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Transcript40 lines

[00:00]
A
Episode number 973, the B& I Foundation and Ambassador program.
[00:08]
B
You're listening to the official BI podcast with BI founder and chief visionary officer Dr. Ivan Meisner. Stay tuned for networking and referral marketing tips from the man who's been called the father of modern networking, along with suggestions and insights into getting the most from your membership in the world's largest networking organization, bni.
[00:31]
A
Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the official B and I Podcast. I'm Priscilla Rice and I'm coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California. And I'm joined on the phone today by the founder and the Chief visionary officer of BNI, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Hello, Ivan, how are you and where are you?
[00:52]
B
I am at home in Austin, Texas today. The sweltering heat of August for Austin, and I'm just thankful that the deity of your choice made swimming pools and air conditioning.
[01:09]
A
Oh, that's great. And who do you have on as a guest today?
[01:12]
B
I have somebody who's been on the podcast now five times. Five times. Shirley Towne. Shirley has done many different podcasts for the BNI podcast, including one of my favorites, podcast number 7:30. And let's put a link in the podcast for it. I love it because Shirley talked about the fact that she used to pay, as I recall, Shirley, correct me if I'm wrong, is $5,000 a month for yellow page advertising.
[01:44]
C
That is so correct.
[01:45]
B
Yeah. And the Gen Z people are going to go, what's the yellow pages? But just advertising? And the B and I membership ended up, you know, making more money than the advertising. And so the whole point of that podcast is if BNI cost you $5,000 a month, would you treat it differently? And I just love that concept. It's one of my favorite podcasts. Go listen to it. Episode number 7:30 on Five Years Ago. Well, welcome back, Shirley. This is your sixth visit to BNI Podcast.
[02:22]
C
Honored to be here.
[02:24]
B
Yeah. You're such a great Director. You joined BNI in 2013. You represented ADT Home Services, and you brought a lot of passion, obviously, to building your chapter. In 2017, you stepped into the role of Executive director, and I'm so glad you did. The executive Director for BNI SC Midlands, where you really quickly made a significant impact. In your first year, you grew the region from 269 members. And over the last eight years, it's got an impressive 761 plus members. So your. Your leadership and your results have driven an approach that have earned you recognition as the Executive Director of the Year three years in the organization and the honored prestigious CEO award by Mary Kennedy Thompson. And, and it's just, it's such a pleasure to have you as part of the organization. And you're now condolences or congratulations, whichever are in order. You're now the chairperson for the BNI foundation and that fits because you're known for your, your heart, for service and commitment to growth and so welcome back to the B and I podcast.
[03:36]
C
Thank you so much. I, I told somebody today that I always said that when I retired I wanted to help nonprofits raise money and to be able to do that now through BNI is just a dream come true. So to be able to have an impact through the foundation and all of our non profits, I, I'm just honored to be able to do so. It's like, it's a huge congrats for me. It's like, pinch me. I can't believe I get to do this.
[04:07]
B
Well, pinch me. I'm happy that you're doing it because, you know, it's really important to have new blood come into a non profit or onto a board. I'm a believer of that. I just am stepping down from the TLC board, which I've been on for over 14 years. And it's good to have new blood come in and with new ideas and a new set of energy. Even when the previous board, which I was certainly a member of in BNI and a member of in the Transformational Leadership Council, even when the, you know, the mature board has done amazing things, it's still good to have new people come on. And that's what you've done with the BNI Foundation.
[04:48]
A
Yeah.
[04:49]
C
Excited for it.
[04:50]
B
So can you briefly tell us, you know, this podcast go by so quick?
[04:54]
C
Yes.
[04:56]
B
Can you briefly tell us what the mission and the impact of the B and I Foundation is?
[05:00]
C
Yeah. So the B and I Foundation is to benefit children and education and we do that through different avenues. But Business Voices is really where you put your talent in. You go to local schools and have an impact on that level. We have Future Leaders Week where we spend time with young folks, letting them know all about being BNI and mentorship. We also do some amazing givers gain grants where we really work with the schools in areas to be able to help them with giving them grants. And then lastly there's the Endowment fund, which I love because it's going to make B and I, the B and I Foundation, live forever to be able to do all this good stuff.
[05:55]
B
Yeah. And if anyone wants to be a Meisner fellow. You know, just go to the BNI foundation.com website and find out on how you can become a Meisner Fellow. We hit our first level of goal. We wanted to go over a million dollars in the endowment and we now have that and we're excited about that. But you also wanted to talk about something reasonably new and that's the B and I Foundation ambassador.
[06:20]
C
Yeah, so I was a member of BNI and didn't know about the foundation until I went to a conference. And so it's my goal to get it out at the chapter level. And why not have B and I Ambassadors that are on the ground level that are members really representing the BNI foundation in their regions and then their chapters. And so that's what we're doing. We're getting a bunch of nonprofit minded givers, gain type people that will bring our initiatives to the chapter level. And so we have ambassadors calls every other, every other month and we get all the ambassadors together to talk about what we're going to do next. And the biggest part of that is the business voices, like what can we do in our local schools for. To help our teachers and our leaders really be impactful in what they do through givers gain grants and all of the other initiatives that we do through the foundation.
[07:27]
B
So people who want to become foundation ambassadors and I think that's a great concept because as a member you get to go visit many chapters as a foundation ambassador. And so it sort of helps two things. It helps the foundation, but it also helps you as a business person. How can people become a foundation ambassador? Where would they go for that?
[07:48]
C
Yeah. So visiting our B and I Foundation Facebook page, we always announce when we are going to have the foundation calls and so you can register for that call and jump on the call and we'll share with you how to get involved at the chapter or regional level and even the national level. So we have some folks that are, are doing some things like the walk and talk. We have Elaine Zambos that is going to take the idea that we do the walk and talk at, at conferences and we're going to bring those down to the regional level to, to just have some networking but also to have an impact with the foundation.
[08:29]
B
Yeah, I just went to Facebook and typed in Foundation BNI foundation on the search engine and I got facebook.combi foundation. So that's where you go. And then you can always leave a personal message and say, hey, I want to be an ambassador and somebody will get back to you.
[08:46]
C
Absolutely.
[08:47]
B
So how can this lead to having more nonprofits in a region that can work with the B and I Foundation, because we don't want to compete with nonprofits. We believe that we are compatible. And so how does this lead to nonprofits participating?
[09:03]
C
So that's, that's where I think my biggest vision is, is early on when I would ask members, they would like, oh, I want to help the foundation, but I don't want to disrespect the nonprofit that we have in our chapter. I'm like, we never want to do that. And I said, tell me about your nonprofit. It just so happens that their nonprofit had to do with children and education. I'm like, you're the perfect fit. Like, you are exactly what we're looking for. But even nonprofits that have nothing to do with children and education, we're not going to compete with you on any level. But we want to help every nonprofit take their mission next level. And so in our region, we've worked really, really hard to come up with programs to support all nonprofits. We want to, we want to have webinars and get that out there. I hear that the month of November is going to be a great, great month to learn about bi nonprofits and how you can get nonprofits to join your chapters. And so we're going to be working with Heather and marketing to push out some of those things. But we have initiatives that go year round to help all of our nonprofits. And then where the BNI foundation is symbiotic, like, we can help you with givers gain grants if you work with children in education. So we, why wouldn't we go out into the world and try to bring in a nonprofit two year chapter that has to do with children and education? And then it's a win, win situation. But even if it's not to do with children education, we still can help you come up with programs to really take your nonprofit next level. Ivan, I did not know that nonprofits even existed in the B and I world until I heard a podcast with you where you talked about how nonprofits are a big fit. And after I heard that, I was like, oh, I'm going to get nonprofits. We have 22 nonprofits in our region today. And it's all because I heard a podcast about you. That's what got me to reach out to you and say, can we do a podcast about the Beni Foundation? Because that's how I learned. And I'm hoping that others will hear this and we'll learn about the Beni Foundation. And we can really get it out across our nation. But across all of the countries, we. We have a lot of amazing things happening in countries through Business Voices.
[11:38]
B
Yeah, Business Voices is the community outreach arm of the BNI Foundation. I mentioned bni foundation.com I just did a search there. There's an. At this moment, there's an error on that connection. So you can also go to bnifoundation.org org which is a common foundation, and that website is currently working just fine. Also, the Facebook page you mentioned, I happen to see the ambassador, a. A post for the ambassador presentation. So that seems to be going on actively, and those are two great places where people can join. I've actually had members say to me, I joined PANI because of its commitment to charitable work.
[12:19]
C
And I love that.
[12:20]
B
Always. I just love when I hear that.
[12:22]
C
Yes. I mean, it is the way that B and I gives back. Like, we operate off of a giver's gain philosophy, but the foundation is the way that we give back, and I love that.
[12:34]
B
Well, we're. We're out of time. I know you wanted me to share one story.
[12:38]
C
Yes, I did.
[12:39]
B
And this is a BNI Business Voices story. We had a number of chapters in a region on the east coast of the United States where it gets very cold. Go to an elementary school and ask the principal, how can we help you? And the principal was, first of all, blown away. Really? Seriously, you guys want to. You want to help? They said, yeah, what can we do? What's your problem? He said, at the moment, our biggest problem is that we have kids going to school with no shoes or with shoes with holes in them. And it's cold, there's snow, it's freezing. When children, when their feet are cold, they're not going to be able to do, pay attention in class. And so it was amazing. The region was like, we got this. And the principal was like, what do you mean? No, we got this. We'll take care of this. And within just a few weeks, they delivered, literally, truckloads of shoes, lightly used and in many cases, brand new children's shoes. They had to pick a room to store all the shoes so that no children would have bare feet or shoes with holes in them again. And to me, that's such a great Business Voices project.
[13:53]
C
Oh, I love that story. That's amazing. Like, that's. That's the impact that we want to have. And you. You hit on something. How can we help? Like, to go to a school and ask that question. They will tell you, they will share it.
[14:07]
B
They will. All right, so if you're interested, go to the Facebook page for the B and I Foundation or go to bni foundation.org and you'll be able to get to the website. Shirley, thank you so much for your time. You've been on probably as much or more than almost any other director, and that, honestly, that shows you how much I respect your contributions to the organization.
[14:30]
C
Ivan, that means the world to me.
[14:32]
B
Thank you, Shirley. Over to you, Priscilla.
[14:34]
A
Okay, great. Thank you both so much. That was a wonderful podcast. This podcast is sponsored by MeisnerAudioPrograms.com these audio programs will provide you with the tools and the inspiration to powerfully enhance your B and I experience. So check out the great material that's available to you@meisneraudioprograms.com and then use the promo code IVAN5O for 50% off of everything. All of the proceeds go to the BNI Foundation. Thank you so much for listening. This is Priscilla Rice, and we look forward to having you join us again next week for another exciting episode of the official B and I podcast.
[15:18]
B
Priscilla, I've never done this at the end of a podcast, but I'm going to throw something else in if you don't mind. And that is, if you're an education coordinator. Please share this information with your chapter. They really need to hear it. Thanks, Priscilla.
[15:32]
A
Okay, great. Thanks, Simon.

Summary5 min read

The Official BNI Podcast

Episode 973: The BNI Foundation and Ambassador Program

Date: August 12, 2026
Host: Dr. Ivan Misner
Guest: Shirley Towne (BNI SC Midlands Executive Director, BNI Foundation Chair)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the mission and impact of the BNI Foundation and introduces the Ambassador Program—initiatives central to BNI’s philanthropic efforts. Host Dr. Ivan Misner and recurring guest Shirley Towne share how BNI members and regions can get involved in supporting children and education through hands-on outreach, grant opportunities, and by acting as liaisons for the Foundation at the chapter level. Practical steps for joining the Ambassador Program and engaging nonprofits are discussed, along with an inspiring real-world example of community impact.

Key Discussion Points

1. Shirley Towne’s Journey and Role

Shirley Towne has been a long-time BNI member and now serves as Chairperson of the BNI Foundation.
Her chapter leadership and regional growth have earned her multiple awards: Executive Director of the Year (3x) and the CEO award.
“When I retired I wanted to help nonprofits raise money and to be able to do that now through BNI is just a dream come true.”
— Shirley Towne (03:38)

2. The BNI Foundation’s Mission and Programs

Mission: To benefit children and education through multiple initiatives.
Key Programs:
- Business Voices: Members connect their professional skills to local schools, making direct, meaningful impact.
- Future Leaders Week: Mentoring young people about BNI principles and career skills.
- Givers Gain Grants: Financial support for educational institutions.
- Endowment Fund: Ensures Foundation longevity, recently surpassing $1 million.
“The BNI Foundation is to benefit children and education… Business Voices is really where you put your talent in.”
— Shirley Towne (05:00)
“If anyone wants to be a Meisner fellow... we wanted to go over a million dollars in the endowment and we now have that.”
— Dr. Ivan Misner (05:54)

3. The Ambassador Program: Bringing Impact to the Chapter Level

Purpose: Bridge the gap between the Foundation and local chapters using passionate, service-driven BNI members.
Ambassadors act as local Foundation representatives, promoting initiatives and supporting nonprofits.
Bi-monthly calls foster communication and planning among ambassadors.
“It’s my goal to get it out at the chapter level… having BNI Ambassadors really representing the foundation in their regions and then their chapters.”
— Shirley Towne (06:23)
“As a member you get to go visit many chapters as a foundation ambassador. It helps the foundation, but it also helps you as a business person.”
— Dr. Ivan Misner (07:27)
How to get involved:
- Visit the BNI Foundation Facebook page for announcements and sign-up for calls
  (07:48)
- Engage in regional "Walk and Talk" networking/fundraising events.

4. Engaging Nonprofits in the BNI Ecosystem

Nonprofit Synergy: The Foundation is not a competitor but a collaborator; it seeks to support all nonprofits—especially those aligned with children and education.
Tactics:
- Webinars, marketing pushes, and year-round initiatives to engage and uplift nonprofits within BNI regions.
- November previewed as a focus month for nonprofit education and recruitment in BNI.
“In our region, we've worked really, really hard to come up with programs to support all nonprofits... Even if it's not to do with children and education, we still can help you come up with programs to really take your nonprofit next level.”
— Shirley Towne (09:03)
BNI chapters can and should invite nonprofits as members, especially if they serve children and education.
“I did not know that nonprofits even existed in the BNI world until I heard a podcast with you... We have 22 nonprofits in our region today.”
— Shirley Towne (10:37)

5. Real-World Impact Story: Business Voices in Action

In a cold East Coast BNI region, members asked a local elementary school principal how they could help.
The principal pointed out many children lacked proper shoes, especially for the winter.
BNI members organized, collected, and delivered truckloads of shoes—solving an immediate, basic need for the children.
“When children, when their feet are cold, they're not going to be able to... pay attention in class... Within just a few weeks, they delivered literally truckloads of shoes…”
— Dr. Ivan Misner (12:39)
“That's the impact that we want to have... Go to a school and ask that question. They will tell you, they will share it.”
— Shirley Towne (13:53)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“If BNI cost you $5,000 a month, would you treat it differently?”
— Dr. Ivan Misner referencing Shirley's prior episode (01:45)
“The foundation is the way that BNI gives back. Like, we operate off of a giver's gain philosophy, but the foundation is the way that we give back, and I love that.”
— Shirley Towne (12:22)
"I've had members say to me, I joined BNI because of its commitment to charitable work. And I love that."
— Dr. Ivan Misner (12:18)
“If you're an education coordinator, please share this information with your chapter. They really need to hear it.”
— Dr. Ivan Misner (15:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[01:12] — Introduction of Shirley Towne and her background
[03:35] — Shirley’s passion for nonprofits and new role as Foundation Chair
[05:00] — BNI Foundation’s mission and four pillars
[06:19] — Details on the Ambassador Program and how members can get involved
[07:48] — Practical tips on becoming an Ambassador
[09:03] — How BNI supports and collaborates with regional nonprofits
[12:39] — Business Voices story: shoe drive for schoolchildren
[15:18] — Closing call for education coordinators to spread the word

Action Steps & Resources

Become a BNI Foundation Ambassador:
- Join ambassador calls via announcements on Facebook.com/bnifoundation.
Connect and learn more:
- Visit bnifoundation.org for resources, donations, and program info.
Support or nominate nonprofits:
- Look for webinars and outreach opportunities especially in November and throughout the year.
Share this podcast:
- Especially if you are an education coordinator—inform your chapter about these impactful opportunities.

Summary

In this episode, Dr. Ivan Misner and Shirley Towne provide an inspiring overview of how the BNI Foundation, through its Ambassador Program and core initiatives, empowers local chapters and members to have a lasting impact on children’s education and nonprofit development. With actionable advice, touching stories, and clear examples of collaborative philanthropy, listeners are invited to deepen their engagement and embody BNI’s “Givers Gain” spirit.

Loading summary

Transcript40 lines

[00:00]
A
Episode number 973, the B& I Foundation and Ambassador program.
[00:08]
B
You're listening to the official BI podcast with BI founder and chief visionary officer Dr. Ivan Meisner. Stay tuned for networking and referral marketing tips from the man who's been called the father of modern networking, along with suggestions and insights into getting the most from your membership in the world's largest networking organization, bni.
[00:31]
A
Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the official B and I Podcast. I'm Priscilla Rice and I'm coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California. And I'm joined on the phone today by the founder and the Chief visionary officer of BNI, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Hello, Ivan, how are you and where are you?
[00:52]
B
I am at home in Austin, Texas today. The sweltering heat of August for Austin, and I'm just thankful that the deity of your choice made swimming pools and air conditioning.
[01:09]
A
Oh, that's great. And who do you have on as a guest today?
[01:12]
B
I have somebody who's been on the podcast now five times. Five times. Shirley Towne. Shirley has done many different podcasts for the BNI podcast, including one of my favorites, podcast number 7:30. And let's put a link in the podcast for it. I love it because Shirley talked about the fact that she used to pay, as I recall, Shirley, correct me if I'm wrong, is $5,000 a month for yellow page advertising.
[01:44]
C
That is so correct.
[01:45]
B
Yeah. And the Gen Z people are going to go, what's the yellow pages? But just advertising? And the B and I membership ended up, you know, making more money than the advertising. And so the whole point of that podcast is if BNI cost you $5,000 a month, would you treat it differently? And I just love that concept. It's one of my favorite podcasts. Go listen to it. Episode number 7:30 on Five Years Ago. Well, welcome back, Shirley. This is your sixth visit to BNI Podcast.
[02:22]
C
Honored to be here.
[02:24]
B
Yeah. You're such a great Director. You joined BNI in 2013. You represented ADT Home Services, and you brought a lot of passion, obviously, to building your chapter. In 2017, you stepped into the role of Executive director, and I'm so glad you did. The executive Director for BNI SC Midlands, where you really quickly made a significant impact. In your first year, you grew the region from 269 members. And over the last eight years, it's got an impressive 761 plus members. So your. Your leadership and your results have driven an approach that have earned you recognition as the Executive Director of the Year three years in the organization and the honored prestigious CEO award by Mary Kennedy Thompson. And, and it's just, it's such a pleasure to have you as part of the organization. And you're now condolences or congratulations, whichever are in order. You're now the chairperson for the BNI foundation and that fits because you're known for your, your heart, for service and commitment to growth and so welcome back to the B and I podcast.
[03:36]
C
Thank you so much. I, I told somebody today that I always said that when I retired I wanted to help nonprofits raise money and to be able to do that now through BNI is just a dream come true. So to be able to have an impact through the foundation and all of our non profits, I, I'm just honored to be able to do so. It's like, it's a huge congrats for me. It's like, pinch me. I can't believe I get to do this.
[04:07]
B
Well, pinch me. I'm happy that you're doing it because, you know, it's really important to have new blood come into a non profit or onto a board. I'm a believer of that. I just am stepping down from the TLC board, which I've been on for over 14 years. And it's good to have new blood come in and with new ideas and a new set of energy. Even when the previous board, which I was certainly a member of in BNI and a member of in the Transformational Leadership Council, even when the, you know, the mature board has done amazing things, it's still good to have new people come on. And that's what you've done with the BNI Foundation.
[04:48]
A
Yeah.
[04:49]
C
Excited for it.
[04:50]
B
So can you briefly tell us, you know, this podcast go by so quick?
[04:54]
C
Yes.
[04:56]
B
Can you briefly tell us what the mission and the impact of the B and I Foundation is?
[05:00]
C
Yeah. So the B and I Foundation is to benefit children and education and we do that through different avenues. But Business Voices is really where you put your talent in. You go to local schools and have an impact on that level. We have Future Leaders Week where we spend time with young folks, letting them know all about being BNI and mentorship. We also do some amazing givers gain grants where we really work with the schools in areas to be able to help them with giving them grants. And then lastly there's the Endowment fund, which I love because it's going to make B and I, the B and I Foundation, live forever to be able to do all this good stuff.
[05:55]
B
Yeah. And if anyone wants to be a Meisner fellow. You know, just go to the BNI foundation.com website and find out on how you can become a Meisner Fellow. We hit our first level of goal. We wanted to go over a million dollars in the endowment and we now have that and we're excited about that. But you also wanted to talk about something reasonably new and that's the B and I Foundation ambassador.
[06:20]
C
Yeah, so I was a member of BNI and didn't know about the foundation until I went to a conference. And so it's my goal to get it out at the chapter level. And why not have B and I Ambassadors that are on the ground level that are members really representing the BNI foundation in their regions and then their chapters. And so that's what we're doing. We're getting a bunch of nonprofit minded givers, gain type people that will bring our initiatives to the chapter level. And so we have ambassadors calls every other, every other month and we get all the ambassadors together to talk about what we're going to do next. And the biggest part of that is the business voices, like what can we do in our local schools for. To help our teachers and our leaders really be impactful in what they do through givers gain grants and all of the other initiatives that we do through the foundation.
[07:27]
B
So people who want to become foundation ambassadors and I think that's a great concept because as a member you get to go visit many chapters as a foundation ambassador. And so it sort of helps two things. It helps the foundation, but it also helps you as a business person. How can people become a foundation ambassador? Where would they go for that?
[07:48]
C
Yeah. So visiting our B and I Foundation Facebook page, we always announce when we are going to have the foundation calls and so you can register for that call and jump on the call and we'll share with you how to get involved at the chapter or regional level and even the national level. So we have some folks that are, are doing some things like the walk and talk. We have Elaine Zambos that is going to take the idea that we do the walk and talk at, at conferences and we're going to bring those down to the regional level to, to just have some networking but also to have an impact with the foundation.
[08:29]
B
Yeah, I just went to Facebook and typed in Foundation BNI foundation on the search engine and I got facebook.combi foundation. So that's where you go. And then you can always leave a personal message and say, hey, I want to be an ambassador and somebody will get back to you.
[08:46]
C
Absolutely.
[08:47]
B
So how can this lead to having more nonprofits in a region that can work with the B and I Foundation, because we don't want to compete with nonprofits. We believe that we are compatible. And so how does this lead to nonprofits participating?
[09:03]
C
So that's, that's where I think my biggest vision is, is early on when I would ask members, they would like, oh, I want to help the foundation, but I don't want to disrespect the nonprofit that we have in our chapter. I'm like, we never want to do that. And I said, tell me about your nonprofit. It just so happens that their nonprofit had to do with children and education. I'm like, you're the perfect fit. Like, you are exactly what we're looking for. But even nonprofits that have nothing to do with children and education, we're not going to compete with you on any level. But we want to help every nonprofit take their mission next level. And so in our region, we've worked really, really hard to come up with programs to support all nonprofits. We want to, we want to have webinars and get that out there. I hear that the month of November is going to be a great, great month to learn about bi nonprofits and how you can get nonprofits to join your chapters. And so we're going to be working with Heather and marketing to push out some of those things. But we have initiatives that go year round to help all of our nonprofits. And then where the BNI foundation is symbiotic, like, we can help you with givers gain grants if you work with children in education. So we, why wouldn't we go out into the world and try to bring in a nonprofit two year chapter that has to do with children and education? And then it's a win, win situation. But even if it's not to do with children education, we still can help you come up with programs to really take your nonprofit next level. Ivan, I did not know that nonprofits even existed in the B and I world until I heard a podcast with you where you talked about how nonprofits are a big fit. And after I heard that, I was like, oh, I'm going to get nonprofits. We have 22 nonprofits in our region today. And it's all because I heard a podcast about you. That's what got me to reach out to you and say, can we do a podcast about the Beni Foundation? Because that's how I learned. And I'm hoping that others will hear this and we'll learn about the Beni Foundation. And we can really get it out across our nation. But across all of the countries, we. We have a lot of amazing things happening in countries through Business Voices.
[11:38]
B
Yeah, Business Voices is the community outreach arm of the BNI Foundation. I mentioned bni foundation.com I just did a search there. There's an. At this moment, there's an error on that connection. So you can also go to bnifoundation.org org which is a common foundation, and that website is currently working just fine. Also, the Facebook page you mentioned, I happen to see the ambassador, a. A post for the ambassador presentation. So that seems to be going on actively, and those are two great places where people can join. I've actually had members say to me, I joined PANI because of its commitment to charitable work.
[12:19]
C
And I love that.
[12:20]
B
Always. I just love when I hear that.
[12:22]
C
Yes. I mean, it is the way that B and I gives back. Like, we operate off of a giver's gain philosophy, but the foundation is the way that we give back, and I love that.
[12:34]
B
Well, we're. We're out of time. I know you wanted me to share one story.
[12:38]
C
Yes, I did.
[12:39]
B
And this is a BNI Business Voices story. We had a number of chapters in a region on the east coast of the United States where it gets very cold. Go to an elementary school and ask the principal, how can we help you? And the principal was, first of all, blown away. Really? Seriously, you guys want to. You want to help? They said, yeah, what can we do? What's your problem? He said, at the moment, our biggest problem is that we have kids going to school with no shoes or with shoes with holes in them. And it's cold, there's snow, it's freezing. When children, when their feet are cold, they're not going to be able to do, pay attention in class. And so it was amazing. The region was like, we got this. And the principal was like, what do you mean? No, we got this. We'll take care of this. And within just a few weeks, they delivered, literally, truckloads of shoes, lightly used and in many cases, brand new children's shoes. They had to pick a room to store all the shoes so that no children would have bare feet or shoes with holes in them again. And to me, that's such a great Business Voices project.
[13:53]
C
Oh, I love that story. That's amazing. Like, that's. That's the impact that we want to have. And you. You hit on something. How can we help? Like, to go to a school and ask that question. They will tell you, they will share it.
[14:07]
B
They will. All right, so if you're interested, go to the Facebook page for the B and I Foundation or go to bni foundation.org and you'll be able to get to the website. Shirley, thank you so much for your time. You've been on probably as much or more than almost any other director, and that, honestly, that shows you how much I respect your contributions to the organization.
[14:30]
C
Ivan, that means the world to me.
[14:32]
B
Thank you, Shirley. Over to you, Priscilla.
[14:34]
A
Okay, great. Thank you both so much. That was a wonderful podcast. This podcast is sponsored by MeisnerAudioPrograms.com these audio programs will provide you with the tools and the inspiration to powerfully enhance your B and I experience. So check out the great material that's available to you@meisneraudioprograms.com and then use the promo code IVAN5O for 50% off of everything. All of the proceeds go to the BNI Foundation. Thank you so much for listening. This is Priscilla Rice, and we look forward to having you join us again next week for another exciting episode of the official B and I podcast.
[15:18]
B
Priscilla, I've never done this at the end of a podcast, but I'm going to throw something else in if you don't mind. And that is, if you're an education coordinator. Please share this information with your chapter. They really need to hear it. Thanks, Priscilla.
[15:32]
A
Okay, great. Thanks, Simon.