National Storytelling Network

What National Storytelling Network does

The National Storytelling Network (NSN) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization founded in 1975 that promotes the art of storytelling across professional, educational, and community contexts. Headquartered in Kansas City, MO (with a mailing address in St. Paul, MN), NSN serves individual members, organizational members, and an ecosystem of 45+ storytelling organizations across the U.S. and internationally, including Croatia and Slovenia. Its principal audiences are professional storytellers, educators, librarians, festival organizers, business professionals, and youth- and healing-arts practitioners.

NSN's core offerings include the annual National Storytelling Conference, the TELLABRATION! event held each November, Storytelling Magazine, the NSN Newsletter, the Oral History Project, and four Special Interest Groups (YES!, PRO, SIO, HSA). The organization also administers the J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award with ASST — a $2,000 grant that has supported 13 emerging storytellers and 12 mentor pairings — and the ORACLE Awards program. The technology stack is conventional: a Drupal-based website at storynet.org, CiviCRM for membership management, and Zoom for virtual events. The 2026 conference introduced a virtual ticket option to broaden geographic reach.

Revenue is generated through a tiered membership model (Individual $75, Organizational $100-125, Student/International $20, Lifetime $1,100), conference registrations, magazine advertising, sponsorships, and directory listings. With 1-10 staff and a 50-year operating history, NSN operates as a small, mature association with incremental ecosystem expansion rather than venture-style scaling. Recent strategic moves include the January 2023 Healing Story Alliance spin-off into an independent 501(c)(3) and subsequent Collaborative Partner relationship, and new partnerships with Story Crossroads, ETSU, and Mid-Continent Public Library.

Name

National Storytelling Network

Legal name

National Storytelling Membership Organization

Website

https://storynet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Storytelling Network is a 501(c)(3) membership organization founded in 1975 that promotes storytelling through its annual conference, publications, special interest groups, and a network of 45+ member organizations serving professional storytellers, educators, librarians, and community practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Storytelling Arts Education and Community Services

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Association Conferences (MPAGAGAB)

Keywords

• Storytelling membership
• Storytelling education
• Oral tradition community
• Narrative arts organization
• Storytelling events conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual memberships at $75/year (includes one SIG), organizational memberships at $100-125/year, student/international at $20/year, lifetime membership at $1,100 one-time. Additional SIGs charged at $25 each.
2. Conference Revenue: Annual National Storytelling Conference generates revenue through registration fees (in-person and virtual tickets), venue/housing coordination, and conference bookstore operations.
3. Advertising: Advertising available on storynet.org (400+ daily visitors), in Storytelling Magazine (2,000+ readers per issue), and in the National Storytelling Summit program book.
4. Sponsorships & Vendor Fees: Corporate and organizational sponsorships for conferences at various levels. Vendor and advertising opportunities at in-person and virtual events.
5. Directory & Resource Sales: Directory listing add-on at $20/year for storytellers. Storytelling Magazine publication. Storytelling Event Production Guide available on Amazon.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

National Storytelling Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that sells annual, organizational, and lifetime memberships to individual storytellers, educators, librarians, and organizations; operates the annual National Storytelling Conference (in-person and virtual); publishes Storytelling Magazine; runs the Hire a Storyteller online directory; and supports Special Interest Groups (YES!, PRO, SIO, HSA) with workshops, mentorship, and networking programs.

Product overview

National Storytelling Network operates as a membership-based nonprofit organization serving the storytelling community rather than a technology product company. The organization's offerings include its flagship National Storytelling Conference and TELLABRATION! event, Storytelling Magazine publication, and the NSN Newsletter. NSN maintains several Special Interest Groups (YES! Alliance for youth/educators, PRO SIG for event producers, Healing Story Alliance, and Storytelling In Organizations), each offering targeted programs, workshops, and resources. The organization provides various awards (ORACLE Awards, J.J. Reneaux Awards, Angela Lloyd Sunbrella Award), grants, and scholarships. Additional services include a storyteller hiring directory, Storytell Listserv community, Story Archives, and the Storytelling Event Production Guide publication. Membership tiers include Individual ($75/year), Organizational (Non-profit $100/year, For-profit $125/year), and Lifetime ($1,100 one-time).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership
• Organizational Membership
• Lifetime Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ daily website visitors; 2,000+ Storytelling Magazine readers per issue; 71+ YES members in directory; 45+ member organizations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Healing Story Alliance (HSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Healing Story Alliance was a long-standing Special Interest Group of NSN. In 2022 it became fiscally sponsored by Story Arts Inc. In January 2023, HSA Inc. received IRS recognition as an independent 501(c)(3) organization and is now an NSN Collaborative Partner. HSA supports storytelling as a healing art with dynamic programming and online resources.
• East Tennessee State University (ETSU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETSU offers a renowned Storytelling Program with summer courses taught by nationally-renowned storytellers including Elizabeth Ellis, Judith Black, Linda Goss, and others. Teachers can fulfill continuing education requirements through these courses. Listed as a Meet NSN Collaborator.
• Story CrossroadscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStory Crossroads is an NSN Collaborative Partner and YES has formed a partnership where up to 3 YES members can attend Story Crossroads events for free on a first come, first served basis. Organizations exchange workshop and event information.
• Mid-Continent Public Library / Woodneath Story CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Metropolitan Community College to offer a Storytelling Certificate Program. Woodneath Story Center provides storytelling resources and programming. Listed as a Meet NSN Collaborator and Member Organization.
• Artists Standing Strong Together (ASST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASST administers the J.J. Reneaux Awards fund, including the Emerging Artist Award ($2,000 grant) and Mentorship Award. Since 2005, 13 emerging storytellers and 12 mentor pairings have been recognized. ASST is a nonprofit artist support organization.
• National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Meet NSN Collaborator. NABS promotes and preserves African American storytelling traditions. Represents a key demographic within the broader storytelling community.
• Parkhurst BrothersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublisher of storytelling resources including 'Story by Story: Creating a School Storytelling Troupe' by Karen Chace and the 'Storytelling Event Production Guide' by Lisa Overholser. Listed as a Meet NSN Collaborator.
• OurSRPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a Meet NSN Collaborator. Organization supporting storytelling. Nature of partnership appears to be cross-promotional.
• The Story Beast / Story BeastminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a Meet NSN Collaborator. E-publication and resources related to storytelling. Cross-promotional relationship.
• Storylab Biz (Croatia)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational storytelling organization based in Croatia. Listed as a Member Organization. Represents NSN's global reach and international storytelling community connections.
• Storytelling Association of CaliforniaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerState-level storytelling organization listed as NSN Member Organization. Regional collaboration and mutual promotion of storytelling events and membership.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Storytelling Center: The International Storytelling Center operates the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, which is the largest storytelling gathering in the U.S. It is a directly comparable storytelling membership/arts organization with overlapping events, programming, and audience.
• Story Crossroads: Story Crossroads is a national storytelling festival and organization listed as an NSN Collaborative Partner with a co-marketing arrangement offering free YES member attendance. It competes and collaborates with NSN on storytelling events and content.
• National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS): NABS is a national storytelling membership organization dedicated to preserving and promoting African American storytelling traditions. It is explicitly listed as an NSN Collaborative Partner and serves essentially the same craft-professional audience with overlapping events, festivals, and recognition programs.
• Healing Story Alliance: HSA was a Special Interest Group of NSN focused on applied storytelling in healing and wellness contexts and recently became an independent 501(c)(3) Collaborative Partner. It directly overlaps with NSN's healing/wellness programming, member base, and storytelling resources.

Broad incumbents

• National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE): NCTE is a large professional membership association for English/language arts educators that overlaps with NSN's educator and librarian segments. Both run annual conventions, publish journals, and offer member resources for classroom storytelling and literacy instruction.
• Poetry Foundation: The Poetry Foundation supports the literary art of poetry through a magazine (Poetry), programming, and educational resources. It is structurally similar to NSN—an arts nonprofit combining membership, magazine publishing, events, and awards—and serves an adjacent literary-performance audience.
• National Federation of State Poetry Societies: NFSPS is a membership-based poetry organization offering contests, publications, and a national convention. Like NSN, it operates a regional/state chapter network, runs annual gatherings, and publishes member content, although focused on written poetry rather than oral storytelling.
• American Folklore Society: AFS is a scholarly and professional membership association for folklore studies, of which storytelling is a core sub-discipline. It overlaps with NSN on educator/librarian audiences and on publishing (Journal of American Folklore), but addresses a broader academic remit.

Regional players

• British Storytelling Society (Storytelling School) / The Story Museum: The UK-based storytelling organizations (such as the Society for Storytelling) operate as national membership bodies for storytellers, festivals, and training. They are structurally equivalent to NSN but serve a UK/international audience rather than a U.S. core.

Others

• Parkhurst Brothers Publishers: Parkhurst Brothers is an independent publisher of storytelling resources (including Karen Chace's 'Story by Story' and the Storytelling Event Production Guide) and is listed as an NSN Meet NSN Collaborator. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant enabling NSN's audience of storytellers and educators.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHeal
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalStorytellingNetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-storytelling-network-nsn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 National Storytelling Network