Comparison · 10 material differences
ACG vs TMA
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact — it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Professional association
Verified September 2026 ACG
Middle-market mergers and acquisitions professionals — private equity investors, corporate development officers, lenders, investment bankers, lawyers, accountants and advisers…
Professional association
TMA
Professionals working in corporate restructuring, turnaround and distressed business — turnaround practitioners, restructuring lawyers, lenders, investors, accountants, appraisers…
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining — ACG: Reduced young-professional rates are limited to first-time members aged 35 and under; TMA: NextGen membership is limited to new members aged 40 and under at the time of application.
- Industry restriction — ACG: No published industry restriction; TMA: Work in or around corporate restructuring, turnaround and distressed business — practitioners, attorneys, accountants, investors, lenders, venture capitalists, appraisers, liquidators, executive recruiters and consultants.
- Annual dues — ACG: Dues are set by each chapter, so the amounts above are examples rather than a national schedule.; TMA: $475 a year.
Side by side
| ACG | TMA | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 1954 | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, United States | Chicago, United States |
| Geographic footprint | 61 local markets worldwide, grouped into seven regions (Canada, Central, Europe, Great Lakes, Northeast, Southeast, West); most chapters are in North America, with chapters in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom | 54 chapters worldwide, 34 of them in North America; international chapters across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and Australia |
| Members | 14,000as of September 2026 | 10,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 61 | 54 |
| Primary audience | Middle-market mergers and acquisitions professionals — private equity investors, corporate development officers, lenders, investment bankers, lawyers, accountants and advisers, plus PE-backed CEOs | Professionals working in corporate restructuring, turnaround and distressed business — turnaround practitioners, restructuring lawyers, lenders, investors, accountants, appraisers and advisers |
| Typical member | Members come from corporations, private equity firms, lenders and professional service firms working on middle-market transactions. ACG reports that 75% of members say they have done business with another member. Specialist networks exist for corporate development officers, family offices, PE-backed CEOs, operating partners, women and young professionals. | TMA reports its membership as roughly 43% turnaround practitioners and advisers, 20% attorneys, 14% lenders and bankers, 3% investors and 20% other related professionals including receivers, appraisers, academics, government officials, judges and recruiters. Membership is individual only, not by firm. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | Reduced young-professional rates are limited to first-time members aged 35 and underApplies to discounted categories only (for example ACG New York's Forward membership, available for a maximum of two years); standard membership has no age limitverified September 2026 · source ↗ | NextGen membership is limited to new members aged 40 and under at the time of applicationAvailable for two years or until age 41, whichever comes firstverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Industry restriction | No published industry restriction | Work in or around corporate restructuring, turnaround and distressed business — practitioners, attorneys, accountants, investors, lenders, venture capitalists, appraisers, liquidators, executive recruiters and consultantsTMA does not publish a formal eligibility test for professional membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Applicants pick a chapter using ACG's chapter locator and join or renew through the central portal at my.acg.org. There is no published interview, sponsorship or committee review; payment of chapter dues completes membership. A member referral programme exists but referral is not required. | An individual joins through my.turnaround.org, choosing a membership category and a local chapter. Discounted categories — NextGen, government or academic, and student — require verification and are subject to approval. Membership runs for twelve months from enrolment on an individual anniversary cycle. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed — ACG publishes no acceptance criteria or rejection data, and membership appears to be open to anyone working in middle-market M&A who pays chapter dues | Not publicly disclosed — membership is open to professionals in the field; only the discounted categories are described as subject to approval |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Dues are set by each chapter, so the amounts above are examples rather than a national schedule. | $475 a yearProfessional membership; includes membership of the member's local chapterverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed — no separate initiation fee was found; the first-year rate is higher than the renewal rate at some chaptersverified September 2026 | TMA publishes two conflicting dues schedules on different pages; the Join & Benefits figures above are the ones consistent with its current chapter count. |
| Local chapter dues | $725 a yearACG New York standard membership, first yearverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No separate chapter dues for professional members — local chapter membership is included in the professional rateverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual, renewed through the chapter | 12 months from enrolment, on an individual anniversary cycle |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | More than 1,200 events a year across the network; individual chapters typically run monthly or more frequent programmes, plus national conferences including DealMAX | Local chapter programmes through the year plus TMA Annual, regional symposia and other conferences |
| Peer forums | No confidential peer forums; members organise through chapters and seven cross-chapter specialist networks (corporate development officers, family offices, PE-backed CEOs, operating partners, Women of ACG, young professionals) | No confidential peer forums; members organise through chapters, committees and volunteer groups |
| Confidentiality | Could not be independently verified — no published confidentiality policy was found | Could not be independently verified — no published confidentiality policy was found |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused | Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | No |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | No | No |
| Online community | Partial | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Yes |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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