Comparison · 16 material differences
Commonwealth Club World Affairs vs Resource Generation
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
Philanthropic network
Resource Generation
People aged 18 to 35 in the United States who have access to wealth or class privilege placing them in the top 10 per cent by net wealth or income, and who want to redistribute…
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining — Commonwealth Club World Affairs: No published maximum age at joining; Resource Generation: The core constituency is 18 to 35 year olds; members over 35 move to the Alumni track.
- Minimum age — Commonwealth Club World Affairs: No published minimum age; Resource Generation: Constituent and Stepping Stone membership are for people aged 18 to 35; an Alumni track exists for those 36 and over.
- Minimum net worth — Commonwealth Club World Affairs: No published minimum net worth; Resource Generation: Family net wealth of $1 million or more is one of the qualifying tests for access to wealth.
- Geographic restriction — Commonwealth Club World Affairs: No published geographic restriction; Resource Generation: United States.
- Annual dues — Commonwealth Club World Affairs: $135 a year; Resource Generation: $500 a year.
Side by side
| Commonwealth Club World Affairs | Resource Generation | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Philanthropic network |
| Founded | 1903 (Founded on 3 February 1903 by San Francisco Chronicle agriculture editor Edward F. Adams, per the Club's own history.) | 1997 (Resource Generation traces its origins to a 1995 gathering of New England donors and activists that became a collaborative in 1996. It was established as Comfort Zone in 1997 and formally renamed Resource Generation in 2000, with an office in Cambridge. It operated under fiscal sponsorship for 17 years before becoming an independent 501(c)(3) in 2015.) |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | 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 | United States, with more than 18 local chapters; the published chapter list names 21 cities and states from Maine to Los Angeles |
| Members | 20,000as of September 2026 | 1,100as of September 2026 |
| 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. | 18 |
| 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 | People aged 18 to 35 in the United States who have access to wealth or class privilege placing them in the top 10 per cent by net wealth or income, and who want to redistribute rather than grow that wealth |
| 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 young people with inherited or earned wealth in the top decile of the US economy. Qualification runs through personal income at roughly the 90th percentile for the member's state (around $105,000 nationally, ranging from about $82,000 to $248,000 by cost of living), significant personal net financial assets, or family wealth — family net wealth of $1 million or more, parental income in the top decile, or ownership of a family foundation. A high net wealth designation covers the top 1 per cent: $1 million or more in liquid assets, an anticipated inheritance of $5 million, or family net wealth of $10 million or more. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | No published maximum age at joining | The core constituency is 18 to 35 year olds; members over 35 move to the Alumni trackverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum age | No published minimum age | Constituent and Stepping Stone membership are for people aged 18 to 35; an Alumni track exists for those 36 and overRG states that people aged 18 to 35 with wealth and class privilege are at a pivotal stage for making a lifelong commitment to social movements.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum net worth | No published minimum net worth | Family net wealth of $1 million or more is one of the qualifying tests for access to wealthAlternatives include a parent's income in the top 90th percentile (median around $185,000 for ages 45–65), ownership of a family foundation, or, internationally, $1 million or more in land value, major business interests, or ruling-elite status.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | United StatesRG organises young people with access to wealth in the US; its criteria include an international variant for family wealth held abroad.verified 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. | Prospective members complete an online intake form, choose the membership track matching their age and access to wealth, pay dues and are connected to a local chapter. There is no vetting committee, sponsorship requirement or interview described; the qualification is self-assessed against RG's published wealth and income percentile thresholds, and the site links to external percentile calculators. |
| Selectivity | Not selective. Membership is open to all and most events are also open to non-members who buy tickets. | Not publicly disclosed — RG publishes detailed qualification thresholds but no screening or acceptance process. The tests are self-applied. |
| 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 ↗ | $500 a yearStandard baseline constituent membership dues are $500 a year. RG asks all members, including alumni, to contribute 5 to 10 per cent of their overall annual giving as dues, so members who give more pay more; those for whom $500 is prohibitive may select "other" and pay the percentage instead.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee appears alongside the published dues.verified September 2026 | No joining fee is published.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Annual or monthly; annual memberships can be set to auto-renew and monthly plans can be cancelled at any time | Annual |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Hundreds of events a year, in person and online, at the San Francisco headquarters, the regional chapters and Silicon Valley | Chapter organising through the year, all-member programming, webinars and calls, plus national conferences and campaigns |
| Peer forums | Member-led forums organised by subject, plus volunteer-run regional chapters; no confidential facilitated peer forum | Local chapters are the primary unit, supported by chapter and interest-specific listservs. A National Member Council, open to any member, shapes organisational strategy. No confidential facilitated peer-forum structure is published. |
| 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 | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | No | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | No | Partial |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | No | Yes |
| Retreats | No | Yes |
| Travel | Yes | No |
| Family programming | Partial | Partial |
| Spouse and partner programming | Partial | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Yes |
| Investment discussions | No | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Yes | Yes |
| Networking emphasis | Low | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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 · Resource Generation