ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
Attendance at every meeting is essential. Members are encouraged to secure substitutes when they are unable to attend. Having a substitute attend does not count as an absence. BNI policy states that a member who has three absences in a six-month period forfeits their position, however you can use a substitute up to 3 times also within that 6 month period and there will be no action on being absent.
1st Absence - No action.
2nd Absence - 1st letter encouraging member to attend or to provide a substitute.
3rd Absence - 2nd letter warning that member status is in jeopardy. (There is an MSP proviso recommended along with the letter).
4th Absence - You are out.
EXIT INTERVIEW
Conducted either in person or by phone by a member of the leadership team, it serves to document the members experience with the chapter, especially if leaving is voluntary prior to expiration of their dues period.
LATENESS/LEAVING EARLY
Timely attendance at BNI meetings is also important. 12:00 to 12:15 pm is your time to network. This time is critical for members to form working relationships, especially with new members and visitors. Arriving late diminishes the importance of our meetings. Arriving after 12:00 and leaving early is also disruptive. Therefore, the following absence appointment has been assigned to discourage lateness:
Arriving after 12:00 pm - 1/2 absence
Leaving before 1:30 pm - 1/2 absence
SUBSTITUTE LIST
You can search SoCalBNI.com for BNI substitutes if needed, however we encourage you to have a client, business partner and/or friend fill in for you if needed.
Please be advised: It is your responsibility to arrange for your own substitute and provide them with a one-minute commercial about your business. If for any reason your substitute does not make it to the meeting, you will be counted as absent for that week.
Prosperity BNI Substitute Policy:
1) Prosperity BNI members must attend meetings at least 75% of the time. This will allow for a maximum of 2 absences and 4 substitutes in every 6-month period.
2) Staff and business partners are always an acceptable substitute.
3) A member may only use the same BNI Member to substitute a maximum of 2 times during the SOCAL BNI year.
OVER-USE OF SUBSTITUTES
See above for explanation.
COMPLAINTS
Members may have issues with fellow members for various reasons. If this occurs:
- The leadership team encourages members to work out any disagreements or disputes with each other.
- If this does not resolve the problem, then a verbal complaint can be made to the leadership team for guidance in resolving the problem
- If this does not resolve the issue satisfactorily, then a written complaint can be made to the leadership team to document the situation should further action be necessary.
All complaints will be handled with discretion and with every effort to maintain full confidentiality.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
A leave of absence can be requested in writing for medical or family emergencies and must be approved. The letter should state the length of time, the members substitute plan, and whether the leave is protected or unprotected, i.e., protecting the members profession or leaving it open. A protected leave can be taken for up to eight weeks with continuous dues. An unprotected leave can be taken with dues suspended.
MONTHLY DUES
Our monthly meeting fees are $60 for members and are due on or before the first week of every month. If a member joins during the month this will be pro-rated. Checks are to be made payable to Prosperity BNI. A penalty of $5 is charged for any fees still outstanding after the second week of the month.
For Guests: Our guests are required to pay a meeting fee of $15.
For substitutes: If you send a substitute, your breakfast dues cover their meal. No money is collected for subs.
ONE TO ONES
Each member is encouraged to due at least one to one with members every week, but a minimum of (2) per month. This is how we get to know and trust each others business so that we can give qualified referrals to our chapter.
EVALUATING PARTICIPATION OF EXISTING MEMBERS
As part of its role, the Membership Committee will review the participation of existing members on an on-going basis. This is done to assist members in giving and receiving quality leads.
The committee will also review members prior to renewal of their membership. It is our desire to meet with each member prior to his or her renewal. However, if time does not permit and there is no question the Committee recommends renewal, some members may not have a face-to-face meeting.
The criteria we have currently determined for review are:
- Attendance/overuse of subs (see Chapter Guidelines for clarification as to what constitutes the overuse of subs)
- Leads Passed/Received
- Adherence to the BNI Code of Ethics
- Timely payment of membership and breakfast dues
- Complaints received by the Membership Committee from chapter members
- Acknowledgement and other recognition received by the Membership Committee from chapter members
- Participation in the chapter (serving on committees, leadership roles, etc.)
CONFLICT/OVERLAP OF PROFESSIONS
The Membership Committee reviews all classifications of new applicants carefully for conflicts. However, in some cases, due to the nature of an industry or profession, there are specializations and distinctions we are not aware of, and so a conflict is not obvious. If a visitor attends the meeting who is representing a business/profession that is or may be in conflict or overlap with your seat, please inform the Chapter Vice President, who is Chairman of the Membership Committee, immediately. If you speak with the visitor, do so only with at least one member of the Membership Committee present. The Membership Committee will consider the potential conflict/overlap during the application process; however, depending on the nature and degree of overlap, the Membership Committee may choose to admit the applicant as a new member.
REFERRAL QUOTA
BNI policy states that each chapter set their own guidelines around a quota or expected number of referrals passed each month to keep every one of its members focused on BNI outside of the meetings. Unlike other chapters that have a strict number per month to meet, our chapter has adopted a different policy to make our leads generation even stronger.
In order for all members to receive the greatest benefit from BNI, we have implemented a quota - or a strongly recommended minimum number - of leads to be passed. To maintain good standing in the chapter, each member is expected to pass a minimum of one qualified referral per month OR to bring at least one (2) guests to our chapter meetings each month. Referrals are averaged over a three month period. When a member has not met the quota, we invite that member to meet with the Membership Committee to review the referrals he/she has generated, and to offer support on how to meet the quota effectively. The Membership Committee will then review the referrals generated by the member during the subsequent three-months and decide at that point if that member will be asked to leave the chapter based on performance record.
We strive for the passing of high quality referrals. A valid referral is one in which a call from a BNI member is expected. Should you find that a member of BNI is passing referrals that are not valid, please return them to that person, explaining why they are not good referrals. Should this happen frequently, please alert the Membership Committee.
