Lake Washington Human Resource Association

What Lake Washington Human Resource Association does

Lake Washington Human Resource Association (LWHRA) is a non-profit professional membership association and one of the largest chapters of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in the Puget Sound region, also affiliated with the Northwest Human Resources Management Association (NHRMA). The organization serves working HR professionals in the Lake Washington/Washington State area through a suite of member services including monthly chapter meetings, an annual symposium drawing more than 350 HR professionals, three Special Interest Groups (Career Transition, Compensation & Benefits, HR and Its Connections), a mentorship program, a SHRM certification preparation curriculum, an online Career Center/Job Board, and curated DEI and Employment Law resources. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and operates from a Gig Harbor, WA headquarters with a registered Seattle address and meetings distributed across Bellevue and Lynnwood venues.

LWHRA monetizes through four primary streams: membership dues processed via SHRM's national dual membership system, event and seminar registration fees (e.g., $45 member / $60 non-member chapter meeting pre-registration, $99 employment law seminars, $125-$155 student symposium rates), job board posting and resume transaction fees on jobs.lwhra.org, and corporate sponsorships formalized through a published annual Partnership Guide. Its go-to-market is community-led: growth depends on word-of-mouth among regional HR practitioners, SHRM brand distribution, SIG and mentorship participation, and an annual flagship symposium that doubles as a member acquisition and retention event.

The technology footprint is a standard association web platform rather than proprietary software: a public-facing website (lwhra.org) hosted on Squarespace, a dedicated job board subdomain, an Eventbrite integration for some event registration, and Basecamp/Zoom used for certification study groups. The organization has no disclosed parent company, no external investors, and no subsidiaries; it relies on approximately 8 employees plus volunteer leadership, and has earned SHRM recognition including the 2017 Platinum EXCEL Award and SHRM Learning System Champion designation.

Name

Lake Washington Human Resource Association

Legal name

Lake Washington Human Resource Association

Website

https://lwhra.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lake Washington Human Resource Association is a non-profit SHRM chapter and NHRMA affiliate serving HR professionals in the Puget Sound region through membership, monthly meetings, an annual symposium, Special Interest Groups, a job board, mentorship, and certification prep.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional HR Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAAAD

Employment & Labor Law

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Legal Services

Keywords

• Professional HR association
• Human resources membership
• HR certification preparation
• HR professional development
• Regional HR networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Gig Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 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: Dual membership revenue where LWHRA chapter membership is bundled with SHRM membership. Members pay through the SHRM store and receive access to LWHRA benefits including chapter meetings, newsletter subscription, career center access, SIG participation, and mentorship programs.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue generated from chapter meeting registrations and annual symposium attendance. Pre-registration rates typically: Member $45, Non-Member $60, with walk-in rates higher. Student rates available at discounted pricing.
3. Job Board Posting Fees: The LWHRA Career Center allows members to post resumes and apply for jobs at discounted rates. Employers can post jobs on the platform.
4. Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships: Partnership Guide available for corporate sponsors (2026 Partnership Guide document referenced). Sponsors include Compensation Connections, Terra Staffing Group, Parker Smith & Feek, and others who receive visibility and marketing benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

LWHRA is a nonprofit professional membership association serving HR practitioners in the Lake Washington/Puget Sound region of Washington State. It operates as an official chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and an affiliate of the Northwest Human Resources Management Association (NHRMA), selling dual SHRM chapter membership, monthly chapter meetings, an annual symposium, Special Interest Groups, SHRM certification preparation, mentorship, a job/career center, and legislative/employment-law content to individual HR professionals and corporate sponsors.

Product overview

Lake Washington Human Resource Association (LWHRA) is a professional membership association and SHRM chapter, not a software product company. It operates as one of the largest SHRM chapters in the region and offers a unified suite of member services including membership, career center/job board, mentorship program, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), monthly chapter meetings, an annual symposium, DEI resources, legislative updates, and SHRM certification preparation. These services are provided through the association's own operational infrastructure and integrate with SHRM's membership system for dual membership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LWHRA-SHRM Dual Membership Annual professional membership sold to individual HR practitioners that automatically enrolls the member in SHRM and the LWHRA chapter, providing access to chapter meetings, the bi-weekly newsletter, the career center, Special Interest Groups, mentorship, legislative updates, and volunteer opportunities.
• Career Center / Job Board Online job board at jobs.lwhra.org offering HR job postings in the Seattle Metro area with paid employer postings and discounted resume posting/application access for members.
• Annual Symposium Annual all-day ticketed event for HR professionals featuring multiple educational tracks, expert speakers, networking, and SHRM/HRCI continuing education credits, attracting over 350 HR professionals from around the region.
• Monthly Chapter Meetings Recurring ticketed in-person and virtual meetings featuring expert speakers on HR topics, compliance, and professional development, offering SHRM/HRCI credit opportunities and held at venues such as the Bellevue Hilton.
• SHRM Certification Preparation Course Paid exam preparation classes and study groups for SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP certifications, run via Basecamp and Zoom, with class sizes such as 25 students in Spring 2019.
• Employment Law Seminar Ticketed seminar (e.g., 'Dealing with Today's Employment Law Challenges in Washington' at $99) co-hosted with law firm Jackson Lewis P.C., with proceeds benefiting Volunteers of America Western Washington.
• Corporate Sponsorship / Partnership Program Paid corporate sponsorship packages (e.g., 2026 Partnership Guide) that give partner companies such as Compensation Connections, Terra Staffing Group, Parker Smith & Feek, Lee Hecht Harrison, GETWA529, Alliance2020, and Planit visibility and marketing benefits at chapter events and on the website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 350 HR professionals attend the annual Symposium
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLWHRA is an official chapter of SHRM, the world's largest HR professional society representing 285,000+ members in 165+ countries. The dual membership system integrates LWHRA chapter membership with SHRM membership, providing members access to SHRM's resources, certification programs, legislative advocacy, and discount programs. LWHRA is described as one of the largest SHRM chapters in the region.
• Northwest Human Resources Management Association (NHRMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLWHRA is an affiliate of NHRMA, the regional human resources management association. This affiliation provides regional networking and resource sharing across the Northwest HR community.
• Compensation ConnectionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LWHRA events and programs. Appears on sponsor listings on the website and in footer sponsor sections.
• Terra Staffing GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LWHRA events and programs. Featured as a sponsor on the website.
• Parker Smith & FeekminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LWHRA events. Their Bellevue office at 2233 112th Avenue NE serves as meeting location for the Compensation & Benefit SIG.
• Lee Hecht HarrisonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LWHRA events and programs. Featured as a sponsor on the website.
• GETWA529minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWashington State 529 college savings plan sponsor. Featured as a sponsor on the website.
• Alliance2020minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LWHRA events. Listed in sponsor section of website.
• PlanitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LWHRA events. Listed as a sponsor in footer section.
• Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC)minorOthersWSHRC enforces the Washington State Law Against Discrimination. LWHRA provides information and resources about WSHRC on its Employment Law News page as part of member education on state employment laws.
• Harvard Implicit Bias ProjectminorOthersLWHRA's DEI Resource Page links to Harvard's Implicit Bias Test as an educational resource for members to understand personal biases.
• YesVets (Employment Security Department)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLWHRA partners with YesVets, a statewide campaign to hire veterans created by Employment Security Department in partnership with Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Commerce, Washington State Military Transition Council, and local chambers. LWHRA promotes the campaign to members.
• Jackson Lewis P.C.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployment law firm co-hosting the 'Dealing with Today's Employment Law Challenges in Washington' seminar with LWHRA and All Things HR, LLC.
• Volunteers of America Western WashingtonminorOthersProceeds from the Employment Law seminar benefit Volunteers of America Western Washington's efforts to serve and protect the community's most vulnerable individuals.
• HopelinkminorOthersLWHRA volunteers participate in Hopelink's English for Work program by serving as mock interviewers for immigrants and refugees preparing for the U.S. workforce.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• SHRM Foundation: The SHRM Foundation is the workforce-development and scholarship arm of SHRM. It is comparable as a SHRM-affiliated nonprofit operating in the same HR professional ecosystem and supporting similar educational and workforce initiatives.
• Paylocity Learning & HR Advisory Community: HR software vendors like Paylocity run customer advisory communities and HR-focused content/events for HR practitioner audiences, comparable to LWHRA as a destination for HR professionals seeking peer learning and professional development.
• LinkedIn Talent Insights (HR ecosystem): LinkedIn hosts large HR and recruiting professional communities (including LWHRA's HR and Its Connections SIG via LinkedIn) and offers learning content. It is comparable as a free or low-cost community and learning layer competing for HR professionals' engagement.

Emerging players

• HR.com: HR.com is an online HR community and content platform offering webinars, training, and a job board. It is comparable as a digital alternative to chapter-based HR associations competing for HR professionals' continuing education time and attention.

Broad incumbents

• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): SHRM is the world's largest HR professional society (285,000+ members) and LWHRA's parent affiliate organization. SHRM provides the dual-membership distribution, certification programs, and legislative advocacy backbone that LWHRA builds local programming on top of.
• HR Certification Institute (HRCI): HRCI is a major HR credentialing body whose certifications (PHR, SPHR) are complementary to SHRM credentials. LWHRA explicitly offers HRCI continuing education credits at its events, making HRCI a direct ecosystem peer.

Direct peers

• WorldatWork: WorldatWork is a nonprofit professional association focused on total rewards, compensation, and benefits — closely overlapping LWHRA's Compensation & Benefits SIG. It serves HR practitioners through certification, education, and conferences.
• Association for Talent Development (ATD): ATD is a professional membership association serving talent development and learning professionals, with chapter-based local chapters and annual conferences. It is structurally analogous to LWHRA in operating model and target member profile (HR-adjacent professionals).
• Northwest Human Resources Management Association (NHRMA): NHRMA is LWHRA's regional affiliate, serving HR professionals across the Pacific Northwest. It is directly comparable as a multi-chapter regional HR association operating under SHRM with similar chapter meetings, annual conferences, and SIG structures.
• SHRM Washington State Council: Other Washington-state SHRM-affiliated chapters (e.g., Seattle Metro, Spokane, etc.) operate the same SHRM dual-membership model and compete with LWHRA for the same regional HR professional audience and corporate sponsors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-washington-human-resource-association

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Lake Washington Human Resource Association