BNI Brookline Policies

• Be on time.
• Adhere to professional attire.
• Silence your phone. Refrain from use of electronic devices during the meeting, unless you are using them to take notes.
• Wear your BNI nametag, be ready to take notes during the meeting.
• Prepare your Member Presentation, do not wing it. Stand up when you speak.
• During the “I HAVE” portion of the meeting, limit this too describing Thank You For Closed Business (TYFCB), referrals made or received, 1-1s completed, and testimonials for other Members. Speak no more than 30 seconds, keep your words positive.
• Business related announcements are made during the Announcement slot at the end of the meeting. If we are running out of time, you may send an email to the entire Chapter with your announcement.

• New Members are required to complete initial MSP training. If you do not know how to do so, please reach out to the Mentor Coordinator or the head of Membership. 
• Each new Member will be assigned a mentor who will be available to answer any questions you may have.  If you do not know who your mentor is, please reach out to the Mentor Coordinator. 
• As a new Member, you will be scheduled to give an introductory 3 minute presentation after you have completed your MSP training, see more below. 

• Important: if you are LATE to a meeting , you forfeit your right to present your own 45-second Member Presentation and should provide a testimonial for another Member.
• "Late" is after 7:05 am (by the clock on the wall) or after the President starts the meeting.

If you are an existing Member and need to be absent from a meeting, it is your responsibility to find a substitute who can attend in your place. You can send anyone to be your substitute, but the substitute must follow protocols for being a substitute, which you can find here. If you have difficulty finding a substitute, we provide a list of standing substitutes as a resource.

It is your responsibility as a Member to:

1. provide your substitute with a prepared 45-second Member Presentation in advance of the meeting that your substitute will stand up and speak aloud during the Member Presentation portion of the meeting. For example: “I’m Susie Smith, and I’m subbing for Lois Lane of XYZ Business…”  and;
2. to review our Guidelines for Visitors and Substitutes with your substitute prior to the meeting. Do not send your substitute unprepared!

If despite diligent efforts you are unable to secure a substitute, you may take an absence. However, please review our attendance policy as set forth below.

• Attendance is critical to the group!
• A maximum of 3 absences are allowed per rolling 6-month period.
• "Late" is after 7:05 am (by the clock on the wall) or after the President starts the meeting.
• A Member who comes in late must give a testimonial about someone in the group rather than his/her own 45-second Member Presentation. Being late does not preclude you from giving a Feature Presentation (3 or 8 minutes). 
• A substitute who comes late forfeits his/her own presentation, but may give the presentation for the Member who is absent.
• If a substitute doesn't come even when a Member has arranged for coverage, it is counted as an absence for the Member.
• A person may not act as a substitute for more than one Member at any given meeting.
• BNI Brookline has opted to let substitutes speak about their own business as long as there is no conflict with an existing Member.

Episode 482: Attendance Policy Revised

During each meeting, you have the opportunity to give an individual 45-second Member Presentation (this timing can be adjusted at the discretion of the President if time permits). You will be timed, so it is advised that you come prepared. When the bell rings you should stop speaking. A good 45 second ends with asking for a good referral for you that week.

Use the microphone; we have members who have difficulty hearing and sometimes significant background noise. Even if you think you can project or just feel uncomfortable using it please note that you and the few people around you can hear but across the room people cannot.

• As a new Member, you will be scheduled to give an introductory 3 minute presentation after you have completed your MSP training. 
• You will only ever give a 3 minute presentation once during your membership, as a new Member.
• A 3 minute presentation is meant to be an introduction to the Chapter of who you are as a person and focuses more on the individual and less on the business (more of a bio). Tell us who you are, and for example, where you grew up, where you went to school, what you like to do in your spare time and how you chose your profession.
• Important! Once you are officially scheduled, if you need to reschedule, you must arrange to find a substitute/replacement with another Member who is already scheduled to speak. Once you've found a replacement, inform the Secretary/Treasurer of the change.
• If you are giving a Feature Presentation (3 or 8 minutes), it is the presenter's responsibility to coordinate with the other presenter who will bring coffee and snacks.
• No additional formal written bios are necessary with a 3 minute presentation.
• If you intend to show your presentation electronically, you may do so on the monitor located in the BNI meeting room. There is Wi-Fi and a USB-C to HDMI adapter. Bring the power supply for your laptop and a back up of your presentation on a flash drive.
  

• As an Existing Member, you will be scheduled to present an 8 Minute Presentation approximately twice a year. This is your opportunity to educate the rest of the Chapter about what you do, in greater depth.
• If you feel you have not been scheduled within that timeframe, please reach out directly to the Secretary/Treasurer.
• Important! Once you are officially scheduled, if you need to reschedule, you must arrange to find a substitute/replacement with another Member who is already scheduled to speak. Once you've found a replacement, inform the Secretary/Treasurer of the change.
• If you are giving a Feature Presentation (3 or 8 minutes), it is the presenter's responsibility to coordinate with the other presenter who will bring coffee and snacks.
• Prepare a bio in advance and ask your choice of Member to read your bio in advance. Suggested bio sheets can be found here Bio Sheet 1, Bio Sheet 2, but you can also prepare your own unique bio of interest. This introduction is a chance to let people know more about you, take advantage of the introduction.
• If you intend to show your presentation electronically, you may do so on the monitor located in the BNI meeting room. There is Wi-Fi and a USB-C to HDMI adapter. Bring the power supply for your laptop and a back up of your presentation on a flash drive.
  

We do not meet on the following days. In addition, if a holiday falls on a Monday, we do not meet on the Tuesday immediately following the Monday holiday.

Holidays

• There is NO meeting on the Tuesday of New Year's week
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Presidents' Day
• Patriots' Day
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth
• Independence Day (if it falls on a Monday or Tuesday)
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veterans Day (if it falls on a Monday or Tuesday)
• There is NO meeting on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week
• There is NO meeting on the Tuesday of Christmas week

Other Holidays

• If a Member observes other religious or cultural holidays that are not referenced in the above list,  and such holiday falls on a Tuesday, that Member may miss the meeting and it will be an excused absence.

Inclement Weather Cancellations

• If the Town of Brookline cancels school due to inclement weather, our Chapter will likewise cancel the meeting. If Brookline schools do not cancel school, but the town or city where a Member resides does cancel school, that Member may miss the meeting and it will be an excused absence

Room dues are due from each Member on a quarterly or annual basis. Room dues are used to pay for a number of budgeted items, the most significant of which includes rent for our meeting space, but also for other incidentals such as webpage maintenance, visitors' days and events, and chapter activities.

Currently, rooms dues are $65.00 per quarter, but are subject to change. The Chapter reserve a right to impose a late fee of $10.00 is added when room dues are not paid on time.

• If a Member has an issue with another Member, we always suggest that the Members attempt to work things out between themselves. If that is not possible, a Member may file a formal complaint with the Membership Committee who will investigate the claim.
• The Membership Committee will constructively facilitate conflict and encourage conversation between Members and shall suggest avenues of dispute resolution.
• Depending on the outcome of the investigation, a Member may be put on probation or asked to leave. If a Member is asked to leave, the Chapter may be told only that it's a Membership Committee decision based on what's best for the Chapter, due to liability and confidentiality.
• If a Member is asked to leave, the professional seat they hold will be "opened."
• Renewal is not automatic. Renewal involves meeting with a member of the Membership Committee, completing a Member Evaluation form and submitting a BNI renewal form online. Only after the Membership Committee has approved your renewal should payments be submitted online. BNI will not issue refunds if you are not renewed.
• If your seat is not renewed, the professional seat you hold will be "opened."