The Economic Club of Chicago

What The Economic Club of Chicago does

The Economic Club of Chicago is a nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization founded in 1927 by Lucius Teter, then-president of Chicago Trust Company, with the explicit design of convening rising and senior business leaders around contemporary economic and civic issues. It operates a curated, invitation-only membership of 2,400 executives and civic leaders spanning virtually every Chicago industry, of whom roughly 70% hold C-suite roles; admission requires two current-member sponsors, a written application, attendance at a Club meeting, and quarterly Membership Committee approval.

The Club's core products are its Membership Program, live Event Programming (large-format keynote events featuring heads of state, Federal Reserve leadership, and major CEOs), small-group Member Exchanges, a digital Member Portal (my.econclubchi.org) for registration and nominations, and a YouTube channel (EconomicClubChicago) distributing recorded keynotes. Its underlying technology stack is a conventional web platform for membership management, event registration, and content distribution with no proprietary AI, API, or app offerings disclosed. Revenue is generated through annual membership dues (a subscription_recurring model) supplemented by event programming and partnership co-presenting; pricing and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is referral-driven and sponsor-gated rather than sales-led outbound, with a stated 92% renewal rate and >90% member recommendation rate.

Strategically, the Club has extended its programming in recent years through a 2024 partnership with the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and has used YouTube to extend its content footprint beyond Chicago, while remaining operationally a small-staff (1-10 employees) nonprofit governed by an Executive Committee and Board of Directors under President & CEO David Snyder.

Name

The Economic Club of Chicago

Legal name

The Economic Club of Chicago

Website

https://econclubchi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Economic Club of Chicago is a 98-year-old nonpartisan nonprofit that convenes 2,400 Chicago C-suite executives and civic leaders through invitation-only membership, hosting in-person and digital programming with global thought leaders including heads of state and major CEOs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Membership Organization

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Executive membership organization
• Business leadership forum
• Speaker event programming
• Professional networking association
• Civic engagement platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The Club generates revenue through annual membership dues from its 2,400 curated members, primarily C-suite executives and senior business leaders in the Chicago area. The membership application process includes sponsorship requirements and a rigorous selection committee review.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Economic Club of Chicago operates a curated, invitation-only membership organization for Chicago's business and civic leaders, providing access to keynote speaker events featuring global heads of state, CEOs, and thought leaders. Members participate in large-scale programming and small-group Member Exchanges, supported by a member portal for event registration and a YouTube channel that distributes recorded content. Revenue is generated through annual membership dues and event sponsorships.

Product overview

The Economic Club of Chicago is a nonpartisan membership organization founded in 1927, offering a unified suite of services centered on connecting Chicago's top business and civic leaders. The core offerings include a curated Membership Program with exclusive access to Events featuring global thought leaders, a Member Portal for program registration and nominations, and YouTube content for archived speaker sessions. Additional offerings include small-group Member Exchanges for peer dialogue and downloadable resources such as the 75th Anniversary History Book and membership brochure. The organization does not operate a traditional software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Curated membership program for business and civic leaders, with 2,400 members representing Chicago industries, 70% C-suite executives, featuring a rigorous application and election process requiring two current-member sponsors.
• Event Programming Large-scale keynote speaker events hosted at downtown Chicago venues, featuring U.S. Presidents, heads of state, Fortune 500 CEOs, and global thought leaders across business, technology, leadership, education, and politics.
• Member Portal Online portal at my.econclubchi.org used by members to register for programs, access event information, and manage membership nominations.
• YouTube Channel Content Recorded keynote speaker programs accessible on the Economic Club of Chicago YouTube channel, providing video archives of speaker events for members and public viewing.
• Member Exchanges Small, member-driven forums for casual peer engagement on topics including business trends and shared interests, fostering deeper peer connections among members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% Membership Renewal Rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University of Chicago Institute of PoliticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Economic Club of Chicago partners with the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics for joint programming. The September 2024 program featuring political analysts David Axelrod and Bill Kristol was presented in partnership with the Institute, bringing together political expertise and the Club's executive membership for discussions on the 2024 election.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Economic Club of New York: Direct peer: a nearly century-old, invitation-based business leadership forum in New York City hosting marquee speakers for senior executives, operating under essentially the same model and value proposition as ECC in a different metro.
• The Executives' Club of Chicago: Direct peer operating in the same Chicago geography: a member-driven business forum convening executives for speaker events and networking, competing for the same C-suite audience and corporate sponsors.
• Detroit Economic Club: Direct peer: a nonpartisan, invitation-based business leadership forum in Detroit hosting presidents, CEOs, and thought leaders, structurally equivalent to ECC but anchored in a different Midwest metro.
• The Commonwealth Club of California: Direct peer: the oldest and largest public-affairs forum in the United States, running speaker events with global leaders for a broad business and civic audience, comparable in mission and programming format.
• Committee of 200: Direct peer: an invitation-only membership organization of the most successful women business leaders in the U.S., comparable membership curation, executive-tier audience, and forum-driven programming model.

Regional players

• Chicago Council on Global Affairs: Regional peer in the same Chicago geography: a membership-driven civic organization convening leaders around international economic and policy issues, overlapping programming themes with ECC's economic-policy focus.
• Commercial Club of Chicago: Regional peer: one of Chicago's oldest civic and business leadership institutions, sharing the same Chicago geography, an elite executive membership base, and a tradition of policy and civic engagement.

Broad incumbents

• YPO (Young Presidents' Organization): Broad incumbent: a global peer network for sitting CEOs and presidents offering forums, events, and leadership development, comparable target member (C-suite executives) and similar mission of peer exchange among senior leaders.
• Aspen Institute: Broad incumbent: a major thought-leadership organization convening leaders across business, policy, and society through speaker-driven programming and executive seminars, comparable in mission though not membership-gated.
• World Economic Forum: Broad incumbent: a large-scale international platform convening heads of state, CEOs, and thought leaders for high-profile dialogue, comparable in speaker-pedigree aspiration and convening role, though at vastly greater global scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/econclubchi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EconomicClubChicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-economic-club-of-chicago
• Instagraminstagram.com/econclubchi
• Facebookfacebook.com/econclubchicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Economic Club of Chicago