Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc.
Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association is a 501(c) nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1965, representing over 1,600 park, recreation, and aquatic professionals across Wisconsin through education, certification, advocacy, events, and networking programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersMilwaukee, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. does
Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association, Inc. (WPRA) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit professional membership association incorporated in Wisconsin and headquartered at 6737 W. Washington St., Suite 4270, Milwaukee. Founded in 1965, WPRA represents more than 1,600 individuals delivering parks, recreation, and aquatic services across the state, spanning local, county, state, school district, private, and agency settings, along with public boards and commissions, students, commercial firms, and emeritus members. Its mission is to empower members through professional growth, state-level advocacy, and community-development outcomes, and its strategic partner is the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), through which it channels certification programming.
The association delivers its value through a portfolio of recurring events, programs, and services rather than software products. Flagship offerings include the Annual Conference & Trade Show, the Fall Workshop, the Leadership Academy, regional lifeguard competitions (Region II and Region IV), Section Roundtables, Emerging Professionals Programs, and the CPSI Blended Course (co-sponsored with NRPA, conferring 1.5 CEUs and a three-year certification). Supporting infrastructure includes the WPRA Connect networking platform, the IMPACT Magazine publication, a Career Center, and CEU and certification administration. Member and event operations are run on the MemberClicks association-management platform; there is no proprietary technology stack, no AI/ML capability, no published API, and no mobile application. A wholly owned nonprofit affiliate, the WPRA Foundation, handles fundraising and scholarships.
Revenue derives from three documented streams: recurring professional membership dues; commercial membership and sponsorship (including trade show booths and advertising in IMPACT Magazine and the Membership Directory); and event registration fees (e.g., $40/member and $55/non-member for the Brewers Outing). Specific dues pricing tiers are not disclosed on the public website. The organization operates with a very small staff (reported band of 1-10 employees), is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors (with 2027 elections in process), and conducts its marketing primarily through its website, email newsletter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Geographic scope is exclusively Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc.
- Legal name
- Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association, Inc.
- Website
- https://wpraweb.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association is a 501(c) nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1965, representing over 1,600 park, recreation, and aquatic professionals across Wisconsin through education, certification, advocacy, events, and networking programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)
Keywords
Where Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milwaukee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from professional members including park, recreation, and aquatic professionals, commercial firms, and emeritus (retired) members.
- Commercial Membership & Sponsorship: Sponsorship program offering various levels for companies to reach members throughout the year, including commercial membership, trade show booths, and advertising in IMPACT Magazine and Membership Directory.
- Event Registration: Fees from various events including the Brewers Outing ($40/member, $55/non-member), and CEU programs like the CPSI Blended Course.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Member pricing for social events |
| Other | Per event | Non-member pricing for social events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association (WPRA) is a state-wide, voluntary, non-profit membership association founded in 1965 that represents over 1,600 park, recreation, and aquatic professionals across Wisconsin. It sells annual memberships and delivers supporting services including an annual conference and trade show, professional workshops, leadership development programs, lifeguard competitions, certifications (such as CPSI), a member networking platform (WPRA Connect), and the IMPACT Magazine publication.
Product overview
Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association (WPRA) operates as a membership-based professional association rather than a technology product company. The organization offers a unified membership program with various supporting services including annual conferences, workshops, professional development programs (Leadership Academy, CPSI certification courses), regional lifeguard competitions, networking platforms (WPRA Connect), publications (IMPACT Magazine), career resources, and CEU certification support. The portfolio is structured around member services with recurring events and programs rather than software products or platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WPRA Connect: Professional networking and information sharing platform for WPRA members
- WPRA Foundation
- IMPACT Magazine
Companies that use Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc.
Customer profileSegments5 records
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)coreWPRA connects members with NRPA resources, including the CPSI (Certified Playground Safety Inspector) certification program. WPRA sponsors CPSI Blended Courses and promotes NRPA Annual Conference to Wisconsin members.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA): NRPA is the national umbrella membership association for park and recreation professionals, directly partnered with WPRA for CPSI certification delivery and conference promotion. WPRA operates as a state chapter within the broader NRPA ecosystem, making NRPA the closest structural comparable.
- SHAPE America: SHAPE America is a national professional association serving health and physical education educators with overlapping professional development, certification, and advocacy functions, serving as a broader-adjacent incumbent to WPRA in adjacent recreation disciplines.
Direct peers
- Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA): IPRA is the direct state-level counterpart to WPRA, serving Illinois park, recreation, and aquatic professionals with the same membership dues, events, certification, and advocacy model. Closest peer in mission, structure, and program mix.
- Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA): OPRA is Ohio's statewide membership association for park and recreation professionals, operating annual conferences, workshops, and certification pipelines structurally analogous to WPRA's portfolio.
- Minnesota Recreation and Park Association (MRPA): MRPA serves Minnesota park and recreation professionals with membership dues, annual conferences, CEUs, and advocacy — a near-identical operating model to WPRA in a neighboring Midwest state.
- Indiana Park and Recreation Association (InPRA): InPRA serves Indiana park, recreation, and aquatic professionals through membership, conferences, and advocacy — another Midwest state-level peer with the same dues-and-events revenue model as WPRA.
- Michigan Recreation and Park Association (mParks): mParks is the Michigan state association for park and recreation professionals, offering comparable membership tiers, conferences, certification, and awards programs targeting the same member persona as WPRA.
- Iowa Parks and Recreation Association (IPRA): The Iowa Parks and Recreation Association provides the same membership, conference, and professional development model for Iowa-based park and recreation professionals as WPRA does for Wisconsin.
Emerging players
- American Camp Association (ACA): ACA accredits and serves camp professionals — a partially overlapping member persona (recreation professionals serving youth) with the same membership dues, accreditation, and conference model, though focused on camps rather than parks.
Others
- MemberClicks: MemberClicks is the association management software platform powering WPRA's member portal, event registration, and career center. Listed as a peer because it is the underlying technology provider enabling WPRA's membership operations.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceWisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. 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 Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc.
What does Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. do?
Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association (WPRA) is a state-wide, voluntary, non-profit membership association founded in 1965 that represents over 1,600 park, recreation, and aquatic professionals across Wisconsin. It sells annual memberships and delivers supporting services including an annual conference and trade show, professional workshops, leadership development programs, lifeguard competitions, certifications (such as CPSI), a member networking platform (WPRA Connect), and the IMPACT Magazine publication.
Is Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. a public or private company?
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. founded?
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. was founded in 1965. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. based?
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. is headquartered in Milwaukee, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are commercial Membership & Sponsorship and event Registration.
Who are Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc.'s main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and SHAPE America. Direct peers are Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA), Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA), Minnesota Recreation and Park Association (MRPA), Indiana Park and Recreation Association (InPRA), Michigan Recreation and Park Association (mParks) and Iowa Parks and Recreation Association (IPRA). American Camp Association (ACA) is listed as an emerging player. MemberClicks is listed as an others.
Does Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc..
What industry is Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc. in?
Wisconsin Park And Recreation Association, Inc.'s product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAFAF, Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs), with a secondary code of BPAGADAJ, Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.