BNI Edge Attendance Policy & Sub Resource

Why is attendance such a big deal?
Attending meetings regularly shows that you’re reliable and trustworthy. It also gives us the opportunity to spend time with you and keep you top-of-mind so that when possible referrals come up, it’s easy to give your name.

What’s our attendance policy?
For each 6-month term (October 1 – March 31 and April 1 – September 30), you are allowed 3 absences without a sub. Arriving after the meeting starts or leaving before the meeting ends counts as half of an absence; two of these is a full absence.

Once you exceed 3 absences, the Membership Committee will meet to determine if it will either 1) place you on probation or 2) open the category, meaning you are asked to leave the group.

If you are struggling with attendance or extenuating circumstances come up, please talk to one of the Membership Committee to see how we can help and possibly accommodate these challenges. Often, we can be flexible.

Who’s eligible to sub for me?
Subs can be just about anyone who represents a category that we don’t already have in our group, including:

  • members of other BNI chapters
  • your employees
  • your clients
  • business owners who are interested in visiting our group

Just keep in mind that those who are eligible to join our group are allowed to sub and/or visit only twice before we ask them to make a decision about submitting an application.

What happens if my sub doesn’t show up?
If you’ve lined up a sub and he or she doesn’t show, we can excuse it the first time, if you let us know about it.
If your sub shows up late or leaves early, your attendance will be marked with half of an absence.

How should I prepare my sub?

  • First, email Sara Pflueger at sapflueger@earthlink.net by Tuesday of that week with your sub’s contact information so it can be added to the roster. Including this is one way of thanking your sub.
  • Send your commercial to your sub ahead of time. It’s a good idea to make it a little shorter than what you normally say in order to fit into the 30-second timeframe.
  • Ask your sub to print out a copy – nothing muddles your message like a person fumbling to read your commercial from their phone.
  • Be sure your sub knows how to pronounce your name and your company’s name.
  • Asking your sub to wing it doesn’t make you look good.

Okay, okay! I’ll get a sub! How do I find one?

The personal touch is most effective: call or email each person individually. Group emails tend to not get a response.

If you sub at other chapters yourself, be sure to check that chapter’s roster to see who might be a good sub. Then ask if they’d be willing.

You can also go to the BNI website to look at the members of area chapters. Here’s a link to the Find A Chapter section. Once you’re on this page, look through the chapters listed in neighboring towns.

You can also use one of our regular subs:

James Ball
203-975-9242
jamesballchimney@aol.com

Paul Fitzpatrick
203-313-1499
paulfitz@crossroads-signs.com

Casey Hart
800-862-8896
hart@informermessages.com

Paul Niche
203.650.6394
pmniche@optonline.net<

Rene Prasad
866-869-1760
rene@grandexplorations.com

Pinny Randall
203-810-4873
pinny@thesettlersusa.com

Mel Rich
203-554-1762
nutechpest@mac.com

Layne Rodney
203-424-9332
lrodney51@gmail.com

Dan Tamburro
203-345-4822
dan.tamburro@harboryardse.com

Alexander White
203-539-0171
alexander.white@randstadusa.com

Barbara Wilson
203.268.6979
bwilsonlandscapearchitect@yahoo.com