Comparison · 14 material differences
Gartner C-level Communities 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
Leadership network
Verified September 2026 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…
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
- Role or title — Gartner C-level Communities: Enterprise-wide C-level executive, or a business-unit or regional C-level leader; 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 — Gartner C-level Communities: Private sector: responsibility for $500M+ in revenue; Forbes Councils: "Your business generates a minimum of $1M USD in revenue".
- Minimum employees — Gartner C-level Communities: Public sector: 1,000+ employees; Forbes Councils: No published minimum employees.
- Minimum capital raised — Gartner C-level Communities: No published minimum capital raised; Forbes Councils: "Your business has received a minimum of $1M USD in financing".
- Annual dues — 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".; 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
| Gartner C-level Communities | Forbes Councils | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Leadership network | Networking organization |
| Founded | Not documented | Not documented |
| Headquarters | Portland, United States | Boston, United States |
| Geographic footprint | 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) | Nine online councils with no local chapters; the operator, Community.co, is based in Boston, Massachusetts |
| Members | 14,000as 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 | 101 | No chapters; the councils are online communities |
| Primary audience | 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 | Owners, founders, partners and senior executives who want a bylined publishing platform on Forbes.com alongside a vetted online peer network |
| Typical member | 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. | 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 | ||
| Role or title | 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 ↗ | 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 | Private sector: responsibility for $500M+ in revenueApplies to business-unit or regional C-level applicants.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | "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 employees | Public sector: 1,000+ employeesverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum employees |
| 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 | Membership is held in a regional community; communities cover North America, EMEA and APAC plus one global communityverified 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 | Sometimes | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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 | 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 ↗ | 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 disclosedverified 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 ↗ |
| Membership term | Not documented | One-year or two-year terms, renewing automatically for equal periods |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | 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 | Monthly Expert Panel cycles and private virtual events; no scheduled local meetings |
| Peer forums | Regional role-based communities led by a Governing Body of serving C-level practitioners, rather than standing small-group forums | No facilitated peer forums; members join interest-based and geography-based online groups |
| Confidentiality | Discussions are described as peer-level and off-the-record within community programmes; no published written confidentiality code was found | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Virtual, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Yes | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | 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: Gartner C-level Communities · Forbes Councils