Faculty learning communities (FLC) provide opportunities for professional development and personal growth within university settings. Some FLC are structured; others are unstructured. Faculty at a mid-sized Midwestern state university were asked a series of close- and open-ended questions that examined the reasons for and benefits from their participation in both structured and unstructured FLC. This exploratory study compared survey responses related to participation in structured and unstructured FLC. The reasons why faculty participated in learning communities were consistent in both structured and unstructured formats. However, while the benefits from participating in structured FLC were strongly related to professional goals with immediate application, the benefits from unstructured FLC participation were more related to personal goals with long-term application. (Contains 2 tables.)