Comparison · 18 material differences
ICSC 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
Professional association
Verified September 2026 ICSC
Owners, developers, managers, investors, brokers and marketers of shopping centres and other retail and mixed-use property, plus retailers, public officials and academics
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
- Maximum age at joining: ICSC: Next Generation membership: industry professionals under 40; NAWBO: No published maximum age at joining.
- Minimum ownership stake: ICSC: No published minimum ownership stake; NAWBO: Ownership as "sole proprietor, partner, LLC member, independent contractor or 5%+ corporate shareholder".
- Gender: ICSC: No published gender; 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: ICSC: 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: ICSC: $300 a year; NAWBO: $479 a year.
Side by side
| ICSC | NAWBO | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 1957 (ICSC's own account: "With a $500 payment and a handshake, seven enterprising professionals established ICSC in a downtown Chicago hotel in 1957.") | 1975 ("They formed NAWBO in 1975 in Washington, DC" - Susan Hager, NAWBO's founding president, and eleven other founding members.) |
| Headquarters | New York, United States | United States |
| Geographic footprint | Global; ICSC runs regional divisions and works with national and regional shopping centre councils worldwide, and holds a Washington DC office alongside its New York headquarters | 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 | 70,000as of May 2026 | 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 | Not publicly disclosed as a single figure. ICSC organises by region and division rather than by named chapters, and Wikipedia reports relationships with more than 25 national and regional shopping centre councils. | 46 |
| Primary audience | Owners, developers, managers, investors, brokers and marketers of shopping centres and other retail and mixed-use property, plus retailers, public officials and academics | Women who own an equity interest in a business in the United States, at any size, stage and industry |
| Typical member | Membership spans the retail property chain: shopping centre owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers and brokers, together with academics and public officials. ICSC's own pricing distinguishes companies and individuals who own, develop, manage or support marketplaces from retailers and tenants, who pay a lower rate. | 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 | ||
| Maximum age at joining | Next Generation membership: industry professionals under 40A discounted category, not a barrier to joining.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published maximum age at joining |
| 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 | No published gender | "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 ↗ |
| Industry restriction | Standard membership: companies and individuals who own, develop, manage or support marketplaces and spaces (excludes retailers and tenants)Retailers and tenants have their own lower-priced category.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published industry restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Applicants join online through the ICSC membership pages, choosing a member type. Categories with reduced rates require documentary proof: government letterhead for public sector applicants, a university ID for academics, and a transcript, course list or registrar's letter for students. There is no sponsor, interview or committee stage in the published process. | 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 publicly disclosed; the published route is open enrolment with eligibility set by the type of business the applicant is in. | Not applicable in the usual sense: NAWBO admits any applicant meeting its ownership definition and publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $300 a yearStandard membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ | $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 ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee is listed alongside the published dues.verified September 2026 | 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. |
| Event costs | Not recorded here. ICSC's conferences are separately ticketed and are the main cost of participation, but rates vary by event and were not read for this record.verified September 2026 | 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 | Annual | Annual |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | A year-round conference programme including ICSC Las Vegas and ICSC New York, plus regional and state conferences | Chapter programming locally, plus national events including the NAWBO Summit, monthly new member orientations and virtual community events |
| Peer forums | No confidential peer forum structure is published; participation is through events, divisions and committees | No confidential peer forums are published; NAWBO Institute programmes such as Circle ($1 Million+) group members by business stage |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Chapter-based | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | No | Partial |
| Local chapters | Partial | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Partial | Yes |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Yes |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Yes |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | Partial | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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