Comparison · 14 material differences
Forbes Councils vs Seattle Executives Association
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 Forbes Councils
Owners, founders, partners and senior executives who want a bylined publishing platform on Forbes.com alongside a vetted online peer network
Networking organization
Seattle Executives Association
Owners, principals and decision makers of established Greater Seattle businesses, one per business category
What the records say
- 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; Seattle Executives Association: The applicant must be a business owner, principal or decision maker for the company.
- Minimum company revenue: Forbes Councils: "Your business generates a minimum of $1M USD in revenue"; Seattle Executives Association: No published minimum company revenue.
- Minimum capital raised: Forbes Councils: "Your business has received a minimum of $1M USD in financing"; Seattle Executives Association: No published minimum capital raised.
- Geographic restriction: Forbes Councils: No published geographic restriction; Seattle Executives Association: Greater Seattle area.
- Annual dues: 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.; Seattle Executives Association: Not publicly disclosed. The association does not publish dues; prospective members are told to call the office..
Side by side
| Forbes Councils | Seattle Executives Association | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Networking organization |
| Founded | Not documented | 1917 (Founded in 1917 by a group of Seattle businessmen who shared information about ships arriving in port and referred clients to one another, per the association's own history.) |
| Headquarters | Boston, United States | Seattle, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Nine online councils with no local chapters; the operator, Community.co, is based in Boston, Massachusetts | Greater Seattle area; weekly luncheons at the Washington Athletic Club and at member locations |
| Members | 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. | 130as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | No chapters; the councils are online communities | A single-city association with no chapters. It is a member of the International Executives Association (IEA), a network of comparable city associations, and is listed as the Seattle chapter in IEA directories. |
| Primary audience | Owners, founders, partners and senior executives who want a bylined publishing platform on Forbes.com alongside a vetted online peer network | Owners, principals and decision makers of established Greater Seattle businesses, one per business category |
| Typical member | 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. | Members are business owners, principals or company decision makers whose firms have traded for at least two years. The membership is deliberately spread across business categories rather than concentrated in one sector; open categories advertised in 2026 included appliance sales and service, residential cleaning, collision repair, distillery, fine dining, limousine service, office equipment and supplies, record storage and shredding, title and escrow, television station, replacement windows and winery. |
| Qualification | ||
| 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 ↗ | The applicant must be a business owner, principal or decision maker for the companyverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| 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 ↗ | No published minimum company revenue |
| 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 ↗ | No published minimum capital raised |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Greater Seattle areaverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| 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 ↗ | No published industry restriction |
| Invitation required | No | Sometimes |
| Sponsor required | No | Not documented |
| Application 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. | A prospective member calls the association office to find out whether an opening exists in their business category. If there is one, they are invited to attend a luncheon meeting and decide whether the group fits. Admission depends on the classification being open and on meeting the owner or decision-maker test and the two-year trading requirement. |
| Selectivity | 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. | Not publicly disclosed as an acceptance rate. In practice the binding constraint is category exclusivity: if a competitor already holds the classification, the applicant cannot join regardless of merit. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | 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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. The association does not publish dues; prospective members are told to call the office.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | 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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Membership term | One-year or two-year terms, renewing automatically for equal periods | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Monthly Expert Panel cycles and private virtual events; no scheduled local meetings | Weekly luncheon meetings on Wednesdays, with a 50 percent minimum attendance requirement |
| Peer forums | No facilitated peer forums; members join interest-based and geography-based online groups | Weekly full-group luncheon plus one-to-one member meetings; no confidential facilitated peer forum is published |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | At least half of the weekly Wednesday luncheons, per the association's published attendance requirement |
| Organized as | Virtual, Event-focused | Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | No |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | No |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Partial |
| Leadership development | Partial | No |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | Partial | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | No | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Medium |
Next
Last verified: not yet reviewed
Report an error on this page
Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Forbes Councils · Seattle Executives Association