GUIDELINES

BMW Membership Principles & Guidelines -

1. MEETINGS

A. Monthly Meetings

The meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month of the calendar year, except for August when there is no morning meeting and the network plans an annual summer party. The other exception is when the first Thursday conflicts with the beginning of the academic school year and/or the school year’s holiday calendar. In the case of such a conflict, the meeting will automatically move to the second Thursday of the month. Members are required to attend a minimum of 8 meetings.

An electronic invitation platform is used to announce meetings and foster RSVP; members are asked to reply promptly to ensure we have accurate numbers for catering purposes. Late responses may result in catering not being available.

7:20 a.m. Doors open - Networking

7:25 a.m. Breakfast served

7:40 a.m. Call to order and welcome

9:00 a.m. Meeting is adjourned

A copy of the agenda will be emailed to the Membership on the Monday prior to the meeting.
Attendance of members is captured as part of the meeting minutes; attendance is monitored by Executive members.
A business card holder is present during each meeting. Members are encouraged to keep their individual compartments stocked.
One meeting in each quarter will be made available to an external guest speaker. Suggestions guest speakers can be forwarded to the Vice President. Guest speakers are welcome to join for breakfast. Budget for guest speakers will be monitored by the Executive, to ensure we do not exceed funds available.
Members are encouraged to act as speakers to better explain their business, product or service. This is an excellent way to promote one’s business interest to a friendly and attentive group. Three meetings in each quarter are made available for presentations by BMW members, depending on agenda requirements. Presenters may introduce their business in depth or provide an educational session relevant to their business/area of expertise. Presentations can be up to 15 minutes with a 5 minute Q&A. Time permitting, we may be able to accommodate 2 speakers per meeting.
If no speakers are planned, this will extend the time for member networking and promotion of our businesses.
Space is available for displays by BMW members in coordination with the Vice President at all meetings.
Minutes and attendance record of the previous meeting (captured within the minutes) shall be distributed to the members prior to the next meeting.

B. Annual Business Meeting

The annual business meeting is held in December. No speaker will be scheduled and invitation to guests is not permitted. Members intending to bring new agenda items forward for discussion should notify the President in advance so that their new business request can be noted on the agenda.

Agenda/Discussion Items:

The network Principles and Guidelines will be reviewed, and any proposed changes will be discussed and voted upon.
Executive Officers for the following year will be elected.
The Chair of the Nominating Committee will conduct the elections and appoint scrutineers, if needed.
The membership fees for the coming year will be discussed and approved.

C. Principle and Guideline Amendments

A task force of interested members, may be appointed, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, to review the Principles and Guidelines. This group will report to the Executive committee and the Executive committee will bring forth its recommended changes to the membership prior to the November meeting. Principles and Guidelines should be reviewed every two years at minimum.

Any suggested changes to the Principles and Guidelines must be submitted in writing (by email) to the President by the October meeting. The suggested changes will be distributed to the Members with the agenda of the November meeting. A second round of review by members may be warranted before the Business meeting.

The agenda for the November meeting will include a discussion period for the suggested changes.
The proposed amended Principles and Guidelines will be distributed to the Members along with the minutes from the November meeting.
The amended Bylaws and Guidelines will be voted on at the Annual Meeting.

II. MEMBERSHIP

Maximum membership is 50 active and social members.

Full membership means:

engaged participation at meetings; preparing as required for discussion (may require pre reading of distributed materials)
be prepared to provide a brief infomercial about their business at each meeting, and ahering to time limit for each member
supporting fundraising planning, engage in active involvement in events and financial contribution to the planned fundraising event(s) as outlined by the Fundraising Committee
understanding and adherence to the Principles and Guidelines
participation in subgroups, as requested
a willingness to seek and fulfill the duties of office
encouraging and recruiting and mentoring new members
bring forward suggestions for fundraising recipient registered charity
amplify social media information to own networks, and
prompt attendance at minimum 8 meetings in a calendar year

It is understood that we will try to do business with each other and to promote each other professionally whenever possible. Membership is based on the person, not the company. All members are encouraged to take part in social events to foster collegiality within our group. It is strongly encouraged that members meet 1:1 outside of the group to enable relationships and awareness of each other’s business, given our meetings may not be enough time to do so.

There will be a mentoring system in place for new members for the first two months of them joining, to orient them into the group. Their mentor will be the recruiting member or assigned by the Executive if there is no recruiting member (eg. new member joined via the website). Mentors can reach out to Executive for guidance at any time; mentorship materials are available.

If an existing members changes their business type, they must resign from their current category and re-apply for the new category. If that category is already filled they must go on the waiting list.

A. BMW Directory

The Membership Coordinator will compile and update the “BMW Membership Directory and name and address list” and distribute it, as needed. Member’s contact information is to be for reference only. Member's names, business and photos are all listed on the public website.

B. Eligibility for Membership

Members should be in decision-making positions within their respective firms. Membership is limited to one member per category or classification of goods or services provided.

The Membership Coordinator is responsible for maintaining the “Membership Business Type Listing”, presenting any new categories to the membership and screening prospective members (in collaboration with Executive and membership) for conflicts/duplication with current member businesses. We endeavour to have no competition between member businesses. Any concerns can be raised by members at any time to the Membership Coordinator or to a member of Executive. The final decision of the eligibility of new members is left to the Executive. We do not accept applications for membership from charitable organizations.
The business types listed are the approved BMW unique Business types (see Appendix A). A Member must have a significant portion of their business within that category to remain in that category. If a Member resigns their position and leaves the network, the category type remains approved and a new member may be recruited and apply for that position. To fill a vacant space, an application must be forwarded to the Membership Coordinator. Social members may not represent a category, even if vacant.
When a new, unapproved business type is requested, a written profile will be shared with the membership and the proposed category will be announced at the next monthly meeting. If approved, the category is then added to the Business Directory. The final decision of the eligibility of the new members is left up to the Executive.

C. Application Procedure

Guests may come to our meetings with current members or through our public website. A guest is welcome providing their business type is vacant. Guests cannot attend the December meeting.

Members interested in bringing a prospective member as a guest must notify the Membership Coordinator and Vice President, two weeks in advance of any meeting to which they propose to bring the guest. We require this for catering purposes. This will be vetted by the Executive. Guests breakfasts are paid by the network. Guest’s business must not conflict with the current member’s businesses.

Should the guest be interested in joining our network, the Membership Coordinator will send a 1-page overview of membership and a BMW Application Form to the prospective member. The prospective member is responsible to complete and return to the Membership Coordinator prior to attending the meeting.

There is no membership application fee. A guest may attend up to two meetings before deciding whether or not to become a member. The Member inviting a prospective member will introduce them when they attend as a guest. Membership starts with an application is reviewed and dues are paid to the Treasurer. Process below. All new members will submit a photo and business summary for inclusion on our public website.

Process for prospective members:

· Inquire about joining – When we receive your application or email of interest, our Membership Coordinator will be in touch with you.

· Applications are reviewed by the executive members and screened to make sure there is no conflicts with businesses.

· Once your application has been approved and you wish to become a member, if your application is approved after the 20th of the month you will begin membership the following month. (Example: If your application is approved on October 19 you will be able to attend the November meeting. If you application is approved October 20 or before November 20 you would attend our December meeting.)

· Membership fee must be paid before the first meeting. All fees are prorated for the year and reset in January.

For members bringing guests to a meeting to check out the group should be brought forward to the President and Vice-President before the R.S.V.P. date for the breakfast has passed.

All applications will be vetted by Executive to ensure no conflicts between categories. Designations, certifications and credentialing are processes that validate expertise, verify qualifications, and establish credibility for a role that serves others.

In cases of several applications for an open classification, the first application received by the Membership Coordinator (and accepted by Executive) will be accepted, as long as the fee has been paid.

D. Fees

The annual membership fees are prorated, include the monthly breakfasts, and planned social events. Membership fees are reviewed on an annual basis; any changes to the annual fees are proposed by the Executive and are put to a vote by the membership.

Membership fees must be paid in full by mid-January (date set by Treasurer) in any given year to maintain membership in the organization. If fees are not paid promptly, as requested, that membership may be terminated by Executive and open to applicants on the waiting list.

Persons applying for membership must pay fees in full before their first meeting as a member.

E. Membership Responsibilities

See details outlined in Section II. Membership

Since each member’s business category is unique and protected within this organization, members must adhere to the BMW attendance standards. Membership is very important to the culture and success of our network!

Members who miss 3 meetings in a calendar year, without sending female representation from their business (a stand-in), will be contacted by the Membership Coordinator to explore any concerns with attendance. If attendance is lagging, a request to leave the group may occur. No fees will be refunded. A stand-in can be sent to replace the member, but for no more than 3 meetings in a calendar year. The stand-in cannot be a conflict with any other member category. If members do not have a relevant stand-in, they should contact the Membership Coordinator to discuss.

However, the Executive Committee may exercise its discretion to grant an exemption to this requirement where the Member has been absent for legitimate reasons such as family issues or sudden illness. (See below regarding LOAs). In choosing to exercise its discretion, the Executive may take into account whether the Member notified the Vice President or Membership in advance with respect to her absence.

The resignations of members in good standing will be accepted with regret. No fees paid are refunded. An exit interview will be requested for all resigning members to determine opportunities for improvement for our community members. The Executive will determine which Executive member (or delegate member) holds the exit interview, with the goal of hearing any needed feedback to improve our network culture and processes.

Electronic invitations for meetings are sent (minimum) one week in advance. All members are asked to promptly respond. The catering ordered for each meeting is based on the assumption that all members will be present. Members must notify the Vice-President at least 10 days in advance of a meeting if:

A guest (previously cleared through the Membership Coordinator) will be attending or
The Member, herself, is unable to attend. (We understand urgent regrets can happen).

Members are responsible for their profile content on the BMW Website and are responsible to submit profile changes to the Membership Coordinator.

Leave of Absence Request: A leave of absence would be defined where the Member is advising Executive that they will not be attending for a period of time but wish to maintain their networking position (and not defer to a social member status). A Leave of Absence will be granted on a ‘case by case’ basis by the Executive. The Member applying must be a ‘member in good standing’, with good attendance (defined as being respectful of BMW attendance Principles and Guidelines), adheres to communication guidelines established, dues are paid in full and the member is respectful of timing of the meetings. The position of the requesting member may also be considered, depending if there is a waiting list for the particular business category and potential length of leave. Executive will connect with members on LOA on a regular basis.

F. Social Retired Member

The Social Retired Member is an honorary “Social Position”. This member does not have a business type to represent. The responsibility of this BMW position to help contribute/promote to the fundraising activities; along with providing mentoring to the next generation of women new to the group. Social members pay membership dues. Social membership numbers are limited to up to 20% of our maximum group membership at the discretion of the Executive.

The Criteria for the Social Retired Member:

The member must be one of the following:
- A BMW Member in good standing for ten years;
- Held a BMW Executive position.
The position is a voting membership position.
The fees are the same as the current membership fees.
Social Members must attend a minimum of 6 meetings per year

III. ANNUAL ELECTIONS

The BMW Executive is made of the following positions:

President
Vice-President
Recording Secretary
Membership Coordinator
Treasurer
Social Media Leads(2) (new in 2025)
Social Committee Lead - two positions as co-leads (new 2026)
The position of Past President is acclaimed.

Annual elections will be held at the December Annual Meeting. Executive positions are for a one (1) year term commencing January 1st in the following year. Terms on Executive can be extended with support of the membership, as required.

The President shall announce the election at the October meeting, call for nominees and coordinate the functioning of the Nominating Committee by charging the chairperson of the Committee to conduct the nomination process during the month of November. The Past-President shall chair the Nominating Committee. Members interested in running for Executive can express interest to any member of Executive (which will be passed to the past Chair).

The Nominating Committee:

Consists of the most immediate Past President. If one is not available, Past Presidents shall be asked to participate in the receding order;
Polls the membership, not including the current Executive, to find one member willing to be nominated for each Executive position;
Collects names of other nominees and /or volunteers as they come forward to be added to the slate of nominees;
Conducts the election (if required*) by secret (paper) ballot at the Annual Meeting according to standard election procedures;
i.e. posting the nominees names in writing and asking for further nominees from the floor 3 times;
*in the event of only one (1) nominee for a position, the chairperson shall announce that that position if filled by acclamation;
Each position will be voted upon in order from President through to Social Committee Lead;
Members may elect to either be nominated to more than one position and/or let their name stand for a subsequent position should be unsuccessful in a preceding position. In that case, the chairperson shall call for nominee’s intent in this matter prior to proceeding to the vote for the next position;
Current executive members may put their names forward for the same position or another position of their choosing.

President:

Sets and distributes the agenda in coordination with the Vice-President. Agendas will endeavour to provide brief time for members’ business infomercials based on agenda requirements, numbers of members, and members’ adherence to time limits.
Chairs the monthly membership and Executive meetings.
Requests approval of the agenda and meeting minutes.
Monitors and ensures compliance with the Principles and Guidelines.
At an appropriate time based* on discussion with membership, calls for volunteer(s) for Fundraiser Chair. *Timing for fundraising initiatives is dependent on when the last initiative has completed its lifecycle.
At an appropriate time, based on discussion with membership, call for registered charity nominations, reviews charity presentation guidelines and provides the membership with the “Charity Requirements”. These should also be detailed in the agenda package.
At the next meeting, coordinates the Charity presentations and the vote for the Charity selection for the fundraising event for the following year. Fundraising Chair is identified at this time.
Requests approval of format for the annual fundraising event at the direction of the Fundraising Chair.
Delegates nominating committee to Past President to be ready for election at Annual Business meeting and ensures that it is in place.
Establishes committees as required and delegates to such committees as necessary, appointing a chair of said committee reports back to the executive committee and any such committee may include at least one member of the Executive Committee. Time length of committee is determined by purpose.
Acts as an Ambassador/Spokeswoman for BMW, as needed; delegates to/invites other BMW members to take part.

Vice-President:

Arranges all speaker and meeting programs.
Arranges meeting location and breakfast. (If the meeting is virtual, this is managed by the VP or member of the Executive). Provides the BMW meeting attendance numbers to the meeting location.
Chairs meetings in the absence of the President.
Coordinates education activities.
Collaborates with the BMW member who monitors and manages the BMW website to ensure the update is updated regularly and as required.

Recording Secretary:

Compiles draft minutes two weeks prior (mid-month) to next meeting and provides to President for approval; provides to President to be sent with agenda package.
Handles correspondence in collaboration with Executive. (The most appropriate Exec member may take lead).
Ensures attendance is recorded at each meeting using a sign in sheet.
Keeps attendance records and includes regrets in the meeting minutes.
Reports attendance gaps to the President and the Membership Coordinator.
Arranges a substitute to take the minutes in the event of absence.

Membership Coordinator (may be two members who share this role):

Maintains membership records.
Coordinates communications with members and prospective members, as required.
Monitors email communication from external persons interested in the network.
Screens guests to prevent business conflicts, solicits required information from prospective members.
Notifies the Executive of any new potential member attending the meeting.
Uses current tools/documents to inform prospective members about BMW as they consider membership.
Provides applicant’s information to Executive, and coordinates vetting of prospective member. Communicates welcome/decline to all applicants and to recruiting member (if present). Confirms successful application to Treasurer (who collects membership fee).
Provides a new member with a link to the website (a copy of the Principles and Guidelines, access to member bios) and written confirmation/welcome note with a copy to Executive to ensure invitation to next meeting.
Annually updates and distributes the list of membership. (Membership photos and bios and contact are fully available on website)
Manages membership application waitlist (if any).
Coordinates with Executive or recruiting member to provide mentorship to the new member. Exec will assign a mentor for all persons joining via the website. Monitors new member orientation to BMW and the member, along with new member mentor (recruiting member).
Liaise with member managing website to ensure membership information is up to date on website.

Treasurer:

Collect fees from all members via electronic funds transfer or cheque.
Pays bills.
Maintains financial records and reports monthly to members.
Prepares and submits the financial statement budget as soon as practical after the New Year.
Prepares annual membership invoices to be emailed in December.
Provides fund-raiser financial data of the previous initiatives to the event coordinator for preparation of the new event budget.

Immediate Past President:

Will attend Executive meetings (as required) and be available to current Executive to provide continuity and assistance.
Chairs the Nominating Committee.
Along with the Nominating Committee, reviews membership and makes nominations for BMW Executive after November meeting in accordance with the Principles and Guidelines.
Conducts the annual elections at the December meeting in accordance with the Principles and Guidelines.

Social Media Lead

Develop (and periodically review/update) a social media strategy with input from the membership on current goals, i.e.: recruitment, communication, fundraising
Take photos & videos or collect from others to record social events, guest speakers, candid moments, etc. Ensure permission verbally to use individuals’ photos / likenesses.
Create content using different media forms on multiple platforms that deliver on our social media strategies.
Schedule regular content across platforms to ensure consistent presence & messaging.
Visit, share & like member posts & pages
Engage with social media accounts of our community partners (ie: Karen's Place, Jill's Table, Goodwill, etc.) to maintain strong connection and align with mission.

Social Committee Co-Leads (2) - new 2026

Works with Members to schedule regular BMW Membership Social gatherings, which are hosted by a Member(s) to encourage community among our group. Members are encouraged to bring a Guest who is new to BMW to help grow membership. Members may be subject to an extraneous cost, depending on the nature of the planned Membership Social, if attending (i.e. food & beverage, activities, etc.)
Arranges the two annual BMW Member Gatherings – Summer Social and Winter Holiday Social; Invites the current membership to offer as event host. Works with the event host to select suitable dates; polls membership for consensus on date options. Arranges catering for the Member Gatherings.

IV. FUNDRAISING EVENTS

We aim to hold regular fundraising events, the timing to be determined by membership and based on scope of the planning needed for the event. The registered charity selected is intended to support women and children in our community.

Roles:

The President is responsible for establishing the timing of the next fundraising cycle, requesting approval for the selected charity, and establishing a fundraising chair.
The member whose nominated charity is selected will be part of the fundraising committee (and is welcome to act as chair)
The Fundraising Chair will form a committee to plan the event, work with Exec on budget, and report to members regularly. The Fundraising committee will determine roles of members to support the event, and the required financial contribution of members for the event.
Members will approve the event and support it as requested. Each member is responsible for becoming involved in the fundraiser and directly support the event by taking part as requested and contributing financially as suggested by the committee.
The Fundraising Chair and President will determine communication requirements (and methods (e.g. pre-reading)) to inform all members of planning and will provide time on meeting agendas as required for membership input. The goal being informed membership who will support fundraising committee and our network fundraising efforts.

To download the Bylaws as a PDF: click here