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Operating Guidelines 1. Meeting Location
A location selected be the ABN facilitator.
2. Meeting Time
Meetings are held every Tuesday at 9:00 A.M. at 2516 Blanding Ave in Alameda. Please arrive 15 minutes early to get settled.
3. Business Category “Ownership”
To prevent any conflicts of interest, each ABN member will be the sole representative of his/her particular business category.
4. Meeting Format
The designated meeting facilitator will set the meeting format, topic, guest speaker (optional). The meeting facilitator duties will be rotated among the members monthly.
5. Speakers
The facilitator will determine if a guest speaker, themselves, or ABN members will present to the group.
6. Annual Dues
Annual dues are $100.00. New members are required to submit their dues payment along with their application. Dues are non-refundable. Dues renewal is collected on the member’s anniversary date.
7. Meeting Attendance
The purpose of belonging to ABN is to meet with fellow members to exchange referrals and business ideas and to keep in touch with other members. Therefore, members are encouraged to attend all monthly meetings, and share weekly information input via the ABN website to be considered as a member-in-good-standing.
a. If a member cannot attend more than two meetings, the member must contact another member to let them know they will not be attending.
b. If a member elects not to call in for meetings the member cannot attend (i.e., vacation, illness), and/or fails to participate on weekly web site report-in, member will lose his/her member-in-good-standing status. The ABN president will notify the member that he/she will be subject to forfeiture of membership.
Forfeiture of membership will be determined by a majority vote of ABN members present at the next ABN meeting following the president’s notification.
8. Leads/Referrals/Transactions/Volunteer Hours
a. Members are expected to provide leads/referrals/transactions to other members on a regular basis and/or perform volunteer hours that contribute to the success of the group members.
b. Any lead, referral or transaction is to be passed on to the appropriate member at the time it is available. Do not wait for a monthly meeting to pass on the lead, referral or transaction. After receiving the lead, referral or transaction, members are to promptly follow-up on them.
c. Leads/Referrals/Transactions obtained during the course of the week will be logged on the Leads/Referrals/ Transactions/Volunteer Hours log on the ABN Web site during the weekly meeting and shared with the group via ABN website input. The leads/Referrals/Transactions/Volunteer Hours will also be
recorded on a Lead/Referral/Transaction/Volunteer Hour slip during the meeting and passed to the member receiving the Lead/Referral/Transaction. Upon completion of a transaction, the ABN member will submit a report including the amount of the transaction, if appropriate. It is the responsibility of the individual member to record their hours or the amount of the transaction on our Webs ite.
d. Definitions:
Lead – Any non-formal introduction of a potential customer/client.
Referral – A pre-introduction of a ABN member to a potential customer/client by the referring ABN member.
Transaction – Continuing business done between ABN members or business completed as a result of a lead or referral.
Volunteer Hours – Various non-paid tasks a ABN member does for the benefit of ABN rounded up to the nearest hour.
9. Promoting ABN
Members are encouraged to attract potential new members and to generate positive public interest in ABN through circulating our promotional materials and/or directing them to our Web site. Members shall report those efforts to the group at via the weekly ABN website input.
10. Prospective New Members
Prospective new members must be sponsored by a current in-good-standing ABN member.
a. Prospective new members are required to complete a ABN application form as well as review and sign a copy of the ABN Operating Guidelines. The applicant will meet with a current ABN member to discuss expectations of the potential member and those of ABN, and to review the ABN Operating Guidelines.
Prospective members must be voted into ABN by current ABN members in attendance at the earliest possible meeting. The prospective member and any guest in attendance at the voting meeting will be excused while the voting takes place. Discussion of candidate’s application and voting on the candidate’s application will take place while the candidate is out of the room. The applicant will then be asked to return to the meeting and be informed of the result of the vote.
11. Marketing Materials and Web site Updates
The President will collect from the new member a brief description of the new member's business, along with key contact information (phone, fax, e-mail address, Web site if appropriate) and pass that on to the Content Manager. The Content Manager will write a brief description of the new member's business, get that approved by the new member, and then send that information to the graphic designer, who will add it to the Web site and the ABN brochure insert.
12. Conflict of Interest
Commitment to refer business to fellow ABN members and exchange business ideas among our group is the mission of the ABN. Therefore, if a ABN member wants to participate in any other business referral group that has a primary purpose of referrals among its membership, please contact the ABN president(s) for a determination of whether participation in this group would create a conflict of interest.
GUIDELINES UPDATED (8/17/2010)
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