Comparison · 10 material differences
Ellevate Network vs NAWBO
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 Ellevate Network
Professional women at all career stages, from early career through senior executive, plus corporate partners buying membership for their employees
Professional association
NAWBO
Women who own an equity interest in a business in the United States, at any size, stage and industry
What the records say
- Minimum ownership stake — Ellevate Network: No published minimum ownership stake; NAWBO: Ownership as "sole proprietor, partner, LLC member, independent contractor or 5%+ corporate shareholder".
- Gender — Ellevate Network: Ellevate describes itself as "the largest community of women at work" and states its mission as "creating a world where everyone belongs by helping women who challenge the status quo thrive at work"; NAWBO: "Any individual who identifies as a woman who owns an equity interest in her business" qualifies as a woman business owner for the Premier, Basic, NextGen and Virtual levels.
- Geographic restriction — Ellevate Network: No published geographic restriction; NAWBO: Members within 45 miles of a chapter join at chapter level; those more than 45 miles away join the national Virtual membership.
- Annual dues — Ellevate Network: Prices are recorded from Ellevate's own pricing page as it stood in August 2023. The current Hivebrite-hosted site does not display membership tiers or prices to visitors who are not logged in, so present-day pricing could not be verified.; NAWBO: $479 a year.
Side by side
| Ellevate Network | NAWBO | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Professional association |
| Founded | 1997 (Founded in 1997 as 85 Broads by Janet Hanson, "one of the first women to be promoted to sales management at Goldman Sachs"; the name referred to Goldman Sachs's former headquarters at 85 Broad Street in New York. Rebranded as Ellevate Network in 2014.) | 1975 ("They formed NAWBO in 1975 in Washington, DC" - Susan Hager, NAWBO's founding president, and eleven other founding members.) |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Geographic footprint | Local chapters, mostly in United States cities with a small international presence; Ellevate's chapters page listed 27 chapters in 2023, including Dubai, Madrid and Toronto | Chapters across the United States, grouped into four regions, plus a Virtual membership for women more than 45 miles from a chapter; NAWBO also maintains international alliances |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed. Ellevate describes itself as "the largest community of women at work" but publishes no member number. | Not publicly disclosed. NAWBO describes itself as the voice of "more than 12 million women-owned businesses" in the United States, which is a national statistic rather than a membership figure. |
| Chapters | 27 | 46 |
| Primary audience | Professional women at all career stages, from early career through senior executive, plus corporate partners buying membership for their employees | Women who own an equity interest in a business in the United States, at any size, stage and industry |
| Typical member | Professional women across industries and career stages. Ellevate's tiers distinguish general members from senior executives: the Executive tier's Squads programme was described as connecting "other senior executives", while Pro-tier Squads were open more broadly. | Women business owners of all sizes and stages, from sole proprietors and independent contractors to owners of larger companies. NAWBO's own definition covers "Any individual who identifies as a woman who owns an equity interest in her business (sole proprietor, partner, LLC member, independent contractor or 5%+ corporate shareholder)". Male business owners and executives of either gender may join as supporting members without voting rights. |
| Qualification | ||
| Minimum ownership stake | No published minimum ownership stake | Ownership as "sole proprietor, partner, LLC member, independent contractor or 5%+ corporate shareholder"The 5 per cent test applies to corporate shareholders; other ownership forms have no percentage thresholdverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Gender | Ellevate describes itself as "the largest community of women at work" and states its mission as "creating a world where everyone belongs by helping women who challenge the status quo thrive at work"Ellevate does not publish an explicit rule on whether men may join; the organisation's programming, chapters and Squads are addressed to women. Recorded as stated rather than as an exclusion.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | "Any individual who identifies as a woman who owns an equity interest in her business" qualifies as a woman business owner for the Premier, Basic, NextGen and Virtual levelsMale business owners and male and female business executives may join at the Individual Supporting and Corporate Supporting levels, which do not carry voting rightsverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Members within 45 miles of a chapter join at chapter level; those more than 45 miles away join the national Virtual membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Members sign up online and choose a tier; there is no application form, sponsor, interview or vetting step. New members are pointed to a live welcome session, described as Ellevate 101. Corporate partners buy access for groups of employees separately. | Three steps published by NAWBO: choose a chapter or the Virtual option depending on distance from the nearest chapter; choose a membership level; and complete a short online application. A welcome email is sent immediately, followed by a member packet, a connection to the chapter or Virtual community, and access to the member portal. There is no interview, sponsor or committee review. |
| Selectivity | Not applicable: Ellevate is an open-enrolment community with no published eligibility test or acceptance process. | Not applicable in the usual sense: NAWBO admits any applicant meeting its ownership definition and publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Prices are recorded from Ellevate's own pricing page as it stood in August 2023. The current Hivebrite-hosted site does not display membership tiers or prices to visitors who are not logged in, so present-day pricing could not be verified. | $479 a yearPremier level: "$479.40* annually" - for women who actively participate in their business, with full voting rights, leadership and award eligibility, and both chapter and national benefits. The asterisk on NAWBO's page notes that a US$75 Spring Membership Campaign discount had been applied to the one-time application fee at the time of access.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Monthly dues | $40 a monthPro tier: "$40.00/mo when paying up front", recorded from Ellevate's own pricing page as archived on 1 August 2023. Includes the Squads mastermind programme, free virtual event tickets, 50% off most in-person events and the Experts programme.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Prices shown were displayed during a Spring Membership Campaign that applied a US$75 discount to the one-time application fee; the underlying application fee is not published. Chapter-level and national benefits come together at the Premier and Basic levels. |
| Membership term | Monthly or annual subscription; prices quoted per month when paid up front | Annual |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Local chapter meet-ups and workshops, virtual Roundtables and Community Circles, executive events and the annual Mobilize Women summit | Chapter programming locally, plus national events including the NAWBO Summit, monthly new member orientations and virtual community events |
| Peer forums | Squads: small facilitated mastermind groups running for twelve weeks, with a separate Executive Squads track | No confidential peer forums are published; NAWBO Institute programmes such as Circle ($1 Million+) group members by business stage |
| Confidentiality | Ellevate describes Roundtables and Community Circles as "safe spaces"; no formal confidentiality policy is published | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Squads run as a twelve-week programme; other participation is optional | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Cohort-based, Virtual, Event-focused | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | Yes |
| Investment discussions | No | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Ellevate Network · NAWBO