NSA Houston

What NSA Houston does

NSA Houston is the Houston chapter of the National Speakers Association, operating as a Texas-registered nonprofit professional association that serves individual professional speakers, aspiring speakers, and speaking-engagement buyers in the Houston metropolitan area. Its core value proposition is community, professional development, and market access for working speakers, delivered through a tiered membership model with Professional membership at $350, Partner at $280, and Student at $125 annually, supplemented by paid workshops and event tickets.

The chapter's core products include a monthly Speaker Series, a multi-track Mastery Series workshop program, a Last Story Standing speaking competition, the NSA Houston Vault (an on-demand digital content library), a Find a Speaker Directory that connects event planners with vetted member speakers, and the Storytellers Podcast. Operational infrastructure runs on the Wild Apricot membership management platform, which handles dues, member records, event registration, and the directory. The organization is supported by a small staff of approximately 6 employees and a rotating volunteer Board of Directors.

Revenue mechanics are driven primarily by membership dues, event and workshop fees, and limited sponsorship. Go-to-market is member-led: the chapter relies on referrals, cross-promotion with peer associations (ATD Houston, HODN, ICF Houston, ACMP), institutional partnerships (notably with the University of Houston), and a recently introduced Referral Rewards Program running through May 31, 2026 to drive acquisition. A Digital Chapter launched in July 2025 extends reach beyond the in-person Houston geography, opening a low-cost channel for distributed growth.

Name

NSA Houston

Legal name

National Speakers Association – Houston Chapter

Website

https://nsahouston.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NSA Houston is a Texas nonprofit professional association and chapter of the National Speakers Association that serves individual professional speakers and event planners in the Houston region via tiered membership, monthly programs, workshops, and a speaker directory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Membership Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Adult/Public Speaking Clubs & Community Organizations (EDAMAOAI)

Keywords

• Professional speaking association
• Membership organization
• Speaker networking
• Professional development
• Speaker directory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Membership Dues: Annual membership fee providing access to monthly programs, Speaker Series, Mastery Series, networking events, member directory listing, and exclusive resources including the NSA Houston Vault and Members-Only LinkedIn group. Membership renews on rolling 365-day schedule.
2. Partner Membership Dues: Discounted annual membership at $280 for members of partner organizations (ATD Houston, HODN, ICF Houston), offering 20% discount off Professional Membership rate with identical benefits.
3. Student Membership Dues: Reduced-rate annual membership at $125 for full-time students at accredited universities, providing access to monthly programs and Last Story Standing competition entry.
4. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue from guest tickets to monthly programs and special events. Non-member guest tickets priced at $35-$59 depending on event type. Student rate of $25 available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NSA Houston is the Houston Chapter of the National Speakers Association, operating as a nonprofit professional membership association for professional speakers. The chapter sells tiered annual memberships (Professional, Partner, and Student) and delivers monthly Speaker Series programs, Mastery Series workshops, quarterly networking mixers, the Last Story Standing storytelling competition, a members-only Find a Speaker Directory, and the NSA Houston Vault digital resource library to support speaker business growth, professional development, and community connection.

Product overview

NSA Houston is a professional membership organization for professional speakers that operates on a tiered membership model offering Professional, Partner, and Student levels. The organization is powered by Wild Apricot membership software and provides members with access to a Find a Speaker Directory, the NSA Houston Vault resource library, monthly Speaker Series programs, Mastery Series multi-part learning tracks, Last Story Standing competitions, New Member Orientation sessions, quarterly networking mixers, and the Storytellers Podcast. These products and programs collectively support professional development, business growth, networking, and visibility for speakers at all career stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Members gain access to 9 monthly programs per year plus Mastery Series workshops
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

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

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

• ACMPminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 April 2025Association for Change Management Professionals - joint happy hour event on April 16, 2025 at Bayou Heights Bier Garten bringing together professionals from speaking, training, coaching, and change management communities
• University of Houston SSHRDstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2025University of Houston Student Society of HR Development - March 2025 workshop partnership where NSA Houston members collaborated with students on marketing and professional development; investment in next generation of speaking professionals
• ATD HoustoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAssociation of Talent Development Houston Chapter - mutual agreement for 20% discounted NSA Houston membership for ATD members; joint networking events including Joint Happy Hour bringing together professional development communities
• HODNcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHouston Organization Development Network - mutual partnership providing discounted membership rates between organizations; joint events and networking opportunities
• ICF HoustoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational Coach Federation Houston Chapter - mutual agreement for 20% discount on NSA Houston Professional Membership for ICF members; collaborative networking events
• University of Houston Texas Gulf Coast Small Business Development CentercoreOthersPrimary venue partner for monthly programs and events; centrally located meeting space with state-of-the-art A/V equipment, free parking, and comfortable seating; hosts Speaker Series programs, Last Story Standing competition, and workshops

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Toastmasters International: The largest global public speaking and leadership organization with local clubs worldwide. Highly comparable to NSA Houston in mission of building speaker skills through community, with the key distinction that Toastmasters is open to amateurs whereas NSA Houston targets professional speakers.

Broad incumbents

• National Speakers Association (NSA National): The national parent body and professional association for the speaking industry. NSA Houston operates as a chapter under this umbrella; NSA National serves the same professional speaker audience but at a national scale with broader programming, certification (CSP/CPAE), and industry advocacy.
• Global Speakers Federation: An international umbrella body uniting national professional speaking associations worldwide. Comparable to NSA Houston's mission at a global scale, providing standards, accreditation, and advocacy for the professional speaking industry.

Regional players

• NSA Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter: A sister NSA chapter serving the Dallas/Fort Worth professional speaking community. Operates the same chapter-level model (membership tiers, monthly Speaker Series, speaker directory) in an adjacent Texas geography with direct overlap in mission and structure.
• NSA Carolinas: An NSA chapter covering the Carolinas region for professional speakers. Mirrors NSA Houston's chapter structure, programming cadence, and member value proposition but serves a different U.S. region.
• Association for Talent Development (ATD) Houston Chapter: A Houston-based professional association and NSA Houston partner serving talent development and training professionals. Operates a similar local-chapter membership model targeting professionals who speak as part of their business, with overlapping membership discounts and joint events.
• Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS): Canada's national professional speaking association, structurally similar to NSA in serving professional speakers through local chapters, events, and directories across Canada.
• Professional Speaking Association (PSA) UK: The UK's main professional speaking association, mirroring NSA's chapter model for British professional speakers. Operates with similar membership tiers, events, and speaker directory but serves a UK/Ireland geographic base.
• NSA NYC Chapter: The New York City chapter of NSA, providing professional speakers in the NYC metro with programming, networking, and directory services comparable to NSA Houston's offering in a higher-density East Coast market.
• International Coach Federation (ICF) Houston Chapter: A Houston chapter of ICF serving executive and professional coaches, many of whom speak professionally. Operates the same local-chapter membership model with cross-discount partnership with NSA Houston.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/top
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/houston-nsa

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 NSA Houston