You've been doing this alone
long enough.
Join the TableHow it began
Twelve practitioners rented a conference room above a diner in Columbus, Ohio. November 2003. The heat was unreliable, the folding chairs were borrowed, and every person in that room had spent the previous year solving the same problems in isolation — drafting contracts from scratch, setting fees by instinct, losing clients to firms that simply looked more established on paper.
They decided that the knowledge shouldn't belong only to the people who could afford to hire someone who already had it. So they wrote it down, pooled it, and opened the door.
That room became a chapter. That chapter became a network. Today, Guild spans forty-seven states, three territories, and a Slack channel that never quite sleeps — because somewhere, a member is finishing a proposal at midnight and needs to know they're not the only one.
Two decades of building together
2003
Twelve chairs. One decision.
Guild incorporated as a nonprofit trade association with twelve founding members, a shared Google Drive, and a commitment to make the resources of large firms available to practitioners working alone.
12 founding members2006
The first contract library ships.
After three years of member contributions, Guild released its first curated contract template library — 47 documents covering scope, IP, liability, and termination. Downloads: 1,200 in the first week.
340 members"I'd been writing my own MSA from scratch for four years. The day Guild's library dropped, I closed two contracts I'd been circling for months. The templates gave me language I didn't know I was missing."— Renata Okafor, Independent HR Consultant — Oklahoma City, OK
2009
Regional chapters take root.
Volunteer chapter presidents in eight cities organized the first in-person meetups. Hotel conference rooms, burnt coffee, and a shared conviction that showing up mattered. Membership crossed 1,000.
1,100 members2012
The Guild Credential launches.
After two years of curriculum development with a twelve-member advisory board, Guild introduced its professional credential — a 90-hour program recognized by procurement offices at forty-three Fortune 500 companies.
2,800 members"I'd been passed over for three RFPs because I didn't have a credential the procurement team recognized. Six months after earning my Guild cert, I landed a $180,000 engagement with a healthcare network. That piece of paper opened a door I'd been knocking on for years."— Marcus Delacroix, Management Consultant — Chicago, IL
2016
Peer counsel goes online.
Guild launched its member forum and peer advisory matching program — pairing practitioners by specialty and career stage. Over 4,000 connections made in the first year. The knowledge that used to live in one city now lives everywhere.
5,400 members2019
The liability benchmarking report.
Guild published its first annual liability and rate benchmarking survey — giving sole proprietors in Tulsa the same market data that a fifty-person firm in Chicago uses to set fees. 12,000 downloads in the first quarter.
9,200 members"I'd been undercharging by thirty percent for six years. I found out from the Guild benchmarking report. The next renewal, I adjusted my rates. Three clients renewed without blinking. One of them said it was about time."— Priya Venkataraman, Strategy Consultant — Austin, TX
2022
Forty-seven states. One table.
Guild passed 18,000 active members across 47 states and 3 territories. Regional chapter presidents organized 214 in-person events. The burnt-coffee smell never really went away — but nobody minds.
18,000+ members2025
A seat is waiting for you.
Today Guild members share contracts, compare rates, earn credentials that open doors, and find each other in cities they've never visited. The table is longer than it's ever been. There's still room.
24,000+ members"I joined Guild at a chapter meeting in a Marriott conference room in Tulsa. I didn't know a single person. By the end of the night I had three referrals, a contract template I'd been hunting for, and someone's number in case I ever needed to talk through a difficult client. That was four years ago. I've renewed every year over lunch."— Deb Kowalski, Operations Consultant — Tulsa, OK
The table has been set for a while now.
Contract templates, the credential that opens procurement doors, peer matching, benchmarking data, and 214 in-person events a year. Everything a fifty-person firm takes for granted — available the afternoon you join.
Join the TableNo form on this page. The click takes you to plan tiers and dues.