Tools to Maximize Your BNI Experience

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🟠 Guidelines for Visiting Other Chapters 

• Before visiting another Chapter, the visiting Member should call that Chapter’s President first.

• Members visiting other Chapters should announce that they are from another Chapter.

• Visiting Members must not do or say anything that competes with a Member of that Chapter.

• The Chapter should be cautious in giving referrals to individuals they don’t know, including visiting Members.

• Visiting Members should pay for their own meal.

• Visiting Members follow the same visiting policies as non-members; no more than two visits allowed.

🟠 Best Practices for Utilizing Substitutes

A Sub's primary purpose is to represent a BNI Member. 

BNI recommends minimal use of a substitute. However, a Member may use substitutes up to three times in a six-month period.

• Members can have a qualified substitute to attend the meeting for them in the event they cannot make the meeting. 

• Potential substitutes include customers, friends, family, BNI Members from other chapters and/or employees. The best substitutes are those who can benefit the chapter the most, and customers who can speak very positively about the Member's business. Using different subs gives your chapter opportunities to expand their network, too. 

Also Important: 

• Making substitutes feel comfortable with BNI® System and meeting process in advance will increase the likelihood that a substitute will show up when asked. 

• Members should alert the Chapter of a substitute so that the Visitor Host can be there to greet him/her.

• At discretion of Chapter Leadership, if the substitute’s classification is not filled, then substitutes may be permitted to present their business during the visitor meeting section.

NOTE: a chapter may also implement their own substitute requirements

🟠 Understand the Attendance Policy

BNI® General Policy #5: 

“A BNI Member is allowed 3 absences within a continuous 6-month period. If a Member cannot attend, they may send a substitute; this will not count as an absence.”

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• Every new member must understand the Attendance Policy if they are going to stay in the chapter. 

• A member may not miss more than three meetings in a rolling six-month period. 

• Upon their fourth absence, their classification may be opened by the Membership Committee.

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Absences and tardiness mean less business for Members; therefore, the Membership Committee may give warnings to Members who are consistently late or leave early.  If the problem continues, the Member’s classification may be subject to being re-opened.

Information about CEUs & Traffic Light FAQs are found on this page

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