10/02/2017
Leadership Teams
Membership Committee
The principal role of the Membership Committee is to support your chapter by selecting the right people to become members. The Membership Committee has usually between three or five members, including the Vice President, who is also the chair and holds the deciding vote. When a person applies for membership, the application is assessed by the Membership Committee. The committee checks the application against the existing categories and ensures there is no overlap with current members. The Membership Committee also decides whether an applicant’s attitude is right for the group. As we all know, attitude makes a huge difference to the success of a chapter (and thus all our businesses).
The Membership Committee not only selects new people to join the chapter, it also makes sure all existing members continue to contribute. If a member’s referral and visitor numbers are low, the Membership Committee can point that person towards progressive coaching to help them build their skills and confidence.
Remember that you are the HR department for your chapter. If you are strong, your chapter will be strong. Remember, when it comes to interviews and discipline, there is either a “form for that” or a “letter for that” in your manuals.
It is proven that chapters that work on holding their members accountable make a lot more money. It is the responsibility of the Membership Committee to track the performance of the members against a chapter’s key success-factors – such as attendance, closed business, referrals, visitors, 1-to-1 meetings, and a great attitude. The most important key success-factor is the attendance of the weekly meeting. Turning up not only makes us visible to other members and their visitors but also gives us the chance to educate our chapter members on the kinds of referrals we are looking for. The Membership Committee ensures members uphold the BNI Code of Ethics and offers support to members if necessary.