Setting Goals for Your BNI Chapter

When is the best time to set goals to map out the path to success for your BNI Chapter? Typically, it’s at the beginning or the middle of a given timeframe.

1. The start of the new Leadership term (often in October) for a fresh start.
2. The start of the calendar year (Q1, January) to plan a traditional year.
3. The midway point of the year (Q3, July) to finish the year strong.

Goal setting is critical to the short- and long-term success of your BNI Chapter. When your Leadership Team has clear goals in mind, they are more likely to stay motivated and achieve them. Let’s look at setting effective goals for your Members and Chapter.

Start With Member Goals

What do you want to achieve with your business in the next year, three years, or five years? Once you have a good understanding of your overall business goals, you can start to set specific goals for your BNI membership.

For example, if your overall business goal is to increase revenue by 10% in the next year, you could set a BNI goal of receiving 10-15 more referrals than the previous year. How can you do this? By increasing 1-2-1s and inviting visitors to meet people in your Contact Sphere. As your network grows, you increase the chances of getting more referrals. Most important, remember Givers Gain® — If you want more referrals, you must plan to give more referrals first.

When every Member sets their own goals of what they want for their membership, you’ll see an increase in engagement and participation in your Chapter and that’s where the referral magic happens.

Be Specific and Measurable

Your BNI goals should always be specific and measurable. This means that you should be able to clearly define what you want to achieve and how you will measure your progress.

What do you want to improve in your Chapter in the coming months? Is it better attendance? More visitors? Higher engagement in your online meeting? Better visitor to Member conversion? Whatever you choose, it is important for it to be a primary focus that is talked about weekly. It can come in the form of an Education Moment, a Membership Committee report or VP report. The more you talk about it, the higher your chances become of reaching or surpassing your goal.

Make Your Goals Realistic

It is important to set realistic goals for your BNI Chapter. If you set your sights too high, you may become discouraged and give up. Start by setting small, achievable goals. As you achieve your goals, you can gradually set more ambitious goals. For example, don’t set a goal that increases your membership from 20 to 50 in six months when your Chapter hasn’t ever added more than 10 new Members in a calendar year. Instead, set short term goals of adding two net Members per month — meaning that your Chapter is growing by at least two Members, even if you lose some Members along the way.

Track Your Progress

The best Vice President reports include more than an update on recent attendance, referrals and revenue. They also show a month-to-date look at your progress on your goals — are you on target, ahead or behind? If you’re on target, celebrate it and give recognition to the top producers in your Chapter. If you’re ahead, set a stretch goal to achieve even more. If you’re behind, identify the reasons why and find ways to spark more activity among your Members.

Meet Regularly to Stay on Track

Does your Chapter hold a monthly Chapter Success Meeting? This is an ideal time to review your goals and make any adjustments to stay on course. Examples of adjustments might be one of these: specific Education Moments to inform and inspire; extra Visitor Host training for better visitor-to-Member conversion; playing the BNI Game for a fun way to increase participation.

One adjustment you should never make is to lower your goals after they’ve been set. To quote Confucius, “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

Keep Your Goal Journey Positive

A Positive Attitude is at the heart of BNI’s Core Values. When setting goals, it’s crucial to frame them in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming. Instead, aim to mirror the uplifting spirit of your Leadership Team, emphasizing their unwavering commitment to achieving new milestones in a supportive manner, always prioritizing the Member experience above all else.