Comparison · 13 material differences
Convene vs The Alternative Board
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
Peer advisory
Verified September 2026 Convene
Christian CEOs, business owners and presidents in the United States, with parallel tracks for C-suite executives and other senior leaders in their organisations
Peer advisory
The Alternative Board
Owners and leaders of privately held, growth-focused small and mid-sized companies.
What the records say
- Role or title: Convene: CEO & Owner teams: CEOs, business owners and presidents; The Alternative Board: Business owner or leader of a privately held, growth-focused company.
- Annual dues: Convene: Not publicly disclosed. Convene's own membership page states: "Membership pricing is based on multiple factors, including company size, annual revenue, location, team type, and more. For accurate pricing information, please contact our team."; The Alternative Board: Pricing is set by each independently owned franchise and is not published centrally..
Side by side
| Convene | The Alternative Board | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Peer advisory | Peer advisory |
| Founded | 1996 ("In 1996, Brian Thatcher and five pioneering CEOs founded Convene" per its own story page, which also marks 2026 as its thirtieth anniversary. The organisation began as the "BBL Forum", started by Brian Thatcher and Ric Green out of Saddleback Church.) | 1990 (Founded by Allen Fishman, reportedly in St. Louis, Missouri, after his own experience of the value a board of directors provided when his company went public. TAB began franchising in 1996.) |
| Headquarters | Anaheim Hills, United States | Westminster, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United States, with in-person and online teams; Convene also runs international teams. It does not publish a public list of team locations, only a zip-code search | Boards in 25 or more countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia, delivered through independently owned franchises |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed as a current figure. Convene states it has served "2000+ member companies over the last 25+ years", which is cumulative rather than active membership. | Not disclosed as a current headcount. TAB's own FAQ states it has "supported more than 25,000 businesses worldwide", with "members representing over 1,100 industries" who "collectively generate $29.3 billion in gross revenue". Secondary sources report more than 4,600 current members globally; TAB does not publish that figure. |
| Chapters | Not publicly disclosed. Convene's locations page is a zip-code and team-type search rather than a published list; its team directory uses opaque internal identifiers. | 500 |
| Primary audience | Christian CEOs, business owners and presidents in the United States, with parallel tracks for C-suite executives and other senior leaders in their organisations | Owners and leaders of privately held, growth-focused small and mid-sized companies. |
| Typical member | Members are Christian business leaders. Teams are composed of 10-15 peers from non-competing industries. Convene publishes no revenue or headcount threshold, though it says pricing depends partly on company size and annual revenue, implying a size-banded structure. | Members are owners and senior leaders of privately held companies, recruited locally by the franchise owner who facilitates their board; competing businesses are excluded from the same board. TAB states members represent over 1,100 industries and collectively generate US$29.3 billion in gross revenue, and reports an average member tenure of 4.7 years. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | CEO & Owner teams: CEOs, business owners and presidentsverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Business owner or leader of a privately held, growth-focused companyTAB publishes no revenue, employee or net-worth threshold.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Prospective members submit a membership application or enquiry form on the website; Convene then makes contact to explore fit before placing the candidate on a team with a Chair. There is no published sponsor or nomination requirement. | Prospective members contact a local TAB board through the site's board finder. The local facilitator coach screens and hand-selects members, excluding competitors of existing members, and places them on a board. There is no central admissions process. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Convene says it will "reach out to explore if this is the right next step" but publishes no acceptance data or screening standard. | Not publicly disclosed. Secondary reporting describes TAB as effectively invitation-based, with most members joining through referrals from existing members; TAB does not state this on its own pages. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed. Convene's own membership page states: "Membership pricing is based on multiple factors, including company size, annual revenue, location, team type, and more. For accurate pricing information, please contact our team."verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Pricing is set by each independently owned franchise and is not published centrally. |
| Monthly dues | Not publicly disclosed. Pricing varies by company size, annual revenue, location and team type and is quoted only on enquiry. | Not publicly disclosed. TAB states that membership dues are billed monthly with no binding contract and 30 days' written notice to leave, but terms and amounts are set locally by each franchise owner and no schedule is published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | Pricing is set by each independently owned franchise and is not published centrally. |
| Membership term | Not documented | Monthly billing, no binding contract; 30 days' written notice required to leave |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | One full business day a month with the team, plus a 60-90 minute one-to-one coaching session with the Chair, and annual regional and national gatherings | Monthly board meetings of about four hours (described elsewhere on TAB's site as half-day sessions), plus a monthly one-to-one coaching call |
| Peer forums | Teams of 10-15 Christian business leaders from non-competing industries, led by a Convene Chair who is a seasoned business coach; teams run in person and online | Boards of non-competing business owners, given as up to eight members on TAB's peer-advisory page and 8-10 on its membership page, each led by a TAB Certified Facilitator Coach. |
| Confidentiality | Teams are described as peer-advisory groups of non-competing leaders; Convene does not publish a written confidentiality code | Boards exclude direct competitors and operate as private advisory groups; TAB does not publish its confidentiality terms. |
| Time commitment | About one full business day a month plus a 60-90 minute coaching session | About four hours a month for the board meeting plus a monthly coaching call, with a commitment to at least 12 meetings a year |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Forum-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Partial |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Partial | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Partial |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Partial | Not documented |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | Yes | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Partial | No |
| Next-generation programming | Partial | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Yes | No |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Convene · The Alternative Board