You Might Be Wondering...

Do I have to launch a chapter on my own?

You are an integral part of building your chapter but you are never alone. A BNI Launch Director guides you and your fellow applicants weekly through the proven launch process.

When does my membership actually start?

The 12 month membership clock starts when your chapter officially launches. As an example, you might apply, be approved and pay to be a part of a startup chapter in June, but it doesn't officially launch until Oct. Oct would then be your membership anniversary.

I don't really have a lot of time...will this still work for me?

Being a BNI member takes commitment. Being in charge of your own calendar is really important. This process takes time, motivation and drive to build an amazing chapter. The short term investment of the time required to nurture relationships will provide both financial and professional rewards for many years. Members that are investing 2-3hours per week in building connections are regularly seeing a 10X+ ROI.

What does BNI stand for?

Business Network International

Is BNI something new?

BNI have been around for over 37 years. At this moment there are over 300,000 members in over 10600 chapter in over 76 countries around the world. We are the experts in what we do.

I have a lot of questions. Who should I talk to?

The best thing is to attend an information session. We will most likely answer any questions you may have. If you'd like a more in depth conversation, our Launch Directors will be happy to speak with you.

Where does the money go?

The investment in BNI is comprised of two components. $350+$750. The $750+hst is the current annual BNI membership and is due annually on your anniversary date. The $350+hst portion is a one time application fee and is used to offset costs applicable to the startup process. Ie: Zoom accounts, software, hosting and preparing for weekly meetings, preparing workshops and so on. We've found that members often build significant relationships even during the startup process based on the structure we provide.

Why is the full payment being processed now?

When we cross the milestone of having 5 approved applicants (members) in a start up group, we've found commitment to other members and to the launch process increases with a monetary investment. It provides added motivation for people to show up and support one another ("they've got skin in the game!").

Are there refunds?

BNI Chapters in general do not offer refunds once a payment is processed.

However, the startup process is slightly different. During the new chapter startup process, we offer ample time to ensure the investment into BNI is win-win. We first recommend you attend a few of our Launchpad meetings to meet the applicants of your startup group to gauge the fit. We then recommend you attend a showcase meeting (aka a meeting in action) to get an idea of how the BNI meetings will run once your startup chapter officially launches. From there you would submit an application for membership and we'd schedule a zoom call to go over more questions (aka the BNI Interview).

Our BNI Launch Director would then follow up with you with our decision/recommendation on if membership will make sense for your personal situation. After these 5 or 6 meetings/conversations, we are confident we provide enough time to be sure this is the right decision for you and your business.

At approval, we then allow about a week to process full payment via Credit card or E-Transfer. This typically gives someone 30+ days to consider the opportunity to be a part of the BNI Startup process.

Application Fee ($350+HST):

The application fee of $350+hst is NON refundable as per the "Where does the money go?" section.

Membership Fee ($750+HST)

The annual membership fee of $750+HST is reversed under specific situations only:

1. If the group as a whole does not succeed in achieving the launch target of 25+ applicants in the allotted time OR

2. If an applicant decides to withdraw from the process before the official launch date

If either item 1 OR 2 is met AND an applicant has:

• Missed less than two launch meetings
• Has attended at least one showcase meeting
• Has registered at least two visitors

Then the $750+HST will be reversed within 15-30 business days.

Why would the entire group get their membership fee reversed?

If after going through the application process and following our launch strategies, the entire group does not get traction, we will gladly reverse the $750+HST. We don't take our responsibility lightly, if the applicants do their part to attend, invite etc, and we don't launch, it's only right to reverse partial payment. This would occur if the group launch process stalls and doesn't achieve the required target number to become an official chapter.

Tell me more...
When someone applies to be a part of a startup group, there is an approximate 30 day window to consider the commitment that is required to start a BNI Chapter. This time frame includes things such as: the interview, visiting a showcase chapter, attending the chapter meetings, and getting resources to help with registering visitors.

An applicant who agreed to the commitment needed to start a BNI Chapter, but subsequently stepped away without following through on their commitment would NOT be eligible for a Membership payment reversal. Our regular sessions provide training, support and opportunities to network which are critical to the success of the startup chapter. We have successfully launched numerous chapters using our unique launch process and are consistently the top BNI region in Canada.

What about Tax receipts?

Once a chapter officially launches, tax receipts will be available on each members online portal. Until then, proof of payment is simply the etransfer receipt or credit card processor receipt.

Attendees will often hear us compare being in BNI to playing on a competitive sports team. BNI Works if you work it!

OK - I still have questions and would like to speak with someone.

Please reach out directly to Rav Badial, Executive Director for BNI Ontario Southwest here.

Existing Member Payment Links

What if I forgot to renew online and need to make a late payment?

Please click the button to the right for the secure credit card payment portal

Have you had a conversation with the Regional team regarding your renewal?

please click the button to the right for the secure credit card payment portal

New Chapter Startup Payment Links

Had a conversation with the Regional team about a payment option for your startup chapter?

please click the button to the right for the secure credit card payment portal

Are you in a startup group and misplaced the approval email? Click here.

please click the button to the right for the secure credit card payment portal