Do Our Existing Chapters have Your Category Filled?
Don't Have a Chapter In Your Area?
Become a part of a new Forming Chapter or help to start one!
Click the area you're interested in to see a list of chapters currently in formation:
BNI has a 4 phase program to create, develop, train, and charter a new chapter. Our staff of Directors facilitates a proven and successful program to create new chapters.
In general, you qualify to help form a new chapter IF...you can't find a BNI chapter to join because...
...no chapter is located in the area where you live or work.
...no chapter is meeting on a day or time convenient to your schedule.
...no vacancy exists because your membership category is a popular one.
Positions which are usually NOT open in any current or forming chapters include:
• Residential Real Estate Agent
• Financial Advisor/Consultant (investments)
• Property & Casualty Insurance - Personal Lines
• Residential Mortgages
• Life/Disablity/Long Term Care Insurance (note: this is a separate category from financial advisors in BNI).
PLEASE NOTE: To qualify to participate in starting or to consider a newly forming chapter, you will need to first experience and observe a BNI meeting in the NYC Outer Boroughs' Region by attending a existing chapter meeting and then either a New Chapter Seminar or Informational Meeting. Click here to see a list of current chapters in our region.
There are four types of meetings when starting a new chapter. New Chapter Seminar, Informational, Pre-Core and Core. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED AT ALL NEW CHAPTER SEMINARS, INFORMATIONAL AND PRE-CORE MEETINGS.
New Chapter Seminars are held periodically in each borough for those who want to start or find a newly forming chapter anywhere in their borough. BNI provides materials and a chapter development plan at this meeting which will help you locate 5-10 fellow core founders.
It features a Showcase BNI Chapter meeting followed by a 1 hour BNI Director workshop. You should schedule up to 3 hours for a New Chapter Seminar. Pre-Registration is required.
Informational Meetings: An informational meeting will be held in a specific location, once a minimum of 6 people who want to help form a BNI chapter in that area have either attended a New Chapter Seminar or have visited an existing BNI chapter. Attendees will learn the necessary steps to building a chapter and to build to a Pre-Core Group of 12-21 people. You should schedule 2 hours for an Informational Meeting. Pre-Registration is required.
Pre-Cores are weekly groups that have reached between 12-21 people who have been pre-approved for membership and are building their membership to reach their required Core Group minimum of 22 members. The weekly meetings are run by a Director and are solely to recruit and build the remainder of the team members required to start the Core Team program. Timetables for this process with “target dates” will set by your Director to insure that your group develops in a positive and timely manner. Achieving this will require enthusiasm and your members' willingness to follow our program. Once a Pre-Cores has reached 12 people, they will be listed and promoted on the bniouterboros.com website as an official Pre-Core.
Core Groups: Are weekly groups that have reached 22+ pre-approved members. They work with the Area or an Assistant Director for 8 weeks in order to launch the chapter at the Kick Off Meeting, concluding with a new chapter of 25-45+ members. NO VISITORS ARE ALLOWED TO ATTEND CORE GROUPS AS THESE ARE CLOSED MEETINGS. All visitors must wait until the Kick Off Meeting to attend.