Community Guidelines

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Community Guidelines for BNI® Members

Version 0.1 Effective Date: October 12, 2026

1. Purpose

BNI Communities are private, professional groups provided for the benefit of BNI® Members. They enable Members to build trusted relationships, celebrate success, share business insights, support one another, and strengthen the BNI® experience through posts, comments, reactions, photos, videos, direct engagement, and related social features.

Members are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the values expected in BNI® Chapters, including professionalism, trust, ethical networking, and the BNI® Core Values (including Givers Gain®). BNI Communities are an extension of the BNI® brand within a controlled Member environment; content shared here may reflect on the individual Member, their Chapter, their region, and BNI® as a whole.

Legal note: These Guidelines govern Member conduct and content only. The contractual relationship between the Member and BNI® (including membership, fees, and eligibility) is governed by the BNI® Terms of Service, BNI Membership Application Terms and Conditions, and applicable administrative policies.

Capitalized terms not defined in these Guidelines have the meanings given to them in the BNI® Terms of Service, Membership Application, or other applicable policies. In the event of a conflict between these Guidelines and the BNI® Terms of Service, the BNI® Terms of Service will control.

2. Who May Use BNI Communities

Access to BNI Communities is limited to active BNI® Members in good standing and to authorized BNI® representatives (including Directors and designated administrators). Continued access is conditioned on maintaining eligibility and complying with these Guidelines and applicable BNI® policies.

Access may be suspended or terminated if a Member is no longer in good standing, their membership has lapsed, their participation has been discontinued, or they otherwise cease to meet eligibility requirements. Eligibility and “good standing” are determined in accordance with BNI® administrative policies and the BNI® Terms of Service.

Members are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their login credentials and for all activity occurring under their account. Accounts are personal to the Member and may not be shared, sold, or transferred.

3. Community Standards – Professionalism

BNI Communities are professional networking environments. All posts, comments, profile content, media, and direct engagement must be appropriate for a professional business audience.

Members are expected to:

  • Communicate respectfully and constructively.
  • Represent themselves and their businesses accurately.
  • Keep discussions relevant and value-adding.
  • Avoid content that could confuse, mislead, offend, or damage trust in BNI®.
  • Recognize that content may reflect on the Member, their Chapter, their region, and the BNI® brand.

4. Community Standards – Respect and Anti-Harassment

Members may not post, comment, message, or otherwise behave in a manner that bullies, harasses, threatens, intimidates, shames, demeans, discriminates against, or attacks any other Member, Visitor, Director, Chapter, region, BNI® representative, or business.

Prohibited conduct includes, without limitation:

  • Bullying, harassing, or repeated unwanted contact.
  • Personal attacks, insults, or hostile commentary.
  • Hate speech or discriminatory content, including content targeting a person based on a legally protected characteristic, including, without limitation, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or other characteristic protected by applicable law.
  • Threats of violence or content that incite or encourage harm.

Legal note: Protected-characteristic language above should be reviewed against the anti-discrimination laws of each jurisdiction in which BNI Communities is offered.

5. Trust, Authenticity, and Accurate Identity

BNI Communities depend on genuine professional relationships. Members must use their real identity, current and accurate business information, correct Chapter affiliation, and truthful representations of their products, services, experience, achievements, and referrals.

Members may not:

  • Impersonate another person, business, Chapter, or BNI® entity.
  • Create fake, duplicate, or misleading accounts.
  • Misrepresent credentials, testimonials, revenue, referrals, awards, or business category.
  • Use bots, artificial engagement, coordinated manipulation, spam networks, or other deceptive tactics.
  • Use AI-generated, synthetic, altered, or manipulated content to impersonate another person, fabricate testimonials or business results, or otherwise mislead Members regarding the authenticity or source of content.
  • Post false or misleading claims about BNI®, another Member, or business outcomes.

6. Content You Are Encouraged to Share

BNI Communities are designed to help Members celebrate wins, strengthen relationships, and help others grow. Encouraged content includes:

  • Member and Chapter success stories, achievements, and milestones.
  • Member and Chapter anniversaries, new Member welcomes, and new Chapter launches.
  • BNI® Core Values content, networking tips, and business tips or trends.
  • Testimonials and recognition or gratitude posts.
  • Community involvement and Business Voices-style activities.
  • Upcoming BNI® events, trainings, and professional development opportunities.
  • Approved photos from BNI® events and links to business or networking-related articles.
  • Educational Moment-style insights and BNI Connect® or BNI University® tips.
  • Questions that spark constructive professional discussion.

7. Prohibited Content

7.1 Confidential and Internal Information

Members may not post confidential, private, restricted, or internal BNI® information unless expressly authorized. This includes, without limitation:

  • Internal confidential or operational information and documents not intended for general distribution.
  • Meeting materials not approved for sharing.
  • Screenshots of private conversations, groups, or Member-only spaces without permission.
  • Non-public Chapter, region, or Member information, including sensitive Member data such as contact details, payment matters, or health information.

7.2 Offensive, Unsafe, or Inappropriate Content

Members may not post content that is inappropriate for a professional business community, including, without limitation:

  • Sexual comments, photos, or videos.
  • Graphic, shocking, or disturbing content.
  • Threats, or content promoting or encouraging violence or illegal activity.
  • Hate speech or discriminatory content.
  • Political or religious commentary.

7.3 Spam and Improper Business Solicitation

BNI Communities support relationship-building, not unsolicited or repetitive selling. Members may share relevant insights and celebrate wins but must avoid aggressive promotion. Members may not:

  • Spam Members with repeated promotional posts, comments, or messages.
  • Use irrelevant hashtags, mass tagging, or repetitive content to gain attention.
  • Post misleading offers, scams, exaggerated claims, or “get rich quick” content.
  • Pressure Members to buy products or services.
  • Promote a business in a manner that creates unfair conflict with other Members in the same category, or use the platform to circumvent Chapter norms, category exclusivity, or referral expectations.

8. Intellectual Property and BNI® Brand Use

Members must respect all intellectual property rights and BNI® brand standards. Members may not post copyrighted content they do not own or have permission to use, or any content that infringes trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property rights of BNI® or any third party.

When representing BNI®, Members and administrators must:

  • Use only approved, current BNI® brand assets and logos, in approved formats and colors (BNI® red and grey).
  • Not alter the BNI® logo or add extra graphics, flags, filters, or modifications to it.
  • Not use BNI® brand assets in a way that falsely implies official endorsement of a post, page, group, or event.
  • Include the ® symbol with registered marks where appropriate (e.g., BNI®, Givers Gain®, BNI University®, Business Network International®).

Content license: Members must own or have the necessary rights to any content they post to a BNI Community. BNI®’s rights to use Member content are governed by the BNI® Terms of Service.

9. Photos, Videos, and Event Content

Photos and videos must be professional, respectful, and permission based. Members must:

  • Obtain documented consent before posting photos or videos that identify other individuals.
  • Avoid content that could embarrass, misrepresent, or expose another Member.
  • Not post full videos of Featured Presentations or meetings unless expressly approved.
  • Not post recordings or screenshots of private meetings, trainings, chats, or Member-only spaces without authorization.
  • Not post any photos or videos of minors.
  • Confirm alignment with the BNI® Privacy Policy and applicable image-rights and biometric laws.

Legal note: Consider obtaining documented consent (e.g., a photo/likeness release) for identifiable images of non-Members. Confirm alignment with the BNI® Privacy Policy and applicable image-rights and biometric laws.

10. Privacy and Data Protection

Members must protect their own privacy and the privacy of others. Members may not post:

  • Personal contact information, addresses,  financial information or other sensitive personal information of another person without consent.
  • Private Member issues, complaints, disputes, or disciplinary matters.
  • Payment status, membership fee matters, or returned-payment information.
  • Screenshots of private messages or private groups without permission.
  • Any personal data that should be handled through official BNI® systems or processes.

Legal note: Collection, use, storage, and transfer of personal data is governed by the BNI® Privacy Policy.

11. Membership, Good Standing, and Access

Access to BNI Communities is tied to BNI® membership status and remains subject to BNI® administrative policies, BNI® Membership Application Terms and Conditions, and the BNI® Terms of Service. BNI® may restrict, suspend, or remove a Member’s access if the Member:

  • Is no longer in good standing or no longer meets eligibility requirements.
  • Violates these Community Guidelines, the BNI® Terms of Service, or applicable BNI® policies.
  • Misuses the platform or engages in conduct that negatively affects BNI®, their Chapter, or other Members.

BNI® reserves the right to restrict, suspend, or discontinue a Member’s access to BNI Communities in accordance with these Guidelines and applicable BNI® policies. Any action affecting the Member’s underlying BNI® membership will be governed by the applicable membership terms and policies.

12. Reporting Content

Members should report content that may violate these Guidelines rather than escalate conflict publicly. Members may report concerns including harassment or bullying, discriminatory content, spam or scams, misleading or fake profiles, confidential information, intellectual property violations, inappropriate media, unauthorized BNI® brand use, or content that may harm Members, Chapters, regions, or the BNI® brand.

Reports will be reviewed by designated BNI® moderators, BNI® platform administrators, or the appropriate regional or national BNI® authority, depending on the nature and severity of the concern.

13. Enforcement

BNI® may take action when content or behavior violates these Guidelines or any incorporated BNI® policy. Available actions include, without limitation:

  1. No action, where content does not violate these Guidelines.
  2. Education or a reminder for minor or first-time issues.
  3. Removal of posts, comments, media, or profile content that violate these Guidelines.
  4. Restrictions on posting or commenting for repeated or disruptive behavior.
  5. Temporary suspension of an account for serious or repeated violations.
  6. Permanent removal from a BNI Community for severe violations or continued non-compliance.
  7. Referral to BNI® leadership where conduct may affect membership, Chapter participation, regional operations, brand integrity, or Member safety.
  8. Immediate escalation for threats, privacy breaches, illegal activity, harassment, or misuse of confidential information.

Discretion, notice, and no waiver: Enforcement actions are taken at BNI®’s reasonable discretion and are not exclusive; BNI® may pursue any combination of actions and any other remedies available under the BNI® Terms of Service or applicable law. Nothing in these Guidelines limits BNI®’s rights under the BNI® Terms of Service or applicable policies. Failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of the right to do so later.