GWSCPA

What GWSCPA does

GWSCPA is a non-profit professional membership association serving approximately 3,600 Certified Public Accountants and accounting professionals in the Greater Washington DC metropolitan area (DC, Maryland, Virginia). Founded in 1923 and headquartered at 1015 15th St NW in Washington DC, the organization operates as a regional society of CPAs providing continuing professional education (CPE), networking, career resources, and advocacy to individual practitioners, public accounting firms, nonprofit organizations, and financial services employers.

The core product portfolio includes a tiered membership program (with free student, young professional, regular, and retired tiers), a CPE catalog offered in-person, virtual, and self-study formats, three signature annual conferences (Government Contracting Conference, AI Conference, Nonprofit Symposium), the GWSCPA Connect online community platform, a Knowledge Hub resource library, a job posting board, a scholarship program established in 1963 that has awarded over $500,000, and the Nonprofit Accounting Basics educational site (1M+ views since 2008). The underlying technology consists of a standard association management platform with member portal, CPE tracking, and a separate community forum — no proprietary AI/ML systems or public APIs are disclosed.

Revenue is generated through five streams: annual membership dues (recurring subscription), CPE/event fees (subscription and pay-as-you-go with member/non-member tiers), firm and organizational memberships (deeply discounted all-staff access), job posting transaction fees (~$100 per 30-day listing for non-members), and corporate sponsorships. Annual Corporate Partners include Bank of America, Capital One, and others. GWSCPA distributes primarily through its website (gwscpa.org), LinkedIn, YouTube, the GWSCPA VOICES podcast, and direct in-person engagement at regional conferences and student outreach events at local universities.

Name

GWSCPA

Legal name

Greater Washington Society of CPAs

Website

https://gwscpa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GWSCPA is a non-profit regional CPA membership association serving approximately 3,600 accounting professionals in the Greater Washington DC area through membership dues, CPE programs, signature conferences, networking, and scholarship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Accounting Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Professional Organizations (81392), Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting, Audit & Tax (CPA/CA/ACCA CPE) (EDAAALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Professional association
• Continuing professional education
• Membership organization
• Accounting profession services
• CPA networking events

Headquarters

HQ city

S Central Washington Co

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from individual CPAs and accounting professionals, with tiered pricing for different career stages including student (free), young professional, regular member, and retired/inactive members
2. CPE and Event Fees: Continuing professional education courses, conferences, and events with member and non-member pricing tiers. Includes conferences like Government Contracting, AI Conference, and Nonprofit Symposium
3. Job Postings: Fees charged for posting job opportunities on the platform - $100 for non-members for 30-day listings
4. Firm/Organization Memberships: Deeply discounted annual fees for firms and organizations providing full access to all staff members
5. Sponsorship: Corporate partnership and sponsorship opportunities for companies supporting the accounting community

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

GWSCPA (Greater Washington Society of CPAs) is a non-profit professional membership association providing CPA members with continuing professional education (CPE) courses, conferences, networking events, career resources, and an online community. It serves approximately 3,600 CPAs, accounting professionals, students, and firms in the Greater Washington DC area through tiered membership, signature conferences (Government Contracting, AI, Nonprofit Symposium), and resources including a Knowledge Hub, job board, and scholarship fund.

Product overview

GWSCPA is a professional membership association for CPAs in the Greater Washington DC area, not a software technology company. Its offerings consist of membership services, professional education (CPE), conferences and events, an online community platform (GWSCPA Connect), a knowledge resource hub, scholarship programs, job postings, and educational content for nonprofits. The core value proposition centers on professional development, networking, and educational resources rather than a software product portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GWSCPA VOICES: Podcast channel of the Greater Washington Society of CPAs
• Knowledge Hub
• Solutions Hub

Products and services

• GWSCPA Membership Professional membership in the Greater Washington Society of CPAs offering networking, CPE discounts, and access to member-only resources. Multiple membership tiers include Regular, Student (free), Young and Emerging Professional, and various employment category types.
• CPE Catalog

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $500,000 awarded in scholarships to accounting students since 1963
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Bank of AmericacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Corporate Partner supporting the accounting and finance community of Greater Washington. Listed as a Thank You to Annual Corporate Partners on the GWSCPA website.
• Capital OnecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Corporate Partner and host of the 2026 AI Conference at Capital One headquarters in McLean, VA.
• First Citizens BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSection Sponsor for the Nonprofit Section, providing support for nonprofit-focused programming and events.
• Gallagher (Insurance)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSection Sponsor for the Nonprofit Section, providing risk management expertise and sponsorship for nonprofit programming.
• CBH (Charles Falls Brown)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerReception Sponsor for the 2026 Government Contracting Conference.
• Junior Achievement of Greater WashingtonstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerSociety partners with Junior Achievement for JA Finance Parks, providing CPAs and members to volunteer at events teaching financial literacy to middle school students.
• TE/GE Exempt Organizations CouncilstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership providing Symposium registrants access to specialized tax CPE sessions at the TE/GE Exempt Organizations Council virtual event.
• Virginia Society of CPAs (VSCPA)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for the 2026 AI Conference, co-branded and co-hosted event for CPAs in both societies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AICPA: The national professional body for CPAs. Comparable as the umbrella organization whose Code of Professional Conduct GWSCPA references, and a competitor for CPE programming and member mindshare — but operates nationally and not regionally focused.
• IMA (Institute of Management Accountants): A global association for management accountants and finance professionals. Comparable in mission (CPE, certification, member community) but with a broader industry and management accounting focus rather than regional CPA specialization.
• Becker Professional Education: A national CPA exam prep and CPE provider. Comparable as a CPE delivery competitor — though digital-first and not geographically constrained, putting pressure on traditional regional societies' CPE economics.

Emerging players

• Surgent CPA Review: A digital-first CPA exam review and CPE provider. Comparable as a newer-entrant competitor in the CPE market, with adaptive learning technology that challenges the in-person conference model GWSCPA relies on.
• CFO Leadership Council: A peer network for senior finance executives. Comparable as a regional membership/community model for finance professionals, overlapping with GWSCPA's senior CPA audience but focused on CFO-level executives rather than the full CPA pipeline.

Direct peers

• California Society of CPAs (CalCPA): Large state CPA society offering CPE, advocacy, and member services. Comparable in operating model and mission to GWSCPA, though serving a larger and more geographically dispersed membership.
• Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA): The state society for CPAs in Maryland. Directly comparable peer sharing the same DC-Metro service area, with overlapping CPE programming and similar member demographics.
• New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA): One of the largest US state CPA societies. Comparable in mission (CPE, advocacy, networking) and operating model, though larger in scale and broader in geographic scope.
• Virginia Society of CPAs (VSCPA): The state society for CPAs in Virginia. Directly comparable as a regional CPA membership association offering CPE, networking, and advocacy — and an explicit GWSCPA co-host partner for the 2026 AI Conference.
• Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs (PICPA): A larger state CPA society operating in the broader Mid-Atlantic region. Comparable as a regional CPA membership organization offering CPE, advocacy, and member services with a similar mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheGWSCPA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gwscpa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 GWSCPA