People outside of BNI are sometimes surprised by the enthusiasm of its members. SWVA Executive Director Brian Alcorn once remembers joking with a member that as much as he appreciated her passion, she might need to dial it back a little, or people would think they were a cult! So why does BNI garner such loyalty and joy? One reason is the Givers Gain Philosophy.
What Is Givers Gain®?
The philosophy and unofficial motto of BNI is “Givers Gain®.” You can go to any official BNI meeting anywhere in the world and ask for the mantra, and all members will answer together. But it’s more than empty words. It’s what attracts the right people to the organization and makes it tick.
Givers Gain® isn’t difficult to understand by simply looking at the words. The people who give, gain. It’s that simple!
It also means that we give first, with a spirit of giving, and eventually, it comes back to members. It may seem Pollyanna or saccharine, but it isn’t, at least not within BNI or a similarly minded group of people.
Why Does Givers Gain® Work?
Givers Gain® works because it has member buy-in.
We’ve all known people who take without giving anything back, whether in business or personal relationships.
If we’re lucky, we spot these folks early and either learn to set up boundaries to protect ourselves or find more reciprocal relationships.
Sometimes, people just need to be taught how best to give back; other times, you’re better off cutting your losses. The beauty of BNI is it’s full of givers!
BNI does two things that promote giving – 1) It leads with Givers Gain®, which automatically attracts the people who are mostly likely to live it, and 2) It creates policies and procedures that teach people to give more effectively and get rewarded for doing so.
In other words, it brings in the right people and trains them. Then it rewards and supports them by placing them with people who give back so everyone wins and no one burns out.
Where Did Givers Gain® Originate?
Dr. Ivan Misner created the first chapter of BNI (then dubbed simply The Network) in the 80s. Before its founding, he’d been to two types of networking groups – social and leads passing.
The social groups could be fun, but there weren’t many people doing actual business. The leads passing groups felt too mercenary – everyone was in it for them.
Dr. Misner wanted to create a group that focused on helping yourself by helping others. Other people would be focused on you, just as you were focused on them. With everyone’s buy-in to Givers Gain®, everyone wins.
Are You a Giver?
If Givers Gain® sounds appealing to you, but you’re not already a member of BNI, check it out! Visit one of our SWVA BNI meetings (or one closer to you if you’re reading this elsewhere). Every group welcomes visitors, and there’s no commitment from coming to a meeting.
Take the chance to see if BNI is for you by seeing what a meeting is like. If you’re a giver, you’ll fit right in!
