Comparison · 12 material differences
Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University vs Family Firm Institute (FFI)
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
Family-business organization
Verified September 2026 Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University
Family business owners and leaders in Georgia and the surrounding region, plus students from family businesses through the centre's next-generation programming
Professional association
Family Firm Institute (FFI)
Advisers, consultants, educators and researchers who serve family enterprises, plus family enterprise members themselves, who join at the same individual rate
What the records say
- Accredited-investor status: Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University: No published accredited-investor status; Family Firm Institute (FFI): Not required for membership; FFI's Global Education Network certificates in Family Business Advising and Family Wealth Advising are optional and priced separately.
- Geographic restriction: Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University: Programming is delivered at Kennesaw State University in metropolitan Atlanta, which in practice limits membership to Georgia and the surrounding region; Family Firm Institute (FFI): No published geographic restriction.
- Annual dues: Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University: $1,000 a year; Family Firm Institute (FFI): $975 a year.
Side by side
| Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University | Family Firm Institute (FFI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Family-business organization | Professional association |
| Founded | 1987 (The centre's about page states it was founded in 1987 by Dr Craig Aronoff within the Coles College of Business. It is commonly described as the oldest university-based family business centre; its own landing page says it has operated for over 40 years, which does not reconcile exactly with a 1987 founding.) | 1986 (FFI's history page states the organisation was incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1986 with 22 founding members. It is now headquartered in Boston.) |
| Headquarters | Kennesaw, United States | Boston, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Georgia and the south-eastern United States, based at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta | Global membership; the annual Global Conference moves between cities and the 2026 edition is scheduled for New York |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed | Could not be independently verified: secondary sources describe "nearly 2,000 individuals and organizations from more than 80 countries", but FFI's own about, membership and contact pages do not publish a member or country count. |
| Chapters | A single university-based centre with no chapters. | FFI has no chapters. It organises members through virtual study groups, the Global Education Network and the annual conference. |
| Primary audience | Family business owners and leaders in Georgia and the surrounding region, plus students from family businesses through the centre's next-generation programming | Advisers, consultants, educators and researchers who serve family enterprises, plus family enterprise members themselves, who join at the same individual rate |
| Typical member | Members are family businesses rather than individuals, at a range of sizes and stages; the centre notes that membership is expected to move between tiers as a business changes. The next-generation side reaches Kennesaw State students from family businesses through a student group and a talent exchange with member companies. | The core membership is professional: lawyers, accountants, wealth managers, family business consultants, psychologists and academics working with family firms and family wealth. FFI also admits family enterprise members, educators and researchers, and students, and sells organisational memberships to advisory firms, universities and associations priced by headcount. |
| Qualification | ||
| Accredited-investor status | No published accredited-investor status | Not required for membership; FFI's Global Education Network certificates in Family Business Advising and Family Wealth Advising are optional and priced separatelyverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | Programming is delivered at Kennesaw State University in metropolitan Atlanta, which in practice limits membership to Georgia and the surrounding regionSome programming is delivered as webinars.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Prospective members are invited to schedule a conversation with the centre team by email to discuss which tier fits their goals, then join at the published price. No vetting, sponsorship or committee process is described. | Applicants select a membership category on FFI's membership page and pay the published rate. There is no published sponsorship, interview or committee stage. Organisational memberships are bought by the firm, institution or association and cover a stated number of named people. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: membership appears open to family businesses at the published rates. | Not publicly disclosed: FFI describes membership categories and prices but no screening or acceptance process. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $1,000 a yearCore membership, per business: workshops, webinars, speaker series, resource library, educational discounts, open house tours, three office-hours sessions and hosting opportunities.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $975 a yearIndividual membership: Professional and Family Enterprise members each pay this rate.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | No initiation fee is published.verified September 2026 | Dues are fully published by category. Organisational members receive 15% off Global Conference registration; conference fees themselves are separate from dues. |
| Programme fee | Not publicly disclosed: the centre does not publish separate prices for the Family Business Forum, peer groups, the Family Business Roadmap or Family Business Boost; these are bundled into Signature membership or quoted on enquiry.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed: the FFI Global Education Network certificate fees are not published on the membership page.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Annual | Annual |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Peer groups meet monthly; the Family Business Forum runs twice a year; workshops, webinars, a speaker series and open house tours run through the year | Annual Global Conference plus virtual study groups and learning sessions through the year |
| Peer forums | Confidential facilitated peer groups meeting monthly, available to Signature members. Group size and facilitator credentials are not published. The twice-yearly Family Business Forum is a larger gathering rather than a standing group. | Virtual study groups organised by topic; no confidential peer-forum structure |
| Confidentiality | The centre describes its peer groups as confidential; no written confidentiality policy is published. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Event-focused, Virtual, Cohort-based |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | Partial | Yes |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Not documented | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Not documented | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | Yes | Partial |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Not documented |
| Investment discussions | No | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Low | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University · Family Firm Institute (FFI)