Comparison · 15 material differences
Family Business Alliance vs Small Giants Community
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 Business Alliance
Family-owned businesses in West Michigan: owners and family leaders running the business, next-generation family members preparing to lead, and the non-family executives who work…
Networking organization
Small Giants Community
Founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized privately held companies that deliberately prioritise culture, purpose and quality over growth - the…
What the records say
- Role or title: Family Business Alliance: No published role or title; Small Giants Community: The community is designed for founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized businesses.
- Geographic restriction: Family Business Alliance: West Michigan, centred on Grand Rapids; Small Giants Community: No published geographic restriction.
- Annual dues: Family Business Alliance: $625 a year; Small Giants Community: $0 a year.
Side by side
| Family Business Alliance | Small Giants Community | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Family-business organization | Networking organization |
| Founded | 2006 (The Alliance's about page states it was "Founded in 2006 by family business leaders who saw the need to establish a supportive community for family business professionals" and marks 2026 as its 20th year. Secondary sources describe the launch as being spearheaded by the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce and the Family Owned Business Institute at Grand Valley State University's Seidman College of Business.) | 2009 (The About page states that "The Small Giants Community is officially formed and founded by Bo Burlingham and Paul Spiegelman" in 2009, four years after Burlingham's 2005 book Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big.) |
| Headquarters | Grand Rapids, United States | United States |
| Geographic footprint | West Michigan, based in Grand Rapids | Primarily United States. The member directory offers filters for more than 30 countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Japan, Brazil and South Africa; the organization publishes no country breakdown. |
| Members | 200as of September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed. The organization publishes a searchable member directory but no total membership figure. The only published capacity number is the annual Summit, which is capped at 250 attendees. |
| Chapters | A single-market organisation with no chapters. | No chapters. The community operates online with a single annual summit and cohort programmes. |
| Primary audience | Family-owned businesses in West Michigan: owners and family leaders running the business, next-generation family members preparing to lead, and the non-family executives who work alongside them | Founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized privately held companies that deliberately prioritise culture, purpose and quality over growth - the model described in Bo Burlingham's book. |
| Typical member | Members are family-owned companies in the Grand Rapids region across a wide size range. The dues scale runs from a Small Business tier restricted to firms under $3 million in annual revenue up to a $10,000 Community tier, so both very small family firms and substantial regional employers sit in the same organisation. Peer groups also admit non-family key executives. | The organization describes members as ranging "from solo founders to growing companies to established purpose-driven organizations", covering founders, C-suite executives and rising leaders. Company memberships bring whole leadership teams into the community. Published member quotes come from operating executives at privately held United States firms. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | No published role or title | The community is designed for founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized businessesStated as the intended audience rather than an enforced test.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | West Michigan, centred on Grand Rapidsverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Companies join by selecting one of the five published membership tiers. Peer group entry is separate: applicants complete an FBA Peer Group Application or contact the Director of Membership, who advises which of the three streams fits, and are then placed into a group of eight to ten peers at a comparable career stage. | Community membership requires no application: prospective members join the free tier online and upgrade to Individual or Company membership when they choose. The cohort programmes are screened. The Leadership Academy runs an application, a Zoom conversation covering cost and curriculum, a fit review and then acceptance and payment, with onboarding ahead of a January launch. Sounding Board uses an in-depth application and assessment followed by an interview. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: membership appears open to family-owned businesses in West Michigan at the published rates. Peer group placement is curated by staff rather than open. | Not applicable to general membership, which is open. For the Leadership Academy the organization says it will "review your application and ensure a good fit before accepting payment", but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $625 a yearSmall Business tier, for businesses earning less than $3 million annually: 2 signature event tickets, 1 peer group slot, leadership programme and partner workshop access.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $0 a yearFree tier: US$0. Includes the Small Giants Scorecard and report, a free book chapter, free virtual events and workshops, the resource library and the newsletter.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | No membership initiation fee is published.verified September 2026 | Paid memberships are billed annually and can be cancelled at any time. The cohort programmes and the Summit are priced separately from membership. |
| Programme fee | $625 one-timeOne-time placement fee for the NextGen Peer Group. Placement fees for the NowGen and KeyGroup streams are not published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $12,500 one-timeSmall Giants Leadership Academy: "an investment of $12,500 per participant", all inclusive of programme access, community access, lifetime resource access, a Summit ticket and meals, transport and activities for two in-person experiences; travel and accommodation are excluded. A 10 percent deposit is due on acceptance, with the balance paid up front or monthly.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Event costs | Five published annual tiers from $625 to $10,000, each carrying a defined allocation of event tickets, peer group slots and programme registrations. Peer group placement is charged separately. | $1,650–2,265 one-timeAnnual Summit tickets in three releases: US$1,650 for the first 40 registrants, US$1,960 for the next 60, and US$2,265 thereafter. Includes all sessions, a visit to a Small Giant company, meals and receptions and transport between events. Discounts are offered for groups of three or more and for Leadership Academy alumni.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual | Annual, billed annually, cancellable at any time; the free tier has no term |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Peer groups meet monthly for half-day sessions; the Alliance holds more than 16 events a year alongside its succession, leadership and governance programmes | Ongoing online forums and virtual events and workshops; one annual Summit; Journey runs six two-day excursions a year; Sounding Board meets monthly for twelve months |
| Peer forums | Peer groups of eight to ten members with a seasoned outside professional as moderator, in three streams: NowGen (family members currently running the business), NextGen (younger family members not yet leading) and KeyGroup (non-family key executives) | Online forums and chat open to paid members rather than assigned confidential groups; one-to-one mentorship pairs in Sounding Board; cohort groups in the Leadership Academy and Journey |
| Confidentiality | The Alliance describes its peer groups as confidential spaces built on a circle of trust, and states that networking primarily for lead generation is not a programme goal. No written confidentiality policy is published. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Peer group members commit to a monthly half-day meeting | Not published for membership. Sounding Board is a twelve-month commitment with monthly one-to-one meetings; Journey involves six two-day excursions over a year. |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Event-focused | Virtual, Event-focused, Cohort-based |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | No | Yes |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Partial | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Not documented | Partial |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | Yes | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Yes |
| Investment discussions | No | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
Next
Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Family Business Alliance · Small Giants Community