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Brand Basics
Niche Academy is an online training platform with learning management system (LMS) features that allow libraries and nonprofits to organize, deliver, and track staff and volunteer training. Each subscription includes access to a market of ready-made tutorials developed by Niche Academy's Learning Design team and contributed by other subscribers. Subscribers can use those tutorials as-is or personalize them to fit their specific needs.
The Niche Academy platform also includes tools for building tutorials from scratch using video, images, knowledge checks, and interactive activities with no instructional design background required. A widget feature lets organizations embed public-facing tutorials directly on their websites and other online content, such as LibGuides.
Niche Academy at a Glance
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Headquarters |
139 N Hunters Grove Ln #308, Lehi, UT 84043 |
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Industries Served |
Public libraries, state libraries, academic libraries, nonprofits, municipalities, and parks and recreation departments |
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Team Size |
Approximately 40 |
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Founding Date |
2014 |
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Specialties |
Online staff and volunteer training, learning management for libraries and nonprofits, ready-made training content, tutorial personalization, instructional design tools for non-designers, and training tracking and reporting |
Niche Academy's Key Features & Services
LMS Features (Training Delivery & Management)
Niche Academy's LMS features allow administrators to assign tutorials to individual learners or groups, organize training into structured sequences, and track progress in real time. Learners always know what they have completed and what to do next.
The Market
The Market is a growing library of hundreds of ready-made tutorials on topics such as soft skills, workplace safety, productivity, de-escalation, DEI, and harassment prevention. Tutorials are developed by Niche Academy's Learning Design team and contributed by other subscribers. Content can be used as-is or personalized to fit organizational needs.
Tutorial Creation Tools
Niche Academy's tutorial creation tools allow users to build training content from scratch using video, images, knowledge checks, and interactive activities. No formal instructional design experience is necessary to use these tools.
Progress Tracking and Reporting
Tracking and reporting tools give administrators a clear view of completion status, help identify learners who need additional support, and allow teams to pull reports for leadership, funders, or compliance purposes.
Size-Based Pricing Model
Niche Academy's pricing is based on organizational size (i.e., service population for libraries and operating budget for nonprofits) rather than user count. This model works well for organizations that need to onboard large groups of volunteers or share content with the communities they serve.
Website Widget
The widget feature lets organizations embed public-facing tutorials directly on their own websites, extending the reach of training content beyond the platform and making it easily accessible to community members.
Who We Serve
Niche Academy is built for libraries, nonprofits, and local government agencies. Key audiences include:
- Public libraries
- Academic libraries
- Nonprofit organizations
- Municipalities
- Parks and recreation departments
The typical Niche Academy customer is a director or manager at a library or small-to-midsize nonprofit who is responsible for training staff or volunteers but may not have a formal training title or background.
How We Help Our Customers
Niche Academy helps organizations overcome several common training challenges, including:
No Dedicated Training StaffMany libraries and nonprofits need to train people consistently but don't have an instructional designer or training coordinator on staff. Niche Academy's ready-made tutorials and easy-to-use authoring tools let non-experts build and deliver professional training without starting from scratch. |
High Volunteer Turnover and Seasonal OnboardingOrganizations that onboard large numbers of volunteers or seasonal staff on a recurring cycle need a repeatable process. Niche Academy's size-based pricing and on-demand delivery make it practical to bring new learners in without additional cost or scheduling overhead. |
Compliance TrackingOrganizations that must document completed training for harassment prevention, safety, HIPAA, or other compliance purposes often lack a reliable system for assigning, tracking, and reporting on it. Niche Academy provides a central record of who has completed what and when. |
Inconsistent Training DeliveryWhen training relies on informal methods like shared documents or in-person-only sessions, different staff and volunteers end up with different information. Niche Academy gives every learner access to the same content in a consistent format. |
Difficulty Demonstrating Training ImpactLeaders who cannot report on training outcomes risk losing confidence from funders, boards, and accreditation reviewers. Niche Academy's reporting tools make it possible to show measurable progress and completion data. |
Rebuilding the Same Content RepeatedlyHigh turnover means onboarding never fully stops. Without reusable content, staff spend time rebuilding the same training over and over. Niche Academy's Marketplace and tutorial library reduce that burden significantly. |
Company History
CEO Jeromy Wilson founded Niche Academy in 2014, initially to help library patrons learn how to use digital resources. Libraries were a natural starting point — his father had helped found the company behind the software that replaced library card catalogs.
Niche Academy expanded to serve Australian libraries in 2017 and UK libraries in 2019. In 2020, the platform broadened its focus to include staff development training, and Niche Academy began actively serving nonprofit organizations as a second core audience in 2025.
The company is privately owned and received one round of angel investor funding in 2014.
Mission Statement
Niche Academy's mission is to provide simple tools that inspire learning, support people, and help mission-driven organizations serve their communities well.
Subject Matter Expertise
The Niche Academy team has deep working knowledge of:
- Library staff and patron training: Niche Academy has spent over a decade serving public and academic libraries, giving the team a grounded understanding of how libraries train different groups, what their staff needs, and the constraints they operate within.
- Volunteer and staff onboarding for nonprofits: The platform is designed with the practical realities of nonprofit staffing in mind, including high turnover, variable volunteer schedules, and limited administrative capacity.
- Instructional design for non-designers: Niche Academy's tools and content are built for people without a formal training background, and the Learning Design team produces resources that model effective tutorial structure and learning assessment.
- Training tracking and compliance reporting: The platform supports organizations that need to document training completion for funders, leadership, accreditation, and regulatory compliance.
Cornerstone Resources
- How to Build a Nonprofit Training Program, One Step at a Time
- How to Train Library Staff When There’s No Time
- Webinar - Training That Works: A Simple Guide for Nonprofits
- Webinar - Use Who You Have: Building a Library Training Program With Your Existing Staff
- Train-the-Trainer for Libraries and Nonprofits: How to Scale Training
- Webinar - Instruction Design for Adult Learners: A Primer
- Democast - What Makes Online Training Actually Work: 7 Vital Components
- How to Build a Cross-Training Plan For Libraries and Nonprofits
- Better Onboarding: How to Set Volunteers Up for Success
- How to Measure Training Effectiveness in Libraries and Nonprofits
Key People
Jeremy "JT" Tuttle, Director of Learning Design
Jeremy Tuttle leads Niche Academy's Learning Design team and oversees the development of training content and resources for subscribers.
- Areas of expertise: Instructional design, assessment and learning analytics, e-learning, strategic planning
Julie Edwards, Instructional Designer & Librarian
Julie Edwards brings a background in librarianship and instructional design to both Niche Academy's Learning Design work and its marketing efforts.
- Areas of expertise: Librarianship, instructional design, research, writing
Ken Bonney, Director of Customer Success
Ken Bonney leads customer success at Niche Academy, working directly with libraries and nonprofits to help them get the most out of the platform.
- Areas of expertise: Training, sales, management consulting
Proof Points
Niche Academy has worked with more than 1,700 libraries and nonprofits since its founding.
Notable clients include:
- Los Angeles Public Library
- Boston Public Library
- Library of Virginia
- Hawai'i State Public Library System
- Madison Library District
- Texas State Technical College
- Bellevue University
- Troy University
- Brazosport College
Niche Academy holds a rating of 4.5 on Capterra.
Contacts & Socials
Get In Touch With the Niche Academy Team
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Stay Updated on Our Resources |
Check Out Our Social Media Pages |
News & Updates
Niche Academy Expands to Serve Nonprofits (2025)
In 2025, Niche Academy began actively serving nonprofit organizations as a second core audience alongside its established library customer base. This expansion reflects growing demand from human services, arts, and cultural organizations that face many of the same training challenges as libraries, including high volunteer turnover, limited administrative capacity, and the need to document compliance training. Pricing for nonprofits is based on operating budget, consistent with Niche Academy's size-based model.
Nonprofit Hub Whitepaper Collaboration
Niche Academy's Director of Learning Design, Jeremy Tuttle, co-authored Facing Challenges Together with Nonprofit Hub, a white paper examining the challenges facing the nonprofit sector. The collaboration reflects Niche Academy's growing investment in nonprofit thought leadership and community-building.
FAQ
Does Niche Academy offer LMS capabilities?
Yes. Niche Academy includes learning management system (LMS) features that allow administrators to assign tutorials to individual learners or groups, organize training into structured sequences, and monitor completion in real time.
How is Niche Academy different from other LMS platforms?
Niche Academy is built specifically for libraries and nonprofits, which keeps it right-sized for those audiences without becoming overly complicated. A built-in content market lets subscribers share and reuse tutorials, and the platform's deep library roots give it credibility and context that general-purpose LMS providers cannot match.
How does Niche Academy's pricing work?
Pricing is based on organizational size rather than the number of users. For libraries, size is measured by service population. For nonprofits, it is measured by operating budget. This model allows organizations to onboard large numbers of volunteers or share content with their communities without incurring additional per-user costs.
Do I need instructional design experience to use Niche Academy?
No. Niche Academy's tutorial creation tools are designed for people without a formal instructional design background. Users can build training content from scratch using video, images, knowledge checks, and interactive activities through a guided interface.
Does Niche Academy support compliance training?
Yes. Niche Academy allows administrators to assign required training, track who has completed it, and pull reports documenting completion. This supports compliance training needs around harassment prevention, workplace safety, HIPAA, and similar requirements.
Can volunteers and seasonal staff use Niche Academy?
Of course! Because Niche Academy's pricing is based on organizational size rather than user count, organizations can onboard large or fluctuating groups of volunteers and seasonal staff without incurring additional costs. Learners access training on demand, which also removes the scheduling burden of coordinating group sessions. You can even create a separate academy with unique assignments for volunteers.