Comparison · 12 material differences
NAWBO vs Society for Information Management
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 NAWBO
Women who own an equity interest in a business in the United States, at any size, stage and industry
Professional association
Society for Information Management
Senior IT and technology executives - CIOs and their direct reports - plus academics in information systems, consulting partners and non-IT leaders whose roles affect technology…
What the records say
- Role or title — NAWBO: No published role or title; Society for Information Management: Practitioner: a senior-level IT professional in a public or private sector organisation - a corporate or divisional IS head, or a member of an IS management staff supporting them in a key management role.
- Minimum ownership stake — NAWBO: Ownership as "sole proprietor, partner, LLC member, independent contractor or 5%+ corporate shareholder"; Society for Information Management: No published minimum ownership stake.
- 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; Society for Information Management: No published gender.
- 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; Society for Information Management: No published geographic restriction.
- Annual dues — NAWBO: $479 a year; Society for Information Management: Not publicly disclosed at national level. SIM does not publish a single national dues figure; members join through a chapter and the chapter sets the rate..
Side by side
| NAWBO | Society for Information Management | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 1975 ("They formed NAWBO in 1975 in Washington, DC" - Susan Hager, NAWBO's founding president, and eleven other founding members.) | 1968 (SIM's inaugural meeting was held on 22 November 1968 at the US Atomic Energy Commission in Washington DC, after a conversation between Robert Head and Herb Schwartz at an ACM conference; the first conference followed in September 1969 at the University of Minnesota. Sources give 1968 or 1969 depending on which event is treated as the founding.) |
| Headquarters | United States | Mount Laurel, United States |
| Geographic footprint | 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 | United States and Canada: 38 chapters listed on SIM's own chapter index, including one in Toronto, plus a Member At-Large option for those without a nearby chapter |
| Members | 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. | 5,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 46 | 38 |
| Primary audience | Women who own an equity interest in a business in the United States, at any size, stage and industry | Senior IT and technology executives - CIOs and their direct reports - plus academics in information systems, consulting partners and non-IT leaders whose roles affect technology strategy |
| Typical member | 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. | Members are corporate or divisional heads of information systems and the management staff supporting them, plus full-time academics in the IS field, partner-level consultants and non-IT executives with a major role in strategic technology direction. SIM says its members' employers account for over $200 billion in technology spend. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | No published role or title | Practitioner: a senior-level IT professional in a public or private sector organisation - a corporate or divisional IS head, or a member of an IS management staff supporting them in a key management roleverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| 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 ↗ | No published minimum ownership stake |
| 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 ↗ | No published gender |
| 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 ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application 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. | Applicants apply to a local chapter, selecting one of the four membership categories, or apply as a Member At-Large if no chapter covers their area. The membership year runs 1 January to 31 December. Chapters review applications against the published category definitions; there is no sponsor or committee vote published. |
| Selectivity | Not applicable in the usual sense: NAWBO admits any applicant meeting its ownership definition and publishes no acceptance rate. | Not publicly disclosed. Admission turns on meeting one of the four published category definitions; no acceptance rate is published. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed at national level. SIM does not publish a single national dues figure; members join through a chapter and the chapter sets the rate.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | 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. | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Local chapter dues | 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. | $205–285 a yearSouthern California chapter published schedule: $285 for corporate IT executives/practitioners and consultants, $205 for academic, retired or non-profit IT professionals. Dues are set by each chapter and vary; other chapters publish higher two-tier plans.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual | Calendar year, 1 January to 31 December |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Chapter programming locally, plus national events including the NAWBO Summit, monthly new member orientations and virtual community events | Chapters typically hold four to six events a year, plus peer groups, special interest groups and national programmes |
| Peer forums | No confidential peer forums are published; NAWBO Institute programmes such as Circle ($1 Million+) group members by business stage | Chapter-level peer groups bringing together members in similar roles, plus SIM Interest Groups on topics such as cybersecurity; the Advanced Practices Council is a separate senior research peer network |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | No published forum confidentiality rule; SIM is a professional association rather than a closed advisory body |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Cohort-based |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Partial |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | Partial | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Yes |
| Investment discussions | Partial | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | Yes |
| 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: NAWBO · Society for Information Management