual memberships, an annual State Conference, refereed publications, regional chapters, and a mentorship program. Founded in 1969, it is the largest TESOL International affiliate in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Professional association membership
• English language teaching
• TESOL professional development
• Educator conferences
• Academic journal publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Eureka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide the primary recurring revenue stream. Individual membership is $30 per year (flat rate). Institutional membership for 5+ members is $150 per year.
2. Conference Registration: Revenue from attendee registrations for annual State Conference and regional/spring conferences. Registration rates vary by member status, student status, and early/late registration periods.
3. Exhibitor and Sponsor Fees: Revenue from exhibitor booth rentals, sponsor packages (Visionary, Premier, Elite, Seed, etc.), and advertising opportunities at conferences.
4. Publication Access: CATESOL Journal, Newsletter, and Blog provide professional development content. Some resources are open access while members receive full access to all publications and exclusive content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CATESOL is a nonprofit professional membership association for educators of English to speakers of other languages in California. Its core offering is an annual membership (individual or institutional) that grants access to a refereed academic journal, quarterly newsletter, blog, mentorship program, 13 interest groups, 10 regional chapters, free webinars, conference discounts, and a jobs board. The organization also operates an annual State Conference and supports affiliated foundation grants.

Product overview

CATESOL is a professional membership organization (not a software product company) offering a suite of services for English language teaching professionals. The core offering is the annual membership ($30 individual, $150 institutional) which provides access to all benefits. Key products include the annual State Conference, CATESOL Journal (refereed academic publication), CATESOL Newsletter (quarterly), CATESOL Blog, Mentorship Program with Canvas-based asynchronous activities, 13 Interest Groups, 10 regional Chapters, YouTube channel with webinars, Jobs Board, and Education Foundation awards/grants. The organization uses MemberLeap for membership management and various platforms for conference delivery (Whova, InEvent, Sched) and mentorship (Canvas, Zoom).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CATESOL Membership Annual membership ($30 individual, $150 institutional for 5+ members) providing TESOL professionals with access to publications, webinars, Interest Groups, regional Chapters, mentorship, conference discounts, and the jobs board.
• CATESOL State Conference Annual multi-day in-person state conference alternating between Northern and Southern California, featuring plenaries, workshops, poster sessions, exhibitor halls, and networking events for English language teaching professionals.
• CATESOL Journal
• CATESOL Newsletter Quarterly publication serving teachers of the English language with updates, articles, and professional resources.
• CATESOL Blog Online space for book reviews, reflections, Interest Group updates, and professional discourse for the TESOL community.
• CATESOL Mentorship Program Structured mentorship program pairing experienced ESL professionals with newer members, featuring webinars, mentor/mentee meetings, and asynchronous Canvas-based activities.
• Interest Groups and Regional Chapters Community structures including 13 Interest Groups and 10 regional chapters providing specialized networking and professional development across California.
• CATESOL Education Foundation Awards and Grants Financial awards and grants supporting students and teachers in English language education, including the Gordon Johnson Award and Rick Sullivan Award for conference registration.
• CATESOL Jobs Board Online job board connecting English language teaching professionals with employment opportunities.

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• TESOL InternationalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 1970CATESOL became one of the first five official affiliates of TESOL in March 1970 when CATESOL met with TESOL at a national convention in San Francisco. This affiliation has continued for over 50 years, with TESOL International commemorating CATESOL's 50 years of affiliate status in 2020.
• CATESOL Education FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated 501(c)(3) foundation that supports students and teachers with awards, grants, and scholarships. Provides financial support for membership, conference attendance, and professional development.
• Santiago Canyon CollegeminorOthersHost venue for the 2026 State Conference (November 6-7, 2026) located in Orange, California.
• Chabot CollegeminorOthersHost venue for the 2025 State Conference held in Hayward, California.
• California State University Los AngelesminorOthersHost venue for the 2024 State Conference held at Cal State LA in Los Angeles.
• College of AlamedaminorOthersHost venue for the 2023 State Conference, the first ever CATESOL State conference to be hosted at an academic institution.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE): A national/international professional membership organization for educators focused on educational technology; shares CATESOL's annual conference, membership tiers, special interest groups, and publication model, though serving a different specialization.
• TESOL International Association: The national parent organization of which CATESOL is an affiliate. TESOL International operates the same membership/conference/publication model at a global scale, serving the broader ESL/ELL educator community that CATESOL addresses regionally.
• National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE): A major U.S. professional association for English educators with membership, annual convention, journals, and state affiliate networks; shares structural parallels with CATESOL's chapters/levels model even though its scope is broader (English teaching, not just ESL).
• Modern Language Association (MLA): A long-established professional association serving language and literature scholars and educators, with comparable membership, annual convention, and publication portfolio. Broader in scope but structurally similar to CATESOL's professional association model.
• American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL): A national professional association with an analogous member-services structure (membership, annual convention, publications, special interest groups) serving language educators, including overlap with TESOL members teaching English and other languages.

Direct peers

• TexTESOL (Texas TESOL): Texas state TESOL affiliate offering the same membership, conference, and professional development services for ESL educators. Highly comparable to CATESOL in mission and operating model, differing only by geography.
• Pacific Northwest TESOL (PNW-TESOL): Regional TESOL affiliate serving ESL educators in the Pacific Northwest with a parallel membership, conference, and interest-group structure. A direct structural peer to CATESOL in a different regional market.
• Arizona TESOL (AZ-TESOL): A U.S. state-level TESOL affiliate operating an essentially identical model (membership dues, annual state conference, interest groups, publications) for ESL educators in Arizona. Most directly comparable structural peer to CATESOL.
• Association of American Educators (AAE): A national non-union professional association for educators offering membership, publications, and professional development resources. Operates a parallel member-services model to CATESOL, though at national scale and with broader educator scope.
• Florida TESOL: Florida's TESOL affiliate, providing ESL/ELL educator professional development through membership, conferences, and special interest groups — directly mirroring CATESOL's operating structure in another large state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CA_TESOL
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@catesol_youtube
• Facebookfacebook.com/catesol
• Instagraminstagram.com/officialcatesol
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catesol

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 CATESOL