Business Continuity Planners Association

What Business Continuity Planners Association does

Business Continuity Planners Association (BCPA) is a non-profit, mutual benefit professional association established in 1994 and based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area (Rockville, MD appears in firmographic records but the website and partnership footprint are clearly Twin Cities-anchored). It serves individual practitioners working in business continuity planning, emergency management, crisis management, disaster recovery, and vendor resiliency, with a stated membership of approximately 85 professionals as of 2019. The organization operates as a community-led association: its core product is an annual membership ($50 dues for regular and retired members; free for students), and it delivers value through in-person and virtual monthly meetings (typically the second Thursday of each month), a new senior-practitioner-only Special Interest Group (SIG) limited to one representative per organization, a student internship pipeline started in 2010, a free job postings board, and a curated resource library pointing to external bodies such as FEMA, DRI International, BCI, and DRJ.

The underlying technology footprint is minimal: BCPA is built on the Wild Apricot membership management platform and has no proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, or disclosed integrations. Its primary revenue mechanics are subscription-recurring membership dues billed annually in Q4 (non-refundable, non-transferable), plus one-time event guest fees ($25 per guest for standard meetings, higher for special networking events). Growth and engagement are driven through community channels — a website (bcpa.org), social media, email newsletters, the monthly meetings, summer/holiday networking events, and a partnership with the Upper Midwest Security Alliance (UMSA) that gives BCPA structural involvement in the annual Secure360 conference (22nd annual held May 12-13 at Mystic Lake Center). Revenue and financial data are not publicly disclosed, consistent with a small member-funded association.

Governance is by an elected Board of Directors with two-year officer terms; the 2026 board includes President Loren Sadlack (Securian Financial), Past President Marie Strawser (Bryghtpath LLC), Secretary Amie Kindsfater (Prime Therapeutics), and Treasurer Jennifer Cassidy (The Gap Inc.), with advisors drawn from Xcel Energy, HealthPartners, Ramsey County, Western National Insurance, Cady Business Technologies, Harness, and independent consultants. BCPA also maintains relationships with InfraGard Minnesota Members Alliance, Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, the FBI, the Minnesota Joint Analysis Center, local fire departments, and the Metropolitan Airports Commission for speaker and facility-tour collaborations.

Name

Business Continuity Planners Association

Legal name

Business Continuity Planners Association

Website

https://bcpa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Business Continuity Planners Association (BCPA) is a 1994-founded nonprofit professional association serving ~85 business continuity, emergency management, crisis management, disaster recovery, and vendor resiliency professionals in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro through $50 annual memberships, monthly meetings, a senior-practitioner SIG, and Secure360 conference involvement via UMSA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Continuity, Crisis Management & Operational Resilience (BPAHAFAK)

Keywords

• Business continuity association
• Professional membership services
• Emergency management education
• Disaster recovery networking
• Crisis management community

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues collected from regular, retired, and student members. Dues are billed annually in Q4 and are non-refundable.
2. Event Guest Fees: Guest fees for events ($25 per guest for standard events, higher for special events like networking activities)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Business Continuity Planners Association (BCPA) is a non-profit, mutual benefit professional association that provides annual memberships, recurring monthly educational meetings (in-person and virtual), a Special Interest Group for senior practitioners, student internship and scholarship programs, a member-only job board, and a curated resource library. Its core deliverables are membership services, professional education, and peer networking for business continuity, emergency management, crisis management, disaster recovery, and vendor resiliency practitioners in the Upper Midwest.

Product overview

The Business Continuity Planners Association (BCPA) is a non-profit, mutual benefit professional association that provides a platform for business continuity, emergency management, crisis management, disaster recovery, and vendor resiliency professionals to exchange experience, access educational content, and develop professionally. The organization operates a core membership program that includes monthly educational meetings (both in-person and virtual), a Crisis Management and Business Continuity Special Interest Group for senior practitioners, student membership and internship programs, a job postings board, and access to curated resources. BCPA also partners with the Upper Midwest Security Alliance (UMSA) to offer the annual Secure360 conference and administers scholarship opportunities for students in security and risk-related fields. The association is built on Wild Apricot membership management software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BCPA Membership
• Monthly Educational Meetings
• Crisis Management and Business Continuity Special Interest Group (SIG)
• Student Internship Program
• Student Membership
• Job Postings Board
• Resource Library
• UMSA Scholarship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• DRI International CEU credits available for regular monthly meetings

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UMSA (Upper Midwest Security Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCPA is a proud member of UMSA, a nonprofit alliance of security and risk-related organizations. UMSA hosts the annual Secure360 Conference, with BCPA involved in the conference organization. BCPA board members serve as founding members and conference chairs.
• InfraGard Minnesota Members AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCPA has a relationship with InfraGard Minnesota Members Alliance, inviting them to participate in meetings.
• Hennepin CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCPA has relationships with Hennepin County for collaboration in BC/DR topics and public-private partnerships.
• Ramsey CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCPA has relationships with Ramsey County for collaboration in BC/DR topics and public-private partnerships.
• FBIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCPA invites FBI representatives to participate in meetings on security and continuity topics.
• Minnesota Joint Analysis CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCPA has relationships with the Minnesota Joint Analysis Center and invites them to meetings.
• Local Fire DepartmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCPA invites local fire departments to participate in meetings for public-private partnership development.
• Metropolitan Airports CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCPA has relationships with the Metropolitan Airports Commission for BC/DR collaboration.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRI International): Global certification body for business continuity and disaster recovery professionals. BCPA explicitly references DRI International CEU credits, positioning DRI as a comparable credentialing organization whose community BCPA serves locally.
• Business Continuity Institute (BCI): International membership and certification organization for business continuity practitioners. BCPA's resource library links to BCI, indicating the same professional audience is served by both globally and locally.
• ASIS International: Global association for security management professionals with overlapping membership base in BC/DR. Comparable as a large-scale professional association serving security and resilience practitioners.
• International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM): Member-based association for emergency management professionals. Directly comparable as a membership organization serving one of BCPA's primary member segments (emergency management).
• ISSA (Information Systems Security Association): International nonprofit association for cybersecurity professionals with overlap into disaster recovery and resilience. Comparable as a member-funded professional association in adjacent security/risk domains.

Direct peers

• Upper Midwest Security Alliance (UMSA): Nonprofit alliance of security and risk organizations in the Upper Midwest and host of the Secure360 Conference. BCPA is a founding member and conference organizer — directly comparable as a regional member-driven professional association.
• InfraGard Minnesota Members Alliance: Regional InfraGard chapter affiliated with the FBI that brings together critical infrastructure and security professionals. BCPA explicitly partners with InfraGard Minnesota — comparable as a regional nonprofit association with overlapping security/continuity focus.
• Association of Continuity Professionals (ACP): International nonprofit professional association specifically for business continuity planners. The most direct functional peer to BCPA at a national/international scale — same mission, same member persona, broader geographic reach.

Emerging players

• Continuity Insights: Media and conference organizer focused on business continuity and resilience content. BCPA lists it as a resource link; comparable as a content/community platform targeting the same BC/DR professional audience.
• Disaster Recovery Journal (DRJ): Long-running publication and conference organizer for business continuity and disaster recovery professionals. Comparable as a content-and-community resource serving BCPA's primary member base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bcpamn
• Facebookfacebook.com/BCPAmn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bcpa-mn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Business Continuity Planners Association