Lead$ of North Fresno is an organization of business people desiring to build each other's businesses and customer bases through social and professional contacts. No more than one representative of each category can be admitted to the membership.

Meetings

Weekly breakfast meetings are held at:
Yosemite Falls Café
4020 N. Cedar Ave, Fresno, CA 93726

This Club holds a weekly breakfast meeting starting at 7.15 AM each Thursday except for public holidays. The meetings feature members only as Speaker, Greeter and Exhibitor. The regular weekly breakfast meeting shall end at 8.30AM except on special occasions as approved by the Board of Directors.

The club holds 4 social outings for members and spouses  (1 per quarter) including the end of year Christmas party. These social events usually replace a weekly meeting and members are expected to attend.

 

Membership

• There is only one class of membership, that being active members.
• The active membership shall consist of men and women of good character and community standing residing within the local area and have one vote.
• The active membership of this club shall be composed of categories of occupations listed on the official membership category list approved by the Board. A member may only control two (2) of these categories and must work a majority of the time in those occupations.
• Occasionally a slight overlap of occupations will occur and conflicts of interest become apparent. In the case of a conflict, the proposed member, in a conflict situation, must write a letter outlining how they will represent the club. The letter must then be approved by the Board of Directors.
• Prospective members must attend two (2) consecutive meetings and submit an application to the Membership Chair. A club social is considered a meeting. Prospective members will not attend the third meeting and a written vote will be held by the membership. Three “no” votes will be sufficient to deny an application membership, unless there are less than 30 members in the club. If the membership is higher than 30 members, ten percent (10%) of the number shall be required to vote “no” to deny the applicant membership.
• An alternate may represent the member if that person represents the same company and the company owns the membership. The alternate must be approved by the Board of Directors in writing. An alternate may represent the individual member only eight (8) times per year and never more than two consecutive meetings. The alternate cannot hold any office or committee position and shall have no voting rights.
• Individual memberships are non-transferrable.
• Membership shall be owned by the individual or the company which pays the initial membership fee and annual renewal fee. If the individual or company leaves the club, the rights to the membership will be forfeited.
• If the individual member changes the company or category which they represent and owns the membership, the Board of Directors shall have the right to approve or disapprove the new company or category. After approval by the Board of Directors, the members shall vote on acceptance of the member as provided in Section 3.1.3 of the By-laws.
• If the company owns the membership and changes members, the Board of Directors shall have the right to approve or disapprove the new member and shall advise the company in writing. Company memberships are terminated if the company is sold. Membership is not transferrable to any new owners. New owners may apply for membership and pay the membership fee.
• Any member may resign from the club provided all their indebtedness to the Club has been paid. The resignation shall be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors and shall become effective when accepted by the Board. Membership fees and breakfast dues are non-refundable.

Contribution

As a part of membership responsibilities, members are required to bring valid leads every week to Lead$ of North Fresno and prospective new members as visitors whenever possible. It's important that each member is actively seeking business opportunities for the other members. As per our by-laws you must:

• Provide a minimum of four (4) leads per quarter
• Recruit one new applicant that becomes a member in the first year.
• Make contact with other members. Visit their place of business. Do a lunch meeting. Learn how you can exchange leads.
• Provide testimonials for those members you do business with.
• Ask your customers and prospects about any other products or services they might need and you can help them find. Become even more valuable to your customers.
• Qualified referrals or introductions provide the best results, especially when they are expecting the other member's call. Try to pre-qualify, if possible. Bring the lead in any case.
• Every week you will give a 30-60 second infomercial about what you do and what qualifies as a good lead or referral. Don't ramble or get off track. If you are looking for a specific kind of lead or referral, mention it. Listen intently to everyone else's infomercial, even if you've heard it before.
• Periodically, you will be asked to do an expanded 10-minute presentation. Use this time to showcase your company, expertise, product or service. Everyone should learn something that can help you get more business.

Attendance Policy

It is the responsibility of the Vice-President to track attendance and enforce the attendance policy.

For the continued success of the business referral group, regular attendance is a commitment that must be made by each member. All members are expected to attend all meetings and remain until the end of the meeting. Members are encouraged to plan other appointments or events at a time that is not in conflict with the Lead$ of North Fresno meeting. In the event that a member needs to miss one or more meetings, a leave of absence may be granted for unexpected family circumstances. A leave must be pre-approved by notifying the Vice-President.

Unless on approved leave, if a member or the alternate misses two (2) consecutive unexcused meetings, or four (4) meetings in a calendar quarter, excused or not, then the membership will be subject to forfeiture.

Ethics

Members can only belong to the Lead$ of North Fresno group and to no other Leads or Tip organizations, defined as business networking groups that convene for the sole purpose of leading business to the members of that group through word of mouth marketing.

In the case of an attendance, payment or ethical problem with a member, the Ethics Chair may at their sole discretion, put a member on probation relating to the member's business practices or commitment to the group. The Chair will establish a reasonable time period for the member to comply. If the member does not comply within that time period, the Chair may revoke membership.

No member shall recruit other members or guests for the purpose of joining their sales force or multilevel organization.

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Dues

Each new member shall pay annual due prorated through the end of the current year. The payment of dues is a prerequisite to admission to membership, payable prior to becoming a member. Dues are non-refundable unless applicant is refused membership. If paying by credit card an invoice can be sent in advance of voting so that it can be paid online and in the case of a new member being denied membership the total amount will be refunded immediately.

Checks may be given to, or mailed to the Treasurer. Major credit cards are also accepted.

Pro-Rata Formula

Quarter 1 - $95 full year membership plus $8.50 per week remaining in quarter for breakfast dues.
Quarter 2 - $71 partial year membership plus $8.50 per week remaining in quarter for breakfast dues.
Quarter 3 - $47 partial year membership plus $8.50 per week l remaining in quarter for breakfast dues.
Quarter 4 - $24 partial year membership plus $8.50 per week remaining in quarter for breakfast dues.

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM

Late Fees

The fiscal year is from January 1st of each year until December 31st. Annual renewal fees shall be due yearly, on the first day of January. A member shall be in good standing if they are not more than thirty (30) days in arrears in payment of any indebtedness.

A late fee of $10.00 per week will be assessed on all unpaid accounts. If dues are not paid within 30 days, membership may be terminated. Returned checks are subject to bank charges and will be considered late, late fines will be imposed. Dues are non-refundable.

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