 For ten years, the BNI Foundation has been actively supporting children and education through awarding $1,000.00 (USD) mini-grants to schools, libraries, and other non-profits, which provide educational services to children.
The exciting thing about the BNI Foundation is that all of its giving is concentrated in areas where BNI has active chapters in the U.S. and in every other country in which we operate! As BNI and the BNI Foundation take the concept of Givers Gain into the communities that are supporting our members’ businesses, the communities benefit twice—once from the success of local businesses and again from the influx of funds into children’s educational programs in that city.
In 2007, the BNI Foundation gave over $140,000.00 (USD) in mini-grants to teachers, schools, clubs, and groups that benefit children and education. This is the most the Foundation has given since its inception! In order to ensure that the Foundation’s giving will remain strong and it will keep living up to its motto, “Changing the Business World of Tomorrow Through Education Today,” a couple of new programs are being implemented to encourage donations to come in for the Foundation’s general fund throughout the year.
The first program is a new level of recognition: the BNI Foundation Monthly Heroes. This new category of donors will be recognized at BNI’s International Conference in November. Anyone who contributes a minimum of $50.00 (USD) a month to the general fund of the Foundation will be recognized as a BNI Foundation Monthly Hero.
Monthly donations can be mailed to the BNI-Misner Foundation, 545 College Commerce Way, Upland, CA 91786, or made online by going to www.bni.org. You will be redirected to a credit card processing site powered by the BNI Foundation’s administrative office, located in the California Community Foundation. If you wish to make an automatic monthly donation by credit card, please e-mail the BNI Foundation at foundation@bni.com, and that will be coordinated with you for your convenience.
Also, during 2008, Ivan and Beth Misner have decided that when a BNI region or chapter does a fundraiser to benefit the BNI Foundation’s general fund with a minimum contribution of $2,000.00 (USD), they will match up to $5,000.00 (USD).
In keeping with BNI’s corporate culture of the importance of referrals, applications to the BNI Foundation will be accepted “by referral only” beginning in 2008. If you know of a charity in your community that provides children’s educational programs and is seeking funding for specific core curriculum projects, please refer them to the Foundation personally via e-mail: foundation@bni.com. They may qualify for a mini-grant!
To learn more about the BNI-Misner Charitable Foundation, click here. |