Alpha Kappa Delta
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1920
- HeadquartersSyracuse, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Alpha Kappa Delta firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Alpha Kappa Delta
- Legal name
- United Chapters of Alpha Kappa Delta: International Sociology Honor Society
- Website
- https://alphakappadelta.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1920
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Alpha Kappa Delta industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Honor Society Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Business Associations (813910), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Student Organizations & Club Administration (EDALAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Alumni Relations & Alumni Engagement Programs (EDALAOAA), Alumni Events, Reunions & Regional Chapters (EDALAOAG)
Keywords
Where Alpha Kappa Delta is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Syracuse
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Alpha Kappa Delta business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Lifetime Membership Fees: One-time lifetime membership fee of $50 per initiate. This is the primary revenue stream from individual members. Includes certificate of membership and one-year subscription to Sociological Inquiry.
- Annual Chapter Dues / Voting Membership Renewal: Chapter Representatives and Council members must renew annually for $50 per calendar year. This serves as the chapter dues mechanism and maintains active status for the chapter.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of merchandise including honor cords, key pins, lapel pins, t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, hats, water bottles, stickers, lanyards, and podium banners to members.
- Replacement Certificate Fees: Fee charged for reprinting membership certificates ($25). Certificates take 2-3 weeks from external printing company.
- Initiation Fees (Historical): Historical reference: Each chapter pays a sum set by Council to United Chapters for each person initiated. This amount entitled the initiate to a certificate and one-year subscription to Sociological Inquiry.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Lifetime Membership - One-time fee covering entire membership duration |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Alpha Kappa Delta product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) is the international sociology honor society that delivers lifetime membership recognition to qualifying undergraduate and graduate sociology students and faculty through its 707 chartered university chapters worldwide. Beyond membership, AKD publishes the quarterly scholarly journal Sociological Inquiry (via Wiley), funds student paper competitions and research travel grants, runs mentorship and graduate-student programming, and awards chapters and individuals for scholarly and social-justice contributions.
Product overview
Alpha Kappa Delta is the International Sociology Honor Society offering a portfolio of programs and services centered around its core lifetime membership. The society operates through over 700 chartered chapters at universities worldwide and serves more than 157,000 lifetime members. The primary offerings include: lifetime membership (the core product at $50), the quarterly Sociological Inquiry journal (published by Wiley), student paper competitions (undergraduate and graduate), research travel grants, a mentorship program, Graduate Student Lounge workshops, an annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, the Distinguished Lecture Series at ASA meetings, Social Justice Awards, and the Emory Bogardus Chapter of the Year Award. Additional programs include chapter activity grants, initiation speaker honorariums, teaching and learning workshop fellowships, and merchandise such as honor cords, pins, and apparel. The society maintains an online presence and virtual programs for member engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sociological Inquiry: The official quarterly journal of Alpha Kappa Delta, currently published by Wiley, committed to the exploration of the human condition in all of its social and cultural complexity.
Products and services
- Lifetime Membership Lifetime membership ($50 one-time fee) for eligible undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members from active AKD chapters; includes membership certificate, membership sticker, and one-year subscription to Sociological Inquiry.
- Sociological Inquiry Journal Official quarterly journal of Alpha Kappa Delta, published by Wiley, exploring the human condition in social and cultural complexity; members receive one-year online access upon initiation.
- Student Paper Competitions
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 157,000 lifetime members inducted since 1920
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Alpha Kappa Delta
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Alpha Kappa Delta technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Alpha Kappa Delta partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS)coreAKD became a certified member of ACHS in 1967. ACHS sets standards for legitimate college honor societies and provides verification of exemplary achievement. Membership in ACHS-certified societies provides employers instant verification of achievement and qualifies federal employees for paygrade increases under Superior Academic Achievement provisions.
- American Sociological Association (ASA)coreFormal affiliation with ASA. AKD holds its Distinguished Lecture at ASA's annual meeting. The society contributes annually to ASA's Minority Fellowship Program. Student paper competition winners receive travel funding to attend ASA meetings.
- WileycoreWiley publishes Sociological Inquiry, AKD's official quarterly journal. Current impact factor is 1.4 (2025). Members receive one-year online access to the journal upon initiation.
- Regional Sociology SocietiesminorAKD funds student travel to present at regional sociology meetings including: Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology, Eastern Sociological Society, Mid-South Sociological Association, Midwest Sociological Society, North Central Sociological Association, Pacific Sociological Association, Southern Sociological Society, and Southwestern Social Science Association.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Alpha Kappa Delta competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Alpha Kappa Psi: Professional Business Fraternity operating via university chapters with initiation fees, lifetime membership model, and structured member benefits — directly comparable in operating structure to AKD.
- Pi Sigma Alpha: National Honor Society for Political Science. Directly comparable model: ACHS-certified, university chapters, lifetime membership, awards programs, and journal affiliation.
- Lambda Pi Eta: National Communication Association Honor Society. Similar discipline-specific honor society model with university chapters, lifetime membership, and scholarship programs.
- Alpha Phi Sigma: National Criminal Justice Honor Society. ACHS-certified discipline-specific honor society with university chapters, lifetime membership, and similar student recognition programs.
- Pi Alpha Alpha: Global Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration. Comparable discipline-specific honor society with university chapters and ACHS certification.
- Psi Chi: International Honor Society in Psychology. Same discipline-specific honor society model, university chapter structure, member benefits, and student paper competitions, just in a different academic field.
- Pi Gamma Mu: International Honor Society in Social Sciences — the closest comparable organization to AKD in scope and structure. Both are discipline-specific honor societies operating via university chapters with similar membership, awards, and journal programs.
Others
- Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS): The umbrella certifying body for college honor societies. AKD has been certified since 1967; ACHS provides the legitimacy framework that defines AKD's value proposition rather than competing with it directly.
- American Sociological Association (ASA): The primary professional society for sociologists and AKD's closest strategic partner. While not a direct competitor (ASA serves professionals, not students), ASA hosts AKD's Distinguished Lecture and is deeply intertwined with AKD's mission.
Broad incumbents
- Phi Kappa Phi: The nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline academic honor society. Operates a much larger chapter network and broader membership base than AKD but shares the same ACHS-certified, university-chapter-based operating model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Alpha Kappa Delta social profiles
Digital presenceAlpha Kappa Delta compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Alpha Kappa Delta financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Alpha Kappa Delta leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Alpha Kappa Delta funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Alpha Kappa Delta M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Alpha Kappa Delta
What does Alpha Kappa Delta do?
Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) is the international sociology honor society that delivers lifetime membership recognition to qualifying undergraduate and graduate sociology students and faculty through its 707 chartered university chapters worldwide. Beyond membership, AKD publishes the quarterly scholarly journal Sociological Inquiry (via Wiley), funds student paper competitions and research travel grants, runs mentorship and graduate-student programming, and awards chapters and individuals for scholarly and social-justice contributions.
Is Alpha Kappa Delta a public or private company?
Alpha Kappa Delta is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Alpha Kappa Delta founded?
Alpha Kappa Delta was founded in 1920. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Alpha Kappa Delta based?
Alpha Kappa Delta is headquartered in Syracuse, United States, in the North America region.
How does Alpha Kappa Delta make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Lifetime Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are annual Chapter Dues / Voting Membership Renewal, merchandise Sales, replacement Certificate Fees and initiation Fees (Historical).
Who are Alpha Kappa Delta's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Alpha Kappa Psi, Pi Sigma Alpha, Lambda Pi Eta, Alpha Phi Sigma, Pi Alpha Alpha, Psi Chi and Pi Gamma Mu. Others are Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) and American Sociological Association (ASA). Phi Kappa Phi is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Alpha Kappa Delta have an API?
No public API is recorded for Alpha Kappa Delta.
What industry is Alpha Kappa Delta in?
Alpha Kappa Delta's product category is Academic Honor Society Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAHAB, Student Organizations & Club Administration, with a secondary code of EDALAOAA, Alumni Relations & Alumni Engagement Programs. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8600.