We Inspire. Promote. Network.

What We Inspire. Promote. Network. does

We Inspire. Promote. Network. (WIPN) is a U.S.-based nonprofit membership association serving women professionals in the retirement industry. Founded circa 2009/2010 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, WIPN operates more than 36 local chapters across six U.S. regions and reports more than 5,500 individual members and more than 50 corporate sponsors, including tier-1 asset managers such as BlackRock, Fidelity, Vanguard and T. Rowe Price. Its core offering is community and career programming — networking events, chapter meetings, mentoring and professional development — delivered through a regional chapter model and supported by institutional sponsorship.

WIPN's product surface is built on a conventional SaaS stack: Memberstack powers membership management, Stripe handles payments, Eventbrite runs events, SurveyMonkey collects member input, and Google Drive and YouTube host content. On top of this base, WIPN has begun layering higher-value offerings, including a Sponsor Access Portal launched in June 2025 to deepen service to corporate partners, and the forthcoming 2026 Work Force Study, a proprietary research product benchmarking women in the U.S. retirement industry. No proprietary AI, machine-learning or data flywheel capabilities are evident in the disclosed technology footprint.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit dues-and-sponsorship engine. Individual members pay $120 per year, while sponsor and strategic partner members pay $60 per year; corporate sponsors — the dominant revenue contributors — pay tiered sponsorship fees that fund national programming, the chapter network and research products. The organization runs lean, with 1-10 employees, indicating a high reliance on volunteer chapter leadership and corporate partner in-kind support to scale programming nationally.

Name

We Inspire. Promote. Network.

Legal name

WIPN (We Inspire. Promote. Network.)

Website

https://wipn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WIPN is a U.S. nonprofit membership association for women in the retirement industry, operating 36+ chapters across six regions with 5,500+ members and 50+ corporate sponsors, including BlackRock, Fidelity, Vanguard and T. Rowe Price.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership: Annual subscription membership providing access to paid events, resources, webinars, mentorship programs, and the membership directory. Billed at $120 per year with automatic annual renewal.
2. Sponsor Employee Membership: Discounted $60/year membership available to employees of WIPN sponsor companies. Provides same access as individual membership at reduced rate to incentivize corporate sponsorship relationships.
3. Strategic Partner Membership: Discounted $60/year membership for individuals affiliated with WIPN strategic partner organizations including industry associations and media partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WIPN is a national nonprofit membership organization that empowers women in the retirement and financial services industry through a tiered membership program (Individual at $120/year, Sponsor-employee and Strategic-Partner tiers at $60/year). Members access a directory of 5,500+ professionals, 36+ regional chapters across six U.S. regions, local and national networking events, mentorship and executive coaching, proprietary research publications (workforce studies, DEI reports), the WIPN Wellness program, the Intentional Leadership Series, and an annual DEI Summit. Corporate sponsors and strategic partners from the financial services industry fund the network and channel discounted memberships to their employees.

Product overview

WIPN (We Inspire. Promote. Network.) is a national professional membership organization that empowers women in the retirement and financial services industry through a unified platform combining membership services, networking events, professional development resources, and proprietary research. The core offering centers on WIPN Membership (Individual, Sponsor Member, and Strategic Partner Member tiers at $120/year and $60/year respectively), which provides access to the Membership Directory of over 5,500 members, regional chapters across 30+ locations, national and local Networking Events, Member Resources & Webinars, Mentorship & Executive Coaching, and DEI programming including the annual DEI Summit. The WIPN Wellness Program delivers health and wellness content, while the Intentional Leadership Series provides structured leadership development. Sponsors receive access to a dedicated Sponsor Toolkit and Quarterly Update calls through the Sponsor Access Portal. Research products include the annual Work Force Study and industry reports like 'Raising the Bar.' All offerings interconnect through the member portal managed via Memberstack, with Stripe processing payments and Eventbrite handling event registrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WIPN Membership Tiered annual subscription membership offering Individual ($120/year), Sponsor-employee ($60/year), and Strategic-Partner affiliate ($60/year) access to paid national events, regional chapter programming, member resources, mentorship programs, proprietary research, and the membership directory. For women professionals across the retirement industry.
• Mentorship and Executive Coaching Structured program connecting WIPN members with industry leaders for mentorship, plus executive coaching services to support career advancement in the retirement industry. Available to members with its own dedicated program page, distinguished from the base membership subscription.
• Proprietary Research Publications Original research reports on women in financial services including the annual Work Force Study, DEI Pulse Survey, and the Raising the Bar infographic, used to drive industry awareness, member value, and thought leadership. For WIPN members, sponsors, and the broader retirement industry.
• DEI Summit Annual flagship DEI Summit focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the retirement industry, featuring panel discussions and research presentations on DEI topics. For WIPN members, corporate sponsors, and industry attendees.
• WIPN Wellness Program Members-only national webinar and workshop series focused on health, wellness, longevity planning, mental resilience, and work-life balance topics for financial professionals.
• Intentional Leadership Series Multi-session structured leadership development workshop series focused on redefining how women work, lead, and communicate, with named sessions including 'The Myth of More', 'Lead Like You', and 'Say It Like You Mean It'. For WIPN members seeking leadership development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,500+ women connected through the membership network
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SWAY Live ConferenceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 August 2026WIPN supports and sponsors the SWAY Live conference in Boulder, CO. WIPN members receive $200 discount using code WIPN26. WIPN promotes the event to its membership.
• CFA Society PortlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2025Co-host of the Women in Finance Forum with WIPN. Collaborative event bringing together 200+ women for networking and professional development. Part of a coalition of five organizations.
• Portland Women in Investment ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2025Co-host of the Women in Finance Forum collaborative event. Partnership creates cross-organizational networking opportunities.
• Women in ETFscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2025Co-host of the Women in Finance Forum. Partnership expands reach to women in the ETF industry within the broader financial services community.
• Women in Insurance & Financial ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2025Co-host of the Women in Finance Forum. Collaborative partnership broadens the coalition's impact on women's advancement across financial services.
• Broadridge Fiduciary Governance SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner providing governance solutions to the retirement industry. Listed in WIPN's Logo Library for partner recognition and cross-promotion.
• Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCIIA is a strategic partner co-presenting DEI initiatives including the DEI Pulse Survey Discussion webinar. Deep collaboration on diversity and inclusion programming.
• Institutional InvestorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry publication and strategic partner providing thought leadership content and cross-promotion to WIPN membership.
• National Institute of Pension Administrators (NIPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIPA is a strategic partner representing pension administrators. Cross-promotional relationship for member engagement.
• PLANADVISERminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry publication strategic partner providing thought leadership and cross-promotion to retirement plan advisors.
• PLANSPONSORcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading industry publication and strategic partner. Cross-promotional relationship for reaching retirement plan sponsor audiences.
• Sheri Fitts & CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndividual consultant and strategic partner, also hosts the SWAY Live conference which WIPN sponsors and promotes to members.
• SPARK InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetirement industry association strategic partner providing member referrals and collaborative programming.
• MemberstackcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform used for membership management, profile data, chapter assignments, and member privacy settings. Core infrastructure for member experience.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing platform for membership subscriptions and billing. Handles secure payment processing with encryption and automatic renewal management.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Catalyst: Established global nonprofit advancing women in the workplace through research, consulting, and corporate partnerships. Comparable in research-driven thought leadership and corporate-sponsor engagement model, but operates across all industries rather than the financial services niche WIPN occupies.
• 85 Broads (now part of the Forbes network): Global women-in-finance community originally founded by Goldman Sachs alumni, now under Forbes. Comparable member persona (women in finance), with broader geographic scope and a much larger media parent than WIPN.

Emerging players

• Girls Who Invest: Nonprofit focused on increasing women's representation in portfolio management and the investment management industry through education and industry placement. Comparable mission (advancing women in investment/retirement) but targets early-career pipeline rather than WIPN's all-levels professional base.

Direct peers

• 100 Women in Finance: Global nonprofit network of women in the finance industry with education, peer engagement, and philanthropy programs. Comparable in target audience and membership/sponsorship model, with broader geographic and asset-class coverage than WIPN.
• Women in ETFs: Global industry organization supporting women in the ETF ecosystem through networking, education, and events. Direct peer on target audience (women in investment management), event-driven GTM, and coalition-style programming; a coalition partner of WIPN.
• Ellevate Network: Membership-based professional network for women focused on career advancement and mentorship. Comparable in subscription membership model and career-development value proposition, but serves women across all industries rather than WIPN's financial-services focus.
• Women in Insurance & Financial Services (WIFS): National membership organization advancing women in insurance and financial services through local chapters, events, and leadership programming. Closely comparable to WIPN in mission, member profile (women in financial services), and chapter-based community model; the two organizations actively co-host the Women in Finance Forum.
• National Association of Insurance Women (NAIW) / NAIW Foundation: Professional association for women working in the insurance industry offering education, networking, and chapter-based programming. Comparable chapter-driven membership structure and target persona (women in insurance/financial services adjacent to retirement).
• Financial Women's Association: Long-running New York-based professional organization for women in finance offering networking, education, and mentorship. Comparable to WIPN in member persona and program mix, though geographically concentrated on the New York metro area.

Regional players

• DCIIA (Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association): Industry association for defined contribution plan institutional investors, with a strong DEI focus and a direct strategic partnership with WIPN. Comparable in serving the retirement/DC ecosystem and co-publishing DEI research with WIPN, though organized as an institutional trade body rather than a women's member network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/wipn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wipnorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 We Inspire. Promote. Network.