Comparison · 16 material differences
Family Firm Institute (FFI) vs TMA
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 Family Firm Institute (FFI)
Advisers, consultants, educators and researchers who serve family enterprises — plus family enterprise members themselves, who join at the same individual rate
Professional association
TMA
Professionals working in corporate restructuring, turnaround and distressed business — turnaround practitioners, restructuring lawyers, lenders, investors, accountants, appraisers…
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining — Family Firm Institute (FFI): No published maximum age at joining; TMA: NextGen membership is limited to new members aged 40 and under at the time of application.
- Accredited-investor status — Family Firm Institute (FFI): Not required for membership; FFI's Global Education Network certificates in Family Business Advising and Family Wealth Advising are optional and priced separately; TMA: No published accredited-investor status.
- Industry restriction — Family Firm Institute (FFI): No published industry restriction; TMA: Work in or around corporate restructuring, turnaround and distressed business — practitioners, attorneys, accountants, investors, lenders, venture capitalists, appraisers, liquidators, executive recruiters and consultants.
- Annual dues — Family Firm Institute (FFI): $975 a year; TMA: $475 a year.
Side by side
| Family Firm Institute (FFI) | TMA | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 1986 (FFI's history page states the organisation was incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1986 with 22 founding members. It is now headquartered in Boston.) | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Boston, United States | Chicago, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Global membership; the annual Global Conference moves between cities and the 2026 edition is scheduled for New York | 54 chapters worldwide, 34 of them in North America; international chapters across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and Australia |
| Members | Could not be independently verified — secondary sources describe "nearly 2,000 individuals and organizations from more than 80 countries", but FFI's own about, membership and contact pages do not publish a member or country count. | 10,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | FFI has no chapters. It organises members through virtual study groups, the Global Education Network and the annual conference. | 54 |
| Primary audience | Advisers, consultants, educators and researchers who serve family enterprises — plus family enterprise members themselves, who join at the same individual rate | Professionals working in corporate restructuring, turnaround and distressed business — turnaround practitioners, restructuring lawyers, lenders, investors, accountants, appraisers and advisers |
| Typical member | The core membership is professional: lawyers, accountants, wealth managers, family business consultants, psychologists and academics working with family firms and family wealth. FFI also admits family enterprise members, educators and researchers, and students, and sells organisational memberships to advisory firms, universities and associations priced by headcount. | TMA reports its membership as roughly 43% turnaround practitioners and advisers, 20% attorneys, 14% lenders and bankers, 3% investors and 20% other related professionals including receivers, appraisers, academics, government officials, judges and recruiters. Membership is individual only, not by firm. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | No published maximum age at joining | NextGen membership is limited to new members aged 40 and under at the time of applicationAvailable for two years or until age 41, whichever comes firstverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Accredited-investor status | Not required for membership; FFI's Global Education Network certificates in Family Business Advising and Family Wealth Advising are optional and priced separatelyverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published accredited-investor status |
| Industry restriction | No published industry restriction | Work in or around corporate restructuring, turnaround and distressed business — practitioners, attorneys, accountants, investors, lenders, venture capitalists, appraisers, liquidators, executive recruiters and consultantsTMA does not publish a formal eligibility test for professional membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Applicants select a membership category on FFI's membership page and pay the published rate. There is no published sponsorship, interview or committee stage. Organisational memberships are bought by the firm, institution or association and cover a stated number of named people. | An individual joins through my.turnaround.org, choosing a membership category and a local chapter. Discounted categories — NextGen, government or academic, and student — require verification and are subject to approval. Membership runs for twelve months from enrolment on an individual anniversary cycle. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed — FFI describes membership categories and prices but no screening or acceptance process. | Not publicly disclosed — membership is open to professionals in the field; only the discounted categories are described as subject to approval |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $975 a yearIndividual membership — Professional and Family Enterprise members each pay this rate.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $475 a yearProfessional membership; includes membership of the member's local chapterverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Local chapter dues | Dues are fully published by category. Organisational members receive 15% off Global Conference registration; conference fees themselves are separate from dues. | No separate chapter dues for professional members — local chapter membership is included in the professional rateverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Programme fee | Not publicly disclosed — the FFI Global Education Network certificate fees are not published on the membership page.verified September 2026 | TMA publishes two conflicting dues schedules on different pages; the Join & Benefits figures above are the ones consistent with its current chapter count. |
| Membership term | Annual | 12 months from enrolment, on an individual anniversary cycle |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Annual Global Conference plus virtual study groups and learning sessions through the year | Local chapter programmes through the year plus TMA Annual, regional symposia and other conferences |
| Peer forums | Virtual study groups organised by topic; no confidential peer-forum structure | No confidential peer forums; members organise through chapters, committees and volunteer groups |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Could not be independently verified — no published confidentiality policy was found |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Virtual, Cohort-based | Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | No |
| Local chapters | No | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | No |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | Partial | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Not documented | Yes |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Family Firm Institute (FFI) · TMA