FAQ's
Ask BNI
This is the place where you can ask any question about BNI. If you have a question for BNI's CEO and Founder, Dr. Ivan Misner, send it to askbni@bni.com he will post his response here, as space allows. From time to time, a guest Director will post a response.
Q: Why doesn't BNI list all BNI members on its website?
A: Great question ... thanks, for asking. This is a matter that has
been given substantial thought and is based on the input of many
members and Directors over several years.
First, I should point out that ANY member who wishes to have their
information "posted" on the BNI website may do so through the
"Members Links" section of www.bni.com. All you need to do is put
"Member of BNI" on your home page (members have permission to use our
logo; available by emailing bni@bni.com). Then, send us an email
letting us know you've done that and requesting a reciprocal link on
our end. We will then set up a link to your site under the Members'
Links section. In addition, chapters may also get a link in the
"Chapter Links" section by simply requesting one from us. Both
requests should be sent to bni@bni.com.
As for a complete listing of all chapters and members, there are many
reasons why we don't. Here are some of them:
- Several years ago our Board of Advisors (made up exclusively of
BNI members) asked us not to. Years ago, we listed Leadership Team
Members and they were spammed relentlessly. There was substantial
concern by the Board of Advisors about the "confidentiality" of
members' addresses being listed on the Internet. The Board (remember,
they are members) recommended that we list members via our "Links"
section, upon request but, not en masse on the website. This reason
alone was enough for us to implement this policy. However, there are
other good reasons as well.
- When we listed Leadership Teams, the public would occasionally
contact a Leadership Team (LT) member for information about joining
BNI. If they were out of the LT member's area OR, they were in a
profession already represented in that particular chapter, the LT
members often didn't respond. This created a serious PR problem for
the organization. We began getting many complaints from the public
that they contacted us, but we weren't responding. Well, the truth
is ... we weren't being contacted. LT members were being contacted,
and they weren't responding very consistently when it was someone
that wasn't eligible for "their" chapter. Consequently, we started
listing Directors, because they would respond to the public with
information on what chapter(s) were available.
- Listing LT members and the location of every chapter created an
environment where "hunters" (people who didn't want to join but just
wanted to go to as many groups as possible) were contacting dozens of
local chapters and hard selling many members on their business
without joining or apparently having the intention of joining. This
issue also greatly disturbed the Board of Advisors.
- With thousands of meeting locations and tens of thousands of
members, addresses, phone numbers, meeting dates, times, and
locations many times changed weekly. Unfortunately, an incredible
number of these changes were not communicated to BNI and substantial
out-of-date information resided on the Internet, providing erroneous
information. It was decided that the local Director was again the
best contact for member and chapter information and that it was best
to send the public to the local Director.
These were some of the more important reasons why we do not list all
members, chapters, and locations on the BNI website. I understand
your interest in having us do so; however, we believe that it is best
to continue to follow the Board of Advisor's recommendations (don't
forget ... they are members) and list only those people who request a
link.
All the best.
Dr. Ivan Misner
Founder & CEO
BNI
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