What Community Boards does

Community Boards, operating as Community Board Program, Inc. (EIN: 94-2382967), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 and headquartered at 601 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 2070, in San Francisco's Opera Plaza. It is the longest-running nonprofit conflict resolution and restorative justice center in the United States, offering a comprehensive service continuum that includes neighborhood mediation, professional/business mediation, conflict coaching, facilitation, and conflict resolution training. Services are delivered in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese by trained volunteer mediators and a small professional staff (1-10 employees). The organization's core technology is its mediation panel process and training curriculum, refined over nearly 50 years of continuous operation, supplemented by the Conflict Manager Program (launched 1982) — one of the oldest peer-to-peer school mediation models in the country — and 4th-edition published peer mediation training materials for elementary, middle, and high schools.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure spanning four streams: training and workshop fees (e.g., Basics of Mediation 40-hour certificate course with Early Bird pricing), tiered annual membership dues ($50 to $500+ across Friendship, Peacemakers, Leadership, and Visionary Circles, plus a $300 Organization tier), tax-deductible donations and charitable contributions (the organization explicitly does not turn anyone away for lack of funds), and publication sales ($70 per peer mediation implementation guide). Distribution occurs through direct service delivery (in-person and Zoom), institutional partnerships (notably SFUSD and the SF District Attorney's Office for the Neighborhood Courts restorative justice program launched in 2012), training program enrollment, and an online store. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on volunteer mediators, word-of-mouth referrals, tabling at public events, social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram), email marketing via Constant Contact, and the annual SF Peacemaker Awards gala as a signature fundraising and brand-building event.

The organization serves a horizontally diversified customer base including individuals seeking dispute resolution, businesses requiring professional mediation for contracts and partnerships, school districts and youth organizations (via the Conflict Manager Program and Neighborhood Courts), and government agencies. Primary institutional partnerships include San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, and the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Darlene Weide, MPH, MSW, with a small team of coordinators covering mediation, restorative justice, community engagement, finance, communications, and program direction.

Name

Community Boards

Legal name

Community Board Program, Inc.

Website

https://communityboards.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Boards is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 in San Francisco, operating the longest-running conflict resolution and restorative justice center in the United States, providing mediation, conflict coaching, facilitation, and training to individuals, businesses, schools, and government agencies in four languages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conflict Resolution Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Resident Conduct, Mediation & Community Standards Support (Residential) (EDAEAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Conflict resolution services
• Restorative justice
• Community mediation
• Mediation training
• Peer mediation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Training and Workshop Fees: Revenue from conducting mediation training programs including The Basics of Mediation (40-hour certificate course), Conflict Resolution Clinics, and advanced workshops. Prices range from $70 per CR Clinic to full training course fees.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership program with multiple tiers: Friendship Circle ($50), Peacemakers Circle ($100), Leadership Circle ($250), Visionary Circle ($500+), and Organization Membership ($300). Members receive discounts on trainings and other benefits.
3. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations supporting affordable conflict resolution services. The organization emphasizes that no one is turned away for lack of funds.
4. Publication Sales: Sale of peer mediation training materials including Conflict Resolution Lessons for Grades 3-5 ($70) and Peer Mediation Implementation Guides for elementary, middle, and high schools ($70 each).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Community Boards is a nonprofit conflict resolution and restorative justice center that delivers mediation, conflict coaching, facilitation, and certified mediation training. Its services are offered in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese, and span neighborhood disputes, professional/business conflicts, school-based peer mediation, and 40-hour certificate training for aspiring mediators.

Product overview

Community Boards operates as a nonprofit conflict resolution center offering a comprehensive suite of services centered on mediation, facilitation, and training. The core offering is neighborhood mediation—the longest-running public mediation program in the US—supplemented by professional/business mediation, conflict coaching, and facilitation services. Training programs include the flagship 'Basics of Mediation' 40-hour certificate course, monthly Conflict Resolution Clinics, and advanced coaching workshops. Youth and schools programming features the internationally recognized Peer Mediation (Conflict Manager Program) launched in 1982, along with staff training and published educational materials. The organization also runs the annual San Francisco Peacemaker Awards recognition program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Conflict Manager Program: A peer-to-peer mediation model for students, one of the oldest in the US, launched in 1982.

Products and services

• Neighborhood Mediation
• Professional Conflict Resolution (Business Mediation)
• Conflict Coaching
• Facilitation Services
• The Basics of Mediation Training
• Conflict Resolution Clinics
• Advanced Trainings and Workshops
• Peer Mediation (Conflict Manager Program)
• Peer Mediation Training Materials
• School Staff Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Neighborhood Mediation Program is the longest-running public mediation program in the US
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Formal collaboration between SFUSD and UESF (United Educators of San Francisco) encouraging the use of Community Boards' services to help resolve conflicts, with the goal of enhancing communication and productive problem-solving through conflict coaching, mediation, and group meeting facilitation. Services are available to all administrators and UESF-represented employees.
• San Francisco District Attorney's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership in the nationally recognized Neighborhood Courts program since 2012, building a restorative justice model in San Francisco. Community Boards has led Neighborhood Courts since their launch, helping shape this nationally recognized approach to restorative justice.
• San Francisco Pretrial Diversion ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership with San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project where Sharon Rose, Senior Diversion Programs Manager, has led Neighborhood Courts since their 2012 launch in partnership with Community Boards and the San Francisco District Attorney's Office.
• Nonviolent PeaceforceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization whose representative Gilda Bettencourt provides training workshops for Community Boards on Unarmed Civilian Protection, a global field rooted in building community safety through presence, preparation, relationship, and nonviolent approaches.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• King County Dispute Resolution Center: The King County Dispute Resolution Center is a Seattle-area nonprofit providing community mediation and restorative justice services, comparable to Community Boards in programmatic scope but serving the Pacific Northwest rather than the Bay Area.
• New York Peace Institute: New York Peace Institute is a nonprofit community mediation center in New York City offering neighborhood mediation, conflict coaching, and training—directly comparable service offerings to Community Boards but serving a different geography.
• Mediate BC: Mediate BC is a Canadian nonprofit providing community mediation, family mediation, and training across British Columbia. It is comparable to Community Boards in service mix but operates in a different national jurisdiction.

Direct peers

• National Association for Community Mediation: NAFCM is the national membership organization for community mediation centers in the U.S., operating as a nonprofit that supports programs like Community Boards and convenes the field. It is the closest umbrella peer to a community-based mediation nonprofit.
• Resolution Systems Institute: Resolution Systems Institute is a nonprofit focused on court-based and community mediation programs, with comparable training, research, and program development offerings to Community Boards' Neighborhood Mediation and training services.

Broad incumbents

• JAMS: JAMS is the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services in the U.S., including mediation and arbitration. While much larger and more commercial than Community Boards, it shares the mediation service category and is a benchmark for the broader ADR space.
• American Arbitration Association: The American Arbitration Association is a longstanding nonprofit ADR provider offering mediation and arbitration across a wide range of commercial, labor, and consumer disputes. It overlaps with Community Boards' mediation services but at much greater scale and scope.
• CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution: CPR is a major ADR organization that provides mediation, arbitration, and conflict prevention services across commercial and public sectors. Compared to Community Boards, it operates at greater scale and a broader commercial scope while sharing the conflict resolution mission.

Others

• National Association of Social Workers: NASW is a large professional membership association for social workers that intersects with Community Boards' community-based service delivery and SFUSD social-services-adjacent work. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive, sharing the broader social services ecosystem.
• PartnersGlobal (Partners for Democratic Change): PartnersGlobal was co-founded by Raymond Shonholtz, the founder of Community Boards, and operates internationally on conflict resolution and democratic change. It is a closely related organization through shared lineage and mission but operates internationally rather than as a community mediator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=uRULVShAlQU
• Facebookfacebook.com/CommunityBoards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-boards
• Instagraminstagram.com/communityboardssf

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Boards