Community Associations Institute San Diego

What Community Associations Institute San Diego does

Community Associations Institute San Diego (CAI San Diego) is a California-based non-profit professional association chapter serving the San Diego County community association industry. Founded in 2013 as the local chapter of the national Community Associations Institute (CAI), the organization's stated mission is to provide homeowner association professionals and leaders with the information, education, and support they need to ensure their communities can thrive. It operates from a single mailing address at 9920 Pacific Heights Blvd, Suite 150, San Diego, with a staff of 1–10 led by Executive Director Carissa Mace and Membership Administrator Amy Wun. The chapter is governed under the oversight of CAI National and operates as a membership-based association rather than a for-profit enterprise.

CAI San Diego delivers its value through a portfolio of membership services, educational programming, events, and publications. Core offerings include the quarterly Community Insider Magazine, educational luncheons and trade shows, the annual golf tournament, the annual Awards Gala, online Business Partner and Management Company directories, and Manager Education Programs (delivered through CAI California). Membership is structured across five categories: Business Partners, Community Managers, Community Management Companies, Homeowner Leaders/Board Members/Volunteers, and Students. The organization also runs charitable initiatives such as the annual Youth Assistance Coalition Holiday Supply Drive. Distribution is largely in-person across San Diego County, supplemented by a Glueup-powered membership portal, a WordPress website, social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Instagram), and the Community Insider print/online magazine.

The business model is non-dues-plus-sponsorship in structure, although specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated through membership dues, event registration and sponsorship, Business Partner Directory listings, website sponsorships (with named partners including Available Termite & Pest Control, Bald Eagle Security, Ben's Asphalt, Fenton Grant Kaneda & Litt, Pacific Standard Plumbing, Pipe Restoration Solutions, Remedy Rooter, Saddleback Fence, SAX Insurance, Smart Street, and The Naumann Law Firm), and ad/editorial revenue from the Community Insider Magazine. As a chapter entity, CAI San Diego operates under the governance and brand of CAI National and has no private equity, venture capital, or public ownership stake. Financial results are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Community Associations Institute San Diego

Legal name

CAI San Diego - Community Associations Institute

Website

https://cai-sd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CAI San Diego is a non-profit professional association chapter founded in 2013 serving San Diego County community managers, HOA board members, business partners, and students with education, networking events, publications, and directories under the Community Associations Institute umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Homeowners Association (HOA) Management (BPAJAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

HOA / Condominium Association Management (BPAJAFAH)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• HOA education programs
• Community management training
• Association networking events
• Industry publications

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

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, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CAI San Diego is a local nonprofit chapter that delivers professional education, certification support, networking events, and industry publications for the homeowner association (HOA) and community management sector in San Diego County. It sells memberships, hosts luncheons, trade shows, galas and tournaments, and publishes the Community Insider Magazine for HOA managers, board members, volunteers, business partners, and community management companies.

Product overview

CAI San Diego operates as a single-product membership organization rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization provides a unified portfolio of services centered on professional education, networking events, and member resources for the community association industry. Core offerings include the Community Insider Magazine (quarterly publication), Educational Luncheons and Trade Shows (regular professional development events), the Annual Golf Tournament, the Awards Gala, and the Membership/Business Partner Directory. Manager Education Programs and Photo Galleries round out the service portfolio. These offerings collectively serve homeowner association professionals and leaders with information, education, and support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Insider Magazine Quarterly publication providing homeowner association professionals and leaders with industry news, legal updates, best practices, and member spotlights relevant to community associations.
• Educational Luncheons and Trade Shows Regular professional development events pairing educational luncheon programming with vendor trade shows, providing networking and continuing education for community association managers and business partners.
• Annual Golf Tournament Annual charitable golf tournament supporting community outreach and providing networking opportunities for chapter members and business partners.
• Annual Awards Gala Annual awards ceremony recognizing excellence in community association management and leadership, with ticketed attendance for members and partners.
• Membership Directory Online member directory hosted on the Glueup platform that connects community association professionals with vetted service providers and fellow members.
• Business Partner Directory Directory of vetted business partners offering services to community associations, including contractors, legal services, insurance, and maintenance providers.
• Manager Education Programs Professional education and certification support for community managers, including scholarship rebate programs, delivered in coordination with the CAI California statewide body.
• Youth Assistance Coalition Holiday Supply Drive Annual charitable drive coordinated by the chapter supporting youth in the San Diego community through the Youth Assistance Coalition.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• FirstService Residential: One of the largest residential property and community association management companies in North America. Relevant adjacent peer operating in the San Diego market that CAI San Diego's members and vendor sponsors serve.
• Associa: Large HOA and community association management company. Operates in the same San Diego HOA market as CAI San Diego's members and is itself a likely business partner/sponsor, making it a relevant adjacent peer rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• CAI Greater Los Angeles Chapter: Sibling CAI chapter serving the Greater Los Angeles market. Most structurally comparable to CAI San Diego — a regional chapter delivering education, networking, events, and publications to HOA professionals in a specific Southern California market.
• CAI Orange County Regional Chapter: Sibling CAI chapter serving Orange County, California. Comparable as a regional Southern California CAI chapter operating the same member, education, event, and publication model for HOA professionals and board members.
• Community Associations Institute (CAI National): National parent organization of CAI San Diego. Operates the same membership-based professional association model for community associations, providing the certification, education, and advocacy framework that the San Diego chapter delivers locally.
• CAI California: State-level chapter of CAI serving California. Directly comparable as a sibling CAI chapter delivering professional development, with the additional capacity to host state-wide education programs referenced in CAI San Diego's scholarship rebate offerings.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM): National professional association for residential property managers. Comparable as a membership organization delivering education, certification, and networking for professionals who manage residential properties — overlapping meaningfully with CAI San Diego's community manager audience.
• Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM): National professional association for real estate managers, offering certifications and education overlapping with CAI's audience. Comparable as an established incumbent in property management professional development, though with a broader commercial and residential real estate focus.
• Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA): International trade association for commercial and institutional real estate professionals. Comparable as a broad incumbent professional association delivering education, advocacy, and networking to property management professionals, though its primary focus is commercial rather than residential community associations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CAISanDiego
• Facebookfacebook.com/cai.sd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cai-san-diego
• Instagraminstagram.com/caisandiego

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Community Associations Institute San Diego