The membership committee are the gate keepers and support mechanism for the chapter.  

• It is vital all conversations within the Membership Committee are CONFIDENTIAL.

• Make sure that everyone is sharing the roles and responsibilities of the membership committee. The VP oversees the activities (MC members do the action)

• All applications have the application completed (change representative, change of category/business, member transfer, new application) and the application is processed like all new applications. There are extra costs involved in member transfers and change of representatives.

• Have a monthly Membership Committee meeting following the agenda which is the last section of the Chapter Success Meeting.

• Attend the Chapter Success Meeting generally held every 2nd week of the month

• Have an ability to chat and organise without relying on emails.

• Make sure there is a Member Relations role that has completed the complaints process training

• Everyone has completed the online applications training in business builders

• Capture all notes for reviews, conversations and mentoring in Trello. Access via bnimcadminteam@bnimc.com.au

• Create a gmail account for the membership committee email and using templates

• 7 Month Review Template 

• Everyone has completed their training in Business Builders

• Make sure there is a Member Relations role that has completed the complaints process training

• Everyone has completed the online applications and online renewals training in business builders

• Run a Membership Committee Meeting (continued on at the CSM or an another time commonly 3rd week of the month)

• VP's do not do the Membership Committee actions the 4 roles of the Membership Committee do the actions.

• Chapter Operations Manual 

Members Transferring Chapters 

Recently we have had a significant number of applications for inter-chapter member transfers. Additionally, we are aware that members of many chapters are actively having conversations with others encouraging them to change chapters. This has been causing a high level of discontent among a number of chapters and their members and we would like to review some transfer guidelines in this email.

In our experience, member transfers do little to support chapter growth and, in many cases, actually hinder successful chapters. Additionally, it often does not help the transferring member and we see their performance in the new chapter languish, leaving everyone involved dissatisfied.

In an ideal world, chapters would rarely accept transfers, however there are some cases where this is appropriate. We hope the overview below helps you in making solid decisions on transfers.

If members are looking to move away from your chapter, then please review why this may be happening. Here are some conversation starters.

• Newer members (less than 13 months). Was there a focus on completing the passport program & MSP? Have you helped new members discover who is who in your chapter.

• Are there contact spheres established in your chapter and are members building relationships working together? Are you having regular contact sphere stack days so members feel well supported?

• Are the majority of your chapter members in the green? This shows members are building relationships and creating business opportunities for one another (e.g. 121s, visitors & referrals)

• Are your meetings energetic with visitors in attendance?

• Do you keep your members accountable?

• Are you regularly assessing each member and their performance in your membership committee meeting? Are you reviewing the traffic lights?

• Do you have a culture of mentoring?

• Are you checking in with members regularly? (No one cares how much you know, until they know you care)

• Are you conducting 7-month reviews with every member?

Please consider these points when reviewing transfers into your chapter:

• What is their true motivation for leaving? Members will tell you what you want to hear to get in, but good interviewing skills may reveal other reasons.

• Often, it's a case of ’the grass is greener’ and this is never a good reason. For example, they may mask it as ’the time works better’, but successful chapter members make the time at whatever time of day their chapter is meeting, ie: if they and their chapter are working well, they don’t leave (Braith has seen this with Momentum, Referral Exchange and Mid-Morning Networkers at various times over the years)

• What were their stats like? You should only ever take high performers from other chapters for obvious reasons. Never accept a transfer without reviewing 12+ months of stats. If they baulk at giving traffic lights to you, that’s your answer and if they try to explain away poor performance as ‘it was the chapter, not me’, you also have your answer.

• What does their current VP say about them? You should always ask at least someone from the Membership Committee but the VP is best. If they mask it with ‘I don’t want my existing chapter to know I’m leaving’ you have a good conversation starter

• Are you bringing a culture into your chapter from another chapter that you do not want? You can tell them what you expect, but old habits die hard. Braith has seen this negatively impact on many chapters too many times.

• Ex members of other chapters often have deep relationships that they are unwilling/unable to relinquish, which makes new opportunities hard to generate

• Taking members from other chapters often means you are simply recycling referrals and not bringing fresh networks into BNI and your chapter. You are always better off bringing new people into the system and supporting them in your culture to get the results you are seeking.

BNI Melbourne Central has rarely applied bans on transfers as we personally feel people should be where the fit is best and often there are very legitimate reasons for a change, however, due to high rate of transfers, if you receive a member’s application from another chapter, you must get your Director’s approval. Please immediately call your Director to discuss the transfer, taking into consideration all of the above.

Once you provide your director with all the necessary information including an email from the applicant as to why a transfer should be approved, their motivation for a transfer and members’ statistics, your Director will consider the transfer and provide a decision.

Note: Any new application to a chapter requires the applicant to pay the annual fee (unless they have more than 11 months). This includes existing members and a member with a Certificate of Credit. 

We trust this gives you a good overview on transfers and helps you to create a chapter culture you are proud of. Please discuss with your chapter Director if you have any questions or concerns.