International Association of Risk and Crisis Communication

What International Association of Risk and Crisis Communication does

The International Association of Risk and Crisis Communication (IARCC) is a Geneva-headquartered non-profit association founded in May 2013 by Dr. Herbert M. Koch. It is dedicated to research, training, and the development of best practices in risk and crisis communication worldwide. The organization serves individual practitioners and organizations across government, corporate, nonprofit/NGO, academic, consulting, and media sectors, with active member communities in North America, Europe (including Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK, France, Bulgaria, and Lithuania), Africa (South Africa), and Asia Pacific (Australia, South Korea).

IARCC's product surface is structured around a six-tier annual membership model (Student at €40/year, Standard at €125/year, Professional at €250/year, Organization at €600/year, Lower Middle Income at €25/year, and Low Income at free), a Find a Professional directory for client discovery, and a content library comprising live and recorded webinars, conferences, and The Journal of Risk and Crisis Communication. Paid vocational training is delivered in partnership with HMK Risk & Crisis Communications across topics including risk communication fundamentals, crisis communication planning, reputation management, emergency response communication, media training, and strategic leadership.

The association's commercial mechanics rely on recurring annual membership subscriptions, training program revenue routed through the HMK partnership, and donations — including a disclosed 1% carbon-removal allocation per membership fee. The technology stack is built on the Zenler third-party learning management system, with Stripe handling payment processing, Zoom and Vimeo powering webinar and video delivery, MailChimp for email marketing, and Google/Facebook/Twitter for social SSO. Governance is provided by an elected volunteer board of directors and an expert committee representing academia, private sector, public sector, and NGOs.

Name

International Association of Risk and Crisis Communication

Legal name

International Association of Risk and Crisis Communication

Website

https://iarcc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IARCC is a Geneva-headquartered non-profit association, founded in 2013, that delivers tiered annual memberships, webinars, publications, and paid training to individual risk and crisis communication practitioners worldwide across government, corporate, NGO, academic, consulting, and media sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees at multiple tiers (Student, Standard, Professional, Organization) ranging from free to €600/year. Revenue is recurring as memberships renew annually. Additional discounted tiers available for low and lower-middle income economy members.
2. Training Programs: Revenue generated through online training courses delivered in partnership with HMK Risk & Crisis Communications. Courses cover risk communication fundamentals, crisis communication planning, reputation management, emergency response communication, and media training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IARCC is a Geneva-based global non-profit professional association that sells tiered annual memberships to risk and crisis communication practitioners and offers online training courses, live and recorded webinars, conferences, and a searchable 'Find a Professional' directory. The association promotes research, knowledge exchange, and best practices in risk and crisis communication through its member community, publications, and events.

Product overview

IARCC operates as a membership-based professional association offering a tiered membership structure with five options: Student (€40/year), Standard (€125/year), Professional (€250/year), Organization (€600/year), and discounted Lower Middle Income (€25/year) and Low Income (free) memberships. The association provides professional development through online training courses delivered via HMK Risk & Crisis Communications, including courses on risk communication fundamentals, crisis communication planning, reputation management, emergency response, and media training. Members also access webinars and conferences featuring expert presentations, with recorded replays available. The Professional membership tier includes listing in the Find a Professional directory for visibility to potential clients. IARCC publishes The Journal of Risk and Crisis Communication as an online resource for members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IARCC Membership

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IPRA (International Public Relations Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPRA logo appears in the Our Partners & Supporters section on the IARCC website. IPRA is the global forum for public relations professionals, suggesting a strategic alignment between the two organizations in promoting risk and crisis communication as a professional discipline.
• ECREA (European Communication Research and Education Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECREA logo appears in the Our Partners & Supporters section on the IARCC website. ECREA is the European association for communication research and education, indicating collaboration in academic research and professional education in communication.
• HMK Risk & Crisis CommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIARCC collaborates with HMK Risk & Crisis Communications to offer practical, evidence-based training programs designed for professionals working in communication, public affairs, and crisis management. HMK offers online courses including Risk Communication Fundamentals, Crisis Communication Planning, Reputation Management, and Media Training. HMK is also founded by IARCC President Dr. Herbert M. Koch.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR): UK-based chartered body for PR professionals offering membership, continuing professional development, training courses and credentials. Competes with IARCC for European members seeking recognized qualifications and crisis communication training.
• Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA): UK-headquartered industry body for PR and communications consultancies and professionals, offering training, events and accreditation. Operates crisis communication training and credentials that overlap with IARCC's training and professional development offerings.
• Public Relations Society of America (PRSA): The largest US-based PR professional association, offering memberships, certifications, training and conferences across all PR disciplines including crisis communication. A much larger incumbent whose crisis communication tracks overlap directly with IARCC's value proposition.

Emerging players

• Ragan Communications: Training, media and events company serving PR, communications and crisis management professionals with webinars, courses and conferences. Overlaps with IARCC's webinar and training offerings but is commercial/for-profit rather than association-based.

Direct peers

• International Communication Association (ICA): International academic association for communication researchers and educators, including dedicated crisis and risk communication scholarship. Comparable academic-community, research-driven model that overlaps with IARCC's research, webinars and academic member base.
• Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management: Confederation of the world's major PR associations, providing a global community, research, training and credentialing framework. Directly comparable as a worldwide umbrella body addressing the same international PR and crisis communication audience IARCC targets.
• International Public Relations Association (IPRA): Global professional association for public relations practitioners, explicitly listed as a partner of IARCC. Operates a similar membership, networking, training and advocacy model for PR professionals worldwide, directly competing for the same international PR and crisis communication members.
• European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA): European association for communication research and education, explicitly listed as an IARCC partner. Targets the same academic and educator community across Europe with conferences, networks and publications on communication including risk and crisis.

Regional players

• African Public Relations Association (APRA): Continental body for PR practitioners in Africa, providing membership, training and a continental conference. Comparable regional professional association competing for African members, particularly relevant given IARCC's South African committee presence.
• PRII (Public Relations Institute of Ireland): Ireland's professional body for PR and communications practitioners, offering membership, CPD, training and credentials. A smaller regional association with a comparable professional-development and training model, useful as a European peer benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iarcc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 International Association of Risk and Crisis Communication