Comparison · 13 material differences
The Economic Club of Chicago vs Gartner C-level Communities
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
Invitation-only community
Verified September 2026 The Economic Club of Chicago
Chicago-area business and civic leaders at C-suite level or reporting directly to a chief executive
Leadership network
Gartner C-level Communities
Enterprise C-level executives - CIOs, CISOs, CHROs, CDAOs, CFOs and CSCOs - at large organisations, plus business-unit and regional C-level leaders at companies above $500 million…
What the records say
- Role or title: The Economic Club of Chicago: Top-level leadership, C-suite, or reporting directly to the CEO, with operational oversight and P&L responsibility; Gartner C-level Communities: Enterprise-wide C-level executive, or a business-unit or regional C-level leader.
- Minimum company revenue: The Economic Club of Chicago: Company generates at least US$10 million in annual revenue; Gartner C-level Communities: Private sector: responsibility for $500M+ in revenue.
- Minimum employees: The Economic Club of Chicago: Company employs 25 or more people; Gartner C-level Communities: Public sector: 1,000+ employees.
- Geographic restriction: The Economic Club of Chicago: Chicago-area business and civic leadership; Gartner C-level Communities: Membership is held in a regional community; communities cover North America, EMEA and APAC plus one global community.
- Annual dues: The Economic Club of Chicago: Not publicly disclosed. Neither the membership page nor the Club's own membership brochure names a dues figure.; Gartner C-level Communities: Not publicly disclosed. No membership price appears anywhere on the organisation's site. The commercial model is sponsor-funded: Gartner sells sponsors "unparalleled access to C-level executives at 400+ events each year"..
Side by side
| The Economic Club of Chicago | Gartner C-level Communities | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Leadership network |
| Founded | 1927 (Founded in 1927 by leaders who set out to "aid in the creation and expression of an enlightened public opinion on the important economic and social questions of the day".) | Not documented |
| Headquarters | Chicago, United States | Portland, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Chicago and Illinois; members are drawn from the city's business, civic, cultural and nonprofit leadership | 101 communities worldwide across 10 countries; CIO and CISO each run 34 communities (24 North America, 7 EMEA, 2 APAC, 1 global), with smaller footprints for CHRO (13), CDAO (12), CFO (5) and CSCO (3) |
| Members | 2,400as of September 2026 | 14,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | No chapters. The Club participates in a reciprocity programme with the Economic Clubs of New York and Washington, D.C. | 101 |
| Primary audience | Chicago-area business and civic leaders at C-suite level or reporting directly to a chief executive | Enterprise C-level executives - CIOs, CISOs, CHROs, CDAOs, CFOs and CSCOs - at large organisations, plus business-unit and regional C-level leaders at companies above $500 million in revenue |
| Typical member | Around 70 per cent of members are C-suite executives. Candidates are expected to have operational oversight with profit-and-loss responsibility at a company generating at least US$10 million in annual revenue and employing 25 or more people, and to have a record of civic engagement. Government and nonprofit candidates are assessed under separate criteria. | Members are enterprise-wide C-level executives, or business-unit and regional C-level leaders responsible for a private-sector unit above $500 million in revenue or a public-sector body with more than 1,000 employees, who report to the CEO or one level below. Gartner says 93% of the Fortune 100 are represented and 74% of members come from companies above $1 billion in revenue. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | Top-level leadership, C-suite, or reporting directly to the CEO, with operational oversight and P&L responsibilityGovernment and nonprofit candidates are considered under separate criteria that are not published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Enterprise-wide C-level executive, or a business-unit or regional C-level leaderPublished as "Community Member Criteria" on the application pages.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | Company generates at least US$10 million in annual revenuePublished as part of the Club's candidate criteria.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Private sector: responsibility for $500M+ in revenueApplies to business-unit or regional C-level applicants.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum employees | Company employs 25 or more peoplePublished alongside the revenue test.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Public sector: 1,000+ employeesverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | Chicago-area business and civic leadershipThe Club describes its membership as reflecting the diversity of the city and state; no formal residence rule is published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Membership is held in a regional community; communities cover North America, EMEA and APAC plus one global communityverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | Yes | Sometimes |
| Sponsor required | Yes | No |
| Application process | Six steps. Two current members agree to sponsor the candidate and send a secure link for the biography and application. Both sponsors write letters of support. The candidate attends a Club meeting, preferably with a sponsor. A representative of the relevant membership subcommittee reviews the application and decides whether to interview. The Membership Committee then elects candidates at its quarterly meetings. | Apply online with corporate email, title, organisation and revenue band, and confirm reporting line to the CEO. Applications are vetted against the published Community Member Criteria. Successful applicants are contacted by a Community Program Manager, who discusses priorities and completes onboarding including access to year-round events. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. The Club describes a rigorous application and election process and reports a 92 per cent renewal rate, but publishes no acceptance rate. | No acceptance rate is published. Gartner describes membership as "By invitation only" on its homepage while also operating a public application form, and says each application is carefully vetted against established criteria. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed. Neither the membership page nor the Club's own membership brochure names a dues figure.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. No membership price appears anywhere on the organisation's site. The commercial model is sponsor-funded: Gartner sells sponsors "unparalleled access to C-level executives at 400+ events each year".verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Annual; the Club reports a 92 per cent membership renewal rate | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Keynote speaker programmes through the year, member forums several times a year, and smaller Member Exchanges | Members meet several times a year within their community: in-person executive summits, inner-circle sessions, virtual town halls and curated one-to-one peer meetings; more than 400 programmes run across all communities annually |
| Peer forums | Large keynote events plus small, member-driven Member Exchanges; no standing confidential forums are described | Regional role-based communities led by a Governing Body of serving C-level practitioners, rather than standing small-group forums |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed; keynote programmes are published on the Club's YouTube channel | Discussions are described as peer-level and off-the-record within community programmes; no published written confidentiality code was found |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | Yes |
| Virtual membership | No | Yes |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Yes |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Partial | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: The Economic Club of Chicago · Gartner C-level Communities