The world’s largest business referral organisation
What is BNI
BNI is an international organisation that supports business owners in growing their businesses by building valuable relationships and exchanging referrals. It operates in 78 countries and brings together 355,000 Members worldwide. It has been present in Poland for 20 years, and its community is made up of around 2,300 business owners.
BNI is built on local Chapters that bring together business owners from different industries. At weekly meetings, Members get to know one another’s companies, build trust and exchange business referrals. Each speciality is represented in a Chapter by one business owner, which encourages cooperation instead of competition. But BNI is more than networking. It is also a space for sharing experience, gaining knowledge and developing skills that support the growth of both the company and its owner.
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Givers Gain®
We follow one philosophy: Givers Gain® — those who give, gain. You help other business owners win customers, and they help you. Everyone knows your speciality, so their referrals are specific rather than general.
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More than a meeting
BNI Membership means growth beyond weekly Chapter Meetings as well. BNI Academy, training, workshops and events in Poland and worldwide let you gain knowledge, share experience and build business relationships.
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Connected by trust since 1985
Since 1985, BNI has shown that effective business is founded on relationships built on trust. Regular meetings build cooperation and referrals, while the international community lets them grow beyond Poland’s borders.
Get to know BNI from the inside
See what BNI Chapter Meetings look like and discover how business owners build trust, relationships and cooperation.
Grow your business with BNI
Join a BNI Chapter, build valuable connections and discover new opportunities to grow your business through referrals.
Build a community with BNI
Meet business owners from your city or region and discover local BNI Chapters where valuable business relationships begin.
Knowledge that gives you an edge
Develop your skills through training, workshops and BNI Academy. Gain knowledge you can use in business.
A global organisation, a local community
BNI connects business owners around the world, supporting business growth through valuable relationships and referrals. Although the organisation operates globally, its strength lies in local Chapters. This is where business owners from different industries meet every week, build trust and discover new opportunities to work together.
- 78
- countries
- 355,000
- Members worldwide
- 20 years
- in Poland
- nearly 100
- Chapters
- c. 2,300
- business owners in the community in Poland
Why BNI works
BNI’s strength lies in a proven model of cooperation, developed since 1985 by business owners around the world. It is not about random contacts, but about regular meetings, clearly defined rules and consistently building trust. As a result, Members get to know one another’s companies better, understand each other’s needs and can pass on valuable business referrals.
BNI Membership, however, goes beyond weekly Chapter Meetings. It also means access to the knowledge, inspiration and experience of business owners from different industries. BNI Academy, educational programmes, workshops and conferences create space for developing skills and sharing experience. Events take place locally as well as at national and international level. Although BNI Chapters operate in different countries, they share a common way of working and the same principles of cooperation. As a Member, you can therefore build relationships not only in your region but also with business owners across Poland and around the world. You gain access to an international community, knowledge and tools that support your company’s growth and help you discover new business opportunities.
Four decades. One community.
BNI’s history began in 1985 in California. Today the organisation connects business owners in 78 countries, and its foundation remains the same values: trust, cooperation and mutual referrals. By joining a local Chapter, you become part of an international community in which business relationships can grow far beyond your city and Poland.
Our ambition is to create BNI Chapters in cities across Poland, so that more and more business owners have access to a community that supports the growth of their companies. BNI is also involved in cooperation with organisations that support entrepreneurship, as well as local and social initiatives. We believe that strong business relationships not only open up new opportunities for cooperation but also contribute to the development of local communities.
Why referrals work
A referred customer calls already convinced — someone they trust has vouched for you with their own reputation. It is a mechanism of trust: one that can be understood — and used as a foundation for business growth.
According to BNI research, 98% of companies gain customers through referrals, yet only 3% have a referral strategy. Most companies do not realise how significant this source is — or how rarely anyone uses it deliberately. BNI was created to change that.
A referral works because someone vouches for you to a person they know — and does so only when they know your work. That is why a conversation that comes from a referral starts in a different place from a cold call: not with an explanation of what you do, but with when you can begin.
Referrals understood in this way rarely happen by themselves. Someone needs to know your company well, remember it at the right moment and know how to present it — and that is difficult to plan alone.
For most companies, referrals remain a welcome surprise rather than a consistent source of customers.
At BNI, this happens regularly: every week you meet business owners who know your company and understand the customer you are looking for. You also learn how to make and ask for referrals — through workshops, training and events in your region, across Poland and worldwide. This helps you find a referral even where you are only planning to operate: in another city or another country.
Core Values of BNI
At BNI, values are not just a declaration — they are the foundation of everyday cooperation. Right from the admission stage, each application is reviewed by the Membership Committee, which looks not only at the speciality but also at the readiness to build relationships and follow shared principles. BNI’s seven Core Values connect Members and those who support the organisation’s growth around the world.
They set the direction of everything we do — from weekly meetings and exchanging referrals to training, workshops and joint initiatives. The Givers Gain® philosophy, accountability, lifelong learning and mutual respect create an environment that fosters trust and long-term business relationships. Whether you meet business owners in Kraków, Warsaw, Singapore or New York, you become part of a community built on the same values. Because although our experiences, industries and perspectives differ, we share the belief that by supporting the growth of others, we also create new opportunities for ourselves.
Givers Gain®
Those who give, gain. You help others win business — and in turn win business yourself.
02Building Relationships
Referrals grow from trust, and trust grows from relationships nurtured week after week.
03Lifelong Learning
Networking can be learned. Training, workshops and the BNI Academy online learning platform develop Members throughout the year.
04Traditions + Innovation
We work with BNI’s proven global system and continually modernise the way we operate.
05Positive Attitude
We surround ourselves with people who seek solutions and energise one another.
06Recognition
Every referral and every expression of thanks before the Chapter is public recognition of work done well.
07Accountability
When you refer someone, you put your own reputation behind them. We treat commitments to the Chapter and referred customers like our own contracts.
Learning and events
BNI membership is more than weekly Chapter meetings. It is also a chance to gain knowledge, develop skills and build valuable business relationships at training sessions, workshops and events in Poland and around the world.
Education is an integral part of BNI. Through the BNI Academy platform, training programmes and workshops, Members sharpen their skills in networking, building trust and exchanging referrals effectively. It is a process that accompanies them at every stage of membership.
From local meetings and national conferences to international events, BNI creates space to share experiences, find inspiration and discover new opportunities to work together.
We grow with you
BNI supports a business owner at their current stage — and as the company grows, the organisation grows with it. The growth of your business opens the next level within the same community.
The entry point is a BNI Chapter: weekly meetings, referrals and the community of business owners you discover on this page. Many Members started here — and their companies grew because they participated actively, attended training and events, and spoke with other business owners. The model works better the longer you take part in it.
As a company grows, so do its owner’s needs. That is why Corporate Connections operates within the same community — the same Givers Gain® philosophy among owners of larger-scale companies. If you feel that your company qualifies, discover this level and contact us.
We support you at every stage of this journey — from your first referrals to a truly high level of growth. The principle remains unchanged: you surround yourself with business owners who understand the scale at which you operate and share your direction. If your company grows — we grow with you.
- Owners of small and medium-sized companies.entry pointBNIup to PLN 10 million in annual revenue
- Owners and principal shareholders of companies that have outgrown the small and medium scale and are at a stage of rapid growth.larger-scale companiesBNI+PLN 10 million to 100 million in annual revenue
- Owners and principal shareholders of large companies with a nationwide and international reach.higher levelCorporate ConnectionsPLN 100 million to 1 billion in annual revenue
- Owners of the largest companies in Poland with full ownership decision-making power.highest levelCorporate Connections+over PLN 1 billion in annual revenue
- BNI up to PLN 10 million in annual revenue. Owners of small and medium-sized companies.
- BNI+ PLN 10 million to 100 million in annual revenue. Owners and principal shareholders of companies that have outgrown the small and medium scale and are at a stage of rapid growth.
- Corporate Connections PLN 100 million to 1 billion in annual revenue. Owners and principal shareholders of large companies with a nationwide and international reach.
- Corporate Connections+ over PLN 1 billion in annual revenue. Owners of the largest companies in Poland with full ownership decision-making power.
Stories of business owners
In short interviews, people who run their own companies explain what changed after they joined a Chapter.
Above all, BNI is people — business owners who grow their companies with passion, knowledge and skill. Many have grown their businesses even further through BNI: they found referred customers, business partners and people who can view their company from the outside and suggest what to do next.
Voices on BNI
“BNI is probably the best organisation in the world.”
Brian Tracyworld-class business and sales trainer
