Alpha Kappa Delta

Academic Honor Society Servicesalphakappadelta.org

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

Sociology honor society
Academic membership recognition
Student research grants
Scholarship journal publication
Honor society merchandise

Where Alpha Kappa Delta is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

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Initiation Fees (Historical): Historical reference: Each chapter pays a sum set by Council to United Chapters for each person initiated.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 offering

Core 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 profile

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Alpha Kappa Delta technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Alpha Kappa Delta partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1967AKD 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal 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.
WileycoreTechnology or IntegrationWiley 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 SocietiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAKD 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 assessment

Direct 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 compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance2 records

Alpha Kappa Delta financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Alpha Kappa Delta leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Alpha Kappa Delta funding detail

Funding detail

Funding 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 investment

M&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?

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.