Comparison · 19 material differences
Commonwealth Club World Affairs 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
Networking organization
Verified September 2026 Commonwealth Club World Affairs
The general public in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through broadcast and podcast distribution, a national audience; membership is open to anyone
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 — Commonwealth Club World Affairs: No published 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.
- Minimum company revenue — Commonwealth Club World Affairs: No published minimum company revenue; Forbes Councils: "Your business generates a minimum of $1M USD in revenue".
- Minimum capital raised — Commonwealth Club World Affairs: No published minimum capital raised; Forbes Councils: "Your business has received a minimum of $1M USD in financing".
- Industry restriction — Commonwealth Club World Affairs: No published industry restriction; Forbes Councils: "No MLM/direct sales, gambling, adult entertainment, adult websites, adult products, or cannabis companies are allowed".
- Annual dues — Commonwealth Club World Affairs: $135 a 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
| Commonwealth Club World Affairs | Forbes Councils | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Networking organization |
| Founded | 1903 (Founded on 3 February 1903 by San Francisco Chronicle agriculture editor Edward F. Adams, per the Club's own history.) | Not documented |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | Boston, United States |
| Geographic footprint | San Francisco Bay Area — headquarters at 110 The Embarcadero plus volunteer-run regional chapters in the East Bay, Marin County, Napa Valley and the Peninsula, and a Silicon Valley programme; national reach through radio, television and podcasts | Nine online councils with no local chapters; the operator, Community.co, is based in Boston, Massachusetts |
| Members | 20,000as 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 | Not published as a number. The Club names volunteer-run regional chapters in the East Bay, Marin County, Napa Valley and the Peninsula alongside its San Francisco headquarters and Silicon Valley programming, but gives no total. | No chapters; the councils are online communities |
| Primary audience | The general public in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through broadcast and podcast distribution, a national audience; membership is open to anyone | 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 the general public rather than a screened cohort. The published tiers accommodate individuals, two people at one address, small groups, students and educators, single-issue supporters through the Climate One programme, and companies buying access for employees. A Leadership Circle from $1,000 upwards functions as a donor programme with escalating access to speakers. | 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 | No published 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 ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | No published 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 ↗ |
| 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 ↗ |
| 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 | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Membership is bought online by selecting a plan; auto-renewal on the annual renewal date is an option at signup. Student and educator applicants apply through a separate form. There is no sponsorship, interview or committee review. | 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 | Not selective. Membership is open to all and most events are also open to non-members who buy tickets. | 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 | $135 a yearIndividual membership, annual plan ($13 a month monthly, cancel anytime). Includes one 30 percent discounted ticket per event, excluding special events.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 disclosed; no joining fee appears alongside the published dues.verified 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 | Annual or monthly; annual memberships can be set to auto-renew and monthly plans can be cancelled at any time | One-year or two-year terms, renewing automatically for equal periods |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Hundreds of events a year, in person and online, at the San Francisco headquarters, the regional chapters and Silicon Valley | Monthly Expert Panel cycles and private virtual events; no scheduled local meetings |
| Peer forums | Member-led forums organised by subject, plus volunteer-run regional chapters; no confidential facilitated peer forum | No facilitated peer forums; members join interest-based and geography-based online groups |
| Confidentiality | None; programmes are public and are broadcast on radio and television and distributed as podcasts | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Chapter-based, Virtual | Virtual, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | No | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | No | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | No | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | Yes | Partial |
| Family programming | Partial | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Partial | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | No | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Yes | No |
| Networking emphasis | Low | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
Next
Last verified: not yet reviewed
Report an error on this page
Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Commonwealth Club World Affairs · Forbes Councils