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October Is BNI Foundation Awareness Month

“Each 1 Give 1 to Teach 1”

By Dr. Ivan Misner and Beth Misner

The BNI Foundation was built in 1998 because we believe that BNI, as a corporation, has an obligation to give back to the communities which support our business. Consequently, we created the BNI Foundation with the guidance of our Executive Board of Advisors (comprised of BNI members). The Board selected children and education as the focus for our charitable work.

Since its inception in 1998, the BNI Foundation has donated over $1.3 million to charitable organizations around the world! Every year the BNI Foundation awards many $1000 Givers Gain® Grants to schools and other educational organizations for children’s programs in countries where BNI has chapters meeting. We have bought books, computers and technology support items, built schools and libraries as well as supported teachers in many other ways all over the world.

October is BNI Foundation Awareness Month. This year we are highlighting an initiative geared toward raising awareness of and funds for the Givers Gain® Grant program. The last week of October (the week of October 24^th), we are encouraging BNI members to donate $1 (or €, or ¥, or ₪, etc.) to the BNI Foundation. This initiative is called “Each 1 Give 1 to Teach 1” and has the potential to fund many, many Givers Gain® Grants.

Your chapter may choose to collect the Each 1 Give 1 to Teach 1 donation from each member and then send a check to the BNI Foundation or you may choose to make your donation individually by going online to www.BNIFoundation.org and clicking on Donate Now. Your participation in this initiative is completely voluntary, but we hope you will decide to support our work by donating $1 in your local currency the week of October 24th.

The mission of the BNI Foundation is Improving Tomorrow’s Business through Education Today. Will you please join us to help make a difference in children’s education? There is no time like the present.

Donations may be mailed to the BNI Foundation—545 College Commerce Way, Upland, CA, 91786, USA, or made online at www.BNIFoundation.org. Please note in the memo field that your donation is for Each 1 Give 1 to Teach 1.

Tags: BNI Foundation, BNI Foundation Awareness Month, Each 1 Give 1 to Teach 1, givers gain, October 2011 Edition

7 Responses to “October Is BNI Foundation Awareness Month”

Adam Sater Says:
October 5th, 2011 at 9:22 am
I like this idea! What can be done to nominate a place that could use the help?
Dr. Gregg D. Rubinstein Says:
October 5th, 2011 at 9:49 am
My name is Dr. Gregg Rubinstein A 15 year plus Veteran of NYC BNI chapters. I was pleased to see your foundation has chosen children and education as your focus this year. I sit on the board of a New York-based, nonprofit organization called Friends of Fresh and Green Academy Inc. http://www.friendsoffreshandgreen.com Our organization raises funds to feed and educate 126 children in the Kotobe area of Addis Ababa (the capital city of Ethiopia), that prior to our school’s existence would be on the street begging for food and money rather than attending school. The creation of Fresh and Green Academy by a local Ethiopian woman Muday Mitiku, offers three meals a day and is assisted by a mother’s cooperative. The Cooperative has a few different facets that empower the mothers of the children through simple programs such as the rental of a local store front, where they can learn basic business and retail skills. The cooperative also produces jewelry and crafts, which are then sold in the US with 100% of the profits being returned to the mother’s cooperative. They also assist in the general maintenance upkeep and meal preparation of the school and on the days that they help at the school they are entitled to eat, which for many of these single parents is not an everyday occurrence.

I feel that we are very much in line with the BNI foundations recent focus and would love to apply for a grant in support of our organization. Through my networking skills and much thanks to my local chapter I have been able to raise awareness and funds to keep our school open but in these economic times we need all the help we can get! Please let me know what the process is to apply.

Dr. Gregg D. Rubinstein
BNI chapter 6 NYC
Malcolm Archibald Says:
October 5th, 2011 at 9:49 am
Hello

As a founder member at BNI Meon Valley Flyers I am proud to be associated in any way with the work of the Foundation and will encourage our members to donate. We are already supporters of our local charity, KIDS, and raise much needed funds to help disabled children, their families and carers to achieve their aspirations within the community. I invited KIDS along to our Chapter over 3 years ago and we helped them to join by donating the membership fees. The Charity has raised funds over the past three years, through individual effort (like skydiving and firewalking!) and through business events (a much more civilised and sedate way to raise money!). The Chapter has gained from the involvement with the Charity and I hope it can continue in these very difficult times. Thanks to the BNI, Givers really do Gain!
John Eustace Says:
October 5th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Can you please let us know what the BNI Foundation has done in Australia during the last 10 years?

Thank you
Beth Misner Says:
October 6th, 2011 at 10:07 am
Good morning, and thanks for your comments!! First of all, if you have a charity you feel is in alignment with the BNI Foundation’s mission, please give them a referral to us! Be sure to tell them to let me know you referred them, as we only consider grants by referral. The BNI Foundation’s email address is Foundation@bni.com.

Secondly, we have supported charities in Australia upon the referral of the BNI National Director, Frederick Marcoux. A large donation was made at the Australian National Conference a couple of years ago with the support of the Directors and members there as well as from the Foundation.

If you have a charity in mind to refer to us in Australia, John, we would be thrilled to consider them. We do not get any referrals from BNI Australia members to Australian charities and we currently have no donors from Australia, either. I would love your help to change both those situations!

Thanks for your positive comments and your amazing work out there proving that Givers do Gain!!

Beth Misner
Roselyn Watson Says:
October 6th, 2011 at 10:51 am
Does the BNI Foundation support any organisation in the Uk please? If so, I know my members will contribute.
Beth Misner Says:
October 6th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Hi, Roselyn! Yes, we have made contributions to a few organizations in the UK, but again, we have no donors presently from BNI UK. We try to make most of our contributions in the countries where we are getting the most donations.

What we see overwhelmingly happening is that the countries which support the Foundation’s work by donating to the fund are the places where we are seeing the most referrals of charities TO the fund. Does that make sense?

Do you have a charity in mind?

7 Responses to “October Is BNI Foundation Awareness Month”

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