Illinois Retired Teachers Association

What Illinois Retired Teachers Association does

Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA) is a not-for-profit, non-partisan membership association founded in 1955 and headquartered in Springfield, Illinois, that serves retired educators of the Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS). It is the only organization in the state that advocates solely on behalf of Illinois retired educators, focusing on protecting defined-benefit pensions, cost-of-living adjustments, and healthcare benefits through state-level lobbying, a Political Action Committee (IRTAPAC), and legislative relationships. The organization is governed by an elected board led by President Roger Hampton and operated by a small staff under Executive Director Jessica Hoselton, with wholly owned subsidiaries including the IRTA Foundation (grants, scholarships, financial assistance, legacy giving) and IRTAPAC (political advocacy and campaign financing).

IRTA's core offering is a multi-tiered membership program priced at $3.50/month via TRS pension deduction, $46/year annual, or $600 lifetime, with reduced associate rates for non-pension-drawing members. Members access an exclusive benefits stack delivered through the Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA) partnership, including group-rate dental, vision, long-term care, home healthcare, cancer, heart, stroke, life insurance, and annuities; supplemental offerings include emergency medical transportation (MASA), preventive screening (Life Line Screening), and curated travel (Boscov's Travel). Distribution is primarily direct via phone enrollment, an online members portal, and a channel partnership with the Illinois Principals Association that auto-enrolls IPA retirees and bundles dues into IPA's $75 administrator membership.

The business model combines recurring subscription dues, charitable donations and planned gifts to the Foundation, PAC contributions, and likely referral/commission economics from insurance partners. Supporting programs include a biennial convention, an educational webinar series, the Pipeline pre-retirement program, the Unit of Distinction and Unit Honorees recognition programs, and an IRTA Online Store. Operations are supported by a standard web platform with no proprietary technology stack, no app, and no disclosed AI capabilities; geographic scope is strictly Illinois.

Name

Illinois Retired Teachers Association

Legal name

Illinois Retired Teachers Association

Website

https://irtaonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Illinois Retired Teachers Association is a 1955-founded, Springfield-based nonprofit membership association that lobbies to protect pensions and healthcare for retired Illinois educators, offering tiered dues, group-rate supplemental insurance via AMBA, and benefits through wholly owned Foundation and PAC entities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Primary revenue stream from membership dues including monthly pension deductions, annual subscriptions, and one-time life memberships.
2. PAC Donations: Political Action Committee receives member donations through monthly pension deductions, recurring credit card donations, and one-time contributions to support candidates favorable to retired educator interests.
3. Foundation Donations: Foundation receives charitable donations, planned gifts, bequests, and legacy contributions to fund grants, scholarships, and financial assistance programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

IRTA is a membership-based nonprofit association that advocates for retired Illinois educators by lobbying for pension and healthcare protection, and provides members with group-rate supplemental insurance (dental, vision, long-term care, life, cancer, heart, stroke, home healthcare), exclusive travel opportunities, educational webinars, and community engagement through local units and biennial conventions. Its affiliated IRTA Foundation provides grants, scholarships, and financial assistance to educators and retired educators, while IRTAPAC conducts political advocacy to defend retiree benefits.

Product overview

Illinois Retired Teachers Association offers a membership-based service providing pension and healthcare advocacy, supplemental insurance benefits, and member perks. The core offerings include the AMBA Benefits Platform for group-rate insurance (dental, vision, long-term care, life insurance, etc.), the IRTA Membership Portal for member management, and IRTAPAC for political advocacy. Additional offerings include Educational Webinars covering retirement topics, Exclusive Travel Opportunities through Boscov's Travel, the IRTA Foundation providing grants and scholarships, Legacy Giving for planned donations, and recognition programs (Unit of Distinction and Unit Honorees). The IPA Partnership extends membership to retiring principals. The organization does not operate a unified software platform but provides member services through web portals, partner platforms, and in-person programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IRTA Membership Annual/lifetime membership in the Illinois Retired Teachers Association providing pension and healthcare advocacy, voting rights in association governance, and access to all member benefits and programs. Available in multiple pricing tiers for retired Illinois educators receiving TRS pensions and for associate (non-pensioner) members.
• AMBA Supplemental Insurance Benefits Group-rate supplemental insurance products for IRTA members, including dental (Ameritas Dental Network with 20-40% savings, 400,000+ providers nationwide), vision ($150-$170 frame allowances, low copays), long-term care, home healthcare, cancer, heart, stroke, life insurance, and Fixed Index Annuities from an A+ rated carrier with 133+ years in business. Exclusively available to IRTA members through AMBA.
• IRTA Foundation Programs Charitable programs of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association Foundation, Inc. providing grants to public school educators (Pre-K through 12, $42,000 available statewide), scholarships to aspiring teachers, and direct financial assistance to retired educators experiencing acute financial stress.
• IRTAPAC Political Advocacy Non-partisan political advocacy arm of IRTA that protects pension and healthcare benefits for retired Illinois educators through campaign financing and direct legislator relationships. Receives donations via monthly pension deductions, recurring credit card donations, and one-time contributions.
• Exclusive Travel Opportunities Member-exclusive travel program offering curated domestic and international tours through Boscov's Travel, including destinations such as Emerald Isle/Scotland, Great Trains & Grand Canyons, and Gilded Age Christmas in Newport.
• Pipeline Membership Program Free pre-retirement membership program for Illinois educators within 4 years of retirement, providing early access to IRTA benefits, retirement planning education, and advocacy engagement before formal retirement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members receive dental coverage with 20-40% savings through Ameritas Dental Network
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAMBA is the exclusive association benefits provider for IRTA members. Provides group-rate supplemental insurance including dental, vision, long-term care, home healthcare, cancer, heart, stroke, life insurance, annuities, and other policies. AMBA also coordinates educational webinars and marketing for IRTA benefits.
• Illinois Principals Association (IPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPA retired members automatically receive IRTA membership. School administrators can join IPA for $75 which includes IRTA dues. IPA has historically helped promote IRTA Foundation grants and IRTA provides retirement seminars to IPA members.
• Boscov's TravelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoscov's Travel provides exclusive travel opportunities for IRTA members including curated tours and trips. Members access member-only journeys to destinations like Emerald Isle/Scotland, Great Trains & Grand Canyons, and Gilded Age Christmas in Newport.
• Teachers Retirement System (TRS)coreOthersState of Illinois Teachers Retirement System - IRTA advocates for members who receive pensions from TRS. Dues deduction option allows members to have $3.50 monthly deducted from their TRS pension check.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC): A membership organization for older Americans offering advocacy and member benefits, comparable in business model (dues-funded, member benefits) though broader than the educator-specific focus.

Direct peers

• NEA Retired (National Education Association Retired): The retired-member program of the National Education Association, providing state-affiliated retired educator advocacy and benefits that directly parallel IRTA's mission.
• Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA): A state retired-teacher association offering pension protection advocacy, insurance benefits, and local chapters, structurally analogous to IRTA in another major state.
• New York State Retired Teachers' Association (NYSRTA): Membership association for retired New York educators providing advocacy and benefit services, mirroring IRTA's operating model in a different state context.
• California Retired Teachers Association (CalRTA): State-level membership organization for retired California educators, offering a directly comparable mission (pension/healthcare advocacy, supplemental insurance access, local units) on a different geographic base.

Regional players

• Missouri Retired Teachers Association (MRTA): A neighboring-state retired teachers association offering the same pension/benefits advocacy model, useful as a regional comparator for IRTA's structure and program mix.

Others

• Illinois Education Association (IEA): The active-educator counterpart in Illinois. IEA and IRTA share constituency and policy interests, and IEA represents a natural Pipeline-style source for future IRTA members.
• Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA): A large financial services provider focused on the academic and education community, adjacent to IRTA in serving educators' financial needs across the career-retirement arc.

Broad incumbents

• National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA): A national retired-educator community operating under AARP, providing a scaled version of the same advocacy/benefits model IRTA delivers at the state level.
• AARP: The largest U.S. membership organization for Americans 50+, with overlapping advocacy on pension protection, supplemental insurance, and retiree benefits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IRTAonlineX
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/illinois1955
• Facebookfacebook.com/IllinoisRetiredTeachers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinois-retired-teachers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Illinois Retired Teachers Association