We all have some association with schools at some point in our lives. When you were younger, if you are a parent with children at school, if your business has a school as a customer…
With BNI’s increased focus on how we as businesspeople can relate and interact with the community, it makes sense for schools and staff from schools to have a greater role in our organisation. It may surprise some of you to know that we already have a principal belonging to a BNI chapter in this country and it’s something we would like you to encourage your chapter to look at.
You may not have thought about inviting individuals involved in schools to a BNI meeting but there are great reasons why you should. Here are two:
- Strengthening relationships between BNI and the community: Rather than chapters putting on a fundraising event and giving the money raised to charities, we are working towards promoting and strengthening meaningful and sustained relationships; whereby both parties work together for mutual benefit. Schools are obviously a significant part of the community that BNI should look to engage with.
- Changing the way the world does business: In the same way that in a BNI chapter we have a mix of businesses connecting for mutual benefit, we believe that we can change the way New Zealand does business by extending the relationship out into the community. Local businesses should come into alignment with not for profits (or schools) resulting in healthier communities, better supported charities and also more socially conscious businesses.
We are starting to see this happen and would like to see if your chapter (if it hasn’t already) can set itself a goal of having at least one not for profit/charity as a member in your chapter.
Back to the principal who has joined BNI. He’s Mark Ellis from Rakaia School in Ashburton and he’s had remarkable success as a chapter member.
Mark was invited to BNI by an ICT professional who was doing some work for his school. He joined BNI Ashburton and saw the possibilities in being able to learn from other business leaders in the community and vice versa.
What he’s gained from joining BNI
Mark is an extremely active member of the chapter now; he’s conducted dances at the school and has brought a number of sponsors on board who have helped to provide extra funding streams for his lower decile school. The relationship is reciprocal; Mark has tapped into the expertise of BNI members, for example to help develop a marketing plan for the school.
What his chapter has gained
One of his fellow chapter members says, “On a professional level Mark has been a great addition with his experience dealing with children. Often the strategies and thought processes he has identified and practices have been directly useful for me in day to day business – customers can often act like children!
Another notes, “Mark is a volunteer firefighter, a school principal, a father and a great networker. He makes many referrals and is quick to praise good deeds within the group. That’s the Principal coming out! He is a real people person. Every 60 seconds is different and is never solely about his school. This week his 60 seconds was in Maori as it is Maori language week. I wonder how many other BNI networks can boast that achievement?”
Finally, another member comments and puts it best why your chapter should look at inviting someone from your local school to BNI….
“He is consistently in the top echelon of our members in terms of bringing visitors to our weekly meetings and referring work that needs doing both at School and outside of School to members of our chapter. Mark also sets the bar high for the rest of us to follow in terms of his public speaking skills and professionalism in his field. One of the core essentials of our BNI Chapter is that we are never alone in operating our business as we are all meeting as peers regardless of the field of expertise that we operate in, and I can clearly see the positive impact that Mark as a School Principal has on our group. We were all at primary school once so there is no reason why business and primary school are mutually exclusive.”
