Comparison · 17 material differences
Detroit Economic Club vs Forbes Councils
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
Networking organization
Verified September 2026 Detroit Economic Club
Business, government, academic and civic figures in the Detroit region who want access to the club's speaker programme, plus a large cohort of under-40 professionals
Networking organization
Forbes Councils
Owners, founders, partners and senior executives who want a bylined publishing platform on Forbes.com alongside a vetted online peer network
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining: Detroit Economic Club: Young Leader membership requires the member to be under 40; Forbes Councils: No published maximum age at joining.
- Role or title: Detroit Economic Club: No published role or title; Forbes Councils: Owner, founder, partner, C-level executive, or vice president and above leading a region or division, in the council's field.
- Minimum company revenue: Detroit Economic Club: No published minimum company revenue; Forbes Councils: "Your business generates a minimum of $1M USD in revenue".
- Minimum capital raised: Detroit Economic Club: No published minimum capital raised; Forbes Councils: "Your business has received a minimum of $1M USD in financing".
- Annual dues: Detroit Economic Club: $150 a year; Forbes Councils: Not publicly disclosed. The Business Council page confirms this is "a fee-based professional organization" offering "1-year and 2-year membership payment plans", and the membership agreement refers to "the then-current membership fee for each year of the Term", but no amount is published. Figures quoted on affiliate and agency blogs could not be independently verified..
Side by side
| Detroit Economic Club | Forbes Councils | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Networking organization |
| Founded | 1934 (Founded in 1934; Wikipedia names Allen Crow as founder.) | Not documented |
| Headquarters | Detroit, United States | Boston, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Detroit and south-east Michigan, with a discounted non-resident category for people living and working more than 50 miles from downtown Detroit | Nine online councils with no local chapters; the operator, Community.co, is based in Boston, Massachusetts |
| Members | 3,500as of September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed. Forbes Councils publishes member directories per council but no total. Community.co, which operates Forbes Councils and several sister communities, states "25k+ Members to date" across "50+ Communities", which is not a Forbes Councils figure. |
| Chapters | A single-city club with no chapters. | No chapters; the councils are online communities |
| Primary audience | Business, government, academic and civic figures in the Detroit region who want access to the club's speaker programme, plus a large cohort of under-40 professionals | Owners, founders, partners and senior executives who want a bylined publishing platform on Forbes.com alongside a vetted online peer network |
| Typical member | Membership spans corporate executives and professionals in the Detroit region, with dedicated discounted categories for clergy, full-time faculty at accredited institutions, government officials, non-profit employees, retirees over 60, and people based more than 50 miles away. Over a third of the membership is reported to be in the under-40 Young Leader Program. | Members are owners, founders, C-level executives, partners and vice presidents who lead a region or division, drawn from the industry each council covers. The financial test is set at the company level rather than personal wealth: US$500,000 or US$1,000,000 in annual revenue or capital raised, depending on the council. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | Young Leader membership requires the member to be under 40Includes all regular member benefits plus professional development programming.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published maximum age at joining |
| Role or title | No published role or title | Owner, founder, partner, C-level executive, or vice president and above leading a region or division, in the council's fieldThe Technology Council specifies "founders, partners, and CEOs of technology companies, C-level technology executives such as CTOs and CIOs, and VPs of technology teams"verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | No published minimum company revenue | "Your business generates a minimum of $1M USD in revenue"Applies to the Agency, Business Development, Communications, Finance, Human Resources and Technology Councilsverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum capital raised | No published minimum capital raised | "Your business has received a minimum of $1M USD in financing"Alternative to the revenue test for the senior-level councilsverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | Non-Resident membership: individuals who live and work more than 50 miles from downtown Detroitverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Industry restriction | No published industry restriction | "No MLM/direct sales, gambling, adult entertainment, adult websites, adult products, or cannabis companies are allowed"Certain marketing agencies (link sellers, guaranteed media placements) and some cryptocurrency companies, such as those attached to initial coin offerings, are also excludedverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Membership is bought online through the club's membership pages by selecting a category. No sponsorship, interview or committee review is described in the published process. | Candidates apply online to a specific council. A selection committee reviews the application against the published criteria and, if approved, issues a membership invitation. Payment is taken after acceptance, for a one-year or two-year term. Applications are made in an individual's own name, not a company's, even where an employer pays the fee. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed; the published route is open paid enrolment. | Not publicly disclosed. Forbes Councils states that applications are vetted by a selection committee and that acceptance is at the company's sole discretion, but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $150 a yearRegular membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. The Business Council page confirms this is "a fee-based professional organization" offering "1-year and 2-year membership payment plans", and the membership agreement refers to "the then-current membership fee for each year of the Term", but no amount is published. Figures quoted on affiliate and agency blogs could not be independently verified.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee appears alongside the published dues.verified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed. The membership agreement states a one-time initiation fee, where applicable, is "non-refundable and will not be refunded once paid regardless of termination or cancellation".verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Event costs | Not publicly disclosed on the membership page. Meeting attendance charges, if any, are handled at the event level.verified September 2026 | Forbes Councils publishes no prices. Membership auto-renews for a period equal to the initial term unless the member gives written notice within fifteen days of the renewal term commencing; a full refund of the annual fee is available within the first thirty days only if specified benefits have not been used. |
| Membership term | Annual | One-year or two-year terms, renewing automatically for equal periods |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | About 35 meetings a season, typically breakfast or lunch events with a 20 to 30 minute speaker address followed by questions and networking | Monthly Expert Panel cycles and private virtual events; no scheduled local meetings |
| Peer forums | Speaker meetings and the Young Leader Program; no confidential facilitated peer forum is published | No facilitated peer forums; members join interest-based and geography-based online groups |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed; meetings are on-the-record events, many of which are covered by press | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused | Virtual, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | No | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | Not documented | Yes |
| Online community | Not documented | Yes |
| Member directory | Not documented | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Partial |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | No | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Detroit Economic Club · Forbes Councils