Thank you for your interest in BNI San Francisco Bay.  Welcome to BNI, the world's largest business referral organization!  BNI has more than 111,000 members in 40 countries, more than a 2,000 of whom are in BNI chapters in the San Francisco Bay region.  Every member of the BNI San Francisco Bay region acts as a part of the marketing team for the other members of their chapter, with the aim of securing qualified business referrals for each other.

The best way to find out about BNI is to visit a chapter.  Visitors may attend chapter meetings twice ONLY (one chapter twice, or two chapters once each), before they will be asked to make a decision about joining.  Visitors may NOT promote their business in a chapter where their business category is represented.  It is not necessary to have an invitation to visit a chapter, however it is best to contact the president of the chapter prior to the visit.  Click here for BNI San Francisco Bay chapter details.

It is important for visitors to be aware of the following BNI policies (see more details):

	Only one person from any professional specialty is permitted to join each BNI chapter.
	An individual BNI member may represent only one business category.
	Members represent their primary occupation.
	Attendance is critical.  Chapters conduct weekly business meetings of 90min duration, and all members commit to weekly attendance.

Joining a Chapter.  An individual may be a member of one chapter only.  A company may have individuals representing them in several chapters.  Applications are available at chapter meetings, and members of the chapter will assist with their completion.  An new member application is reviewed by the chapter's Membership Committee, and the prospective member notified of the application status as soon as possible.  The investment to join BNI consists of a registration fee, and annual participation fee.  Please call the BNI San Francisco Bay office for details or go to; http://www.bnisfbay.com/investment.htm  You will also be required to attend a Member Success Program within your first 60 days.  There is a small fee for this training and materials.

Individual chapters may also charge an additional fee to pay for the space in which their meetings take place.  These charges are separate, and in addition to the investment to join BNI, and are at the discretion of individual chapter management teams. 

New Chapters.  You should note that some professions (particularly residential mortgage brokers, realtors, and financial advisors) may find it extremely difficult to find a chapter or forming group with an opening for their business category.  If you are interested in starting your own chapter, please contact the BNI San Francisco Bay office at (707) 773-1370, send email or complete the online information request form.  We will send information about the development of new chapters.

Dawn Lyons, Executive Director BNI San Francisco Bay Region