Tucson Business Club
Networking and Referral Group
4371 W Viewpointe Pl
Tucson, AZ 85741
(520) 481-5505
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Goal:
The goal of The Tucson Business Club is to provide a highly advanced and well structured networking system that serves as a vehicle for quality business to business referring and unprecedented growth of its members’ businesses.
ARTICLE I: Description of Business
The Tucson Business Club, occasionally referred to as the "TBC", is in no way related to, or affiliated with, the Tucson Business Connection which has been branded as "TBC".
The name of the organization shall be The Tucson Business Club, and operate from the address:
4371 W Viewpoint Pl
Tucson, AZ 85741
The Tucson Business Club shall eventually operate in multiple cities and within each city The Tucson Business Club may operate multiple “Chapters”. A Chapter can be described as a meeting group & place defined geographically that lies within a city. There could be several chapters within any geographical area of a city. The Tucson Business Club will expand and add additional chapters in any of the geographical areas. For example: the NE region of a city might have one chapter today and four chapters in the future.
ARTICLE II: OBJECTIVES
The objectives of The Tucson Business Club are to:
Create a comprehensive network of professionals, service providers, and business owners (hereafter collectively referred to as “professionals”) who consistently provide exceptional customer service. They make up the membership of the Tucson Business Club;
Create an expansive network of professionals who are actively engaged in creating mutually beneficial business relationships, and that share a common vision to help each other grow their business.
Provide a platform for the advertisement and marketing of the goods, and or services offered by its members;
Provide an innovative and structured meeting framework designed to educate the members regarding general business practices and referring practices in order to ensure the quality and prosperity of the membership as a whole.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP Rules, PERFORMANCE and Expectations
All members agree to:
Provide exceptional customer service, striving to exceed their client’s expectations every time.
Be conscious of other members’ time. In the event a member requests a private meeting outside of chapter meetings it should be done with the intent of providing a benefit/business/introduction to the member being invited to meet. In no case, shall a member invite another member to meet for the sole purpose to sell their products or services to the other member. Intent of the meeting should be to discuss how a mutually beneficial relationship might be formed.
Conduct themselves in an honest and ethical manner at all times. Never to taint or jeopardize the reputation of Tucson Business Club and its quality.
Never publically slander or defame the name or reputation of the Tucson Business Club, or any of its members.
Join and actively support a The Tucson Business Club chapter once they are established.
Never recruit or hire employees of an existing member from within their chapter or other chapters of the Tucson Business Club.
Promote and provide only the service they represent as a member of their Chapter within The Tucson Business Club. If a member provides multiple services as defined by The Tucson Business Club, that member may not solicit any client referred by the network for those services that the member does not represent within the network. The member should refer that business to the appropriate member in the network that does represent those services. If no other member in the network represents that particular service, the original member may then provide the service.
Not send “spam” email to other members.
Provide all offers and incentives to members in writing so as to avoid any mis-communication.
Allow The Tucson Business Club to distribute and publish promotional information about members to other members and potential members, using the member’s business name and logo if necessary. In the event member wishes to have their company name/logo removed from any marketing or advertising material said member agrees to pay the cost to have that material removed.
Treat all information regarding the business and networking methodologies and technologies of The Tucson Business Club as proprietary. Never release, disclose, or duplicate any of this information to/with any other referral network group or competitor of The Tucson Business Club.
Conform to the rules of The Tucson Business Club, whether expressed in the by-laws or otherwise. These rules may, from time to time, be adapted or changed by The Tucson Business Club.
At the annual membership date of a member, that member may apply to renew membership in the network. The Tucson Business Club will consider many aspects of a member’s performance when determining eligibility for membership renewal. Factors for consideration include but are not limited to:
1) Manage their referral business: each member is expected to effectively manage the referrals they receive from the network. It is expected that any new referral shall be contacted as soon as possible but not to exceed one (1) business days after the referral was submitted to the member. Quality of service delivered to clients shall be provided at a level sufficient to maintain a high satisfaction rating from those clients as measured from feedback generated by The Tucson Business Club.
2) Meeting participation: Members are encouraged to attend and participate in meetings as this will have a direct impact on the results they experience. If a member misses three consecutive meetings, we will assume the member has no desire to remain an active member of the Club and their membership shall be terminated and the position may be offered to another service provider in that industry. In addition, a member who misses more than 50% of the meetings in a calendar quarter shall have abandoned their membership as well. No refunds (pro-rated or otherwise) will be issued and no notice is required of the Tucson Business Club of termination of membership. Member will be removed from database and receive no additional invitations to attend TBC events.
3) Membership growth: All members understand that it is in the best interest of the network and all of the members to maintain good quality of membership, and to have an expansive, organically grown network of referring partners. Each member agrees to share information about the Tucson Business Club with other quality service providers they know via direct email, social media or otherwise. Each member agrees to bring a minimum of one guest per quarter to a Tucson Business Club luncheon/breakfast. Some of these quality service providers will join the network and make it that much stronger for every member.
On a quarterly basis, The Tucson Business Club may evaluate a member’s collective performance (as defined above). If a member’s actual performance is deemed low, The Tucson Business Club may contact that member to establish an expectation for the next business quarter. A members standing within The Tucson Business Club may be terminated for pervasive and/or consecutive quarters of low performance. A member’s position within the Tucson Business Club may be terminated immediately for providing substandard service to clients referred by the network of members.
All members hereby expressly release, hold harmless and indemnify The Tucson Business Club, its owners and officers from any and all liability and responsibility stemming from actions/services, whether negligent or not, that are performed by the members of The Tucson Business Club.
The Tucson Business Club does not determine specific industry/professional restrictions or ethical opinions and regulations on becoming a member, imposed on a perspective member from the industry/professional regulating bodies. For example, the State Bar of Arizona may determine attorneys are not allowed to belong to a networking group except under certain conditions, and only those groups approved of by the Bar. The Tucson Business Club does reserve the right to restrict certain types of business structures from membership in the club. For example, we do not allow any type of Multi Level Marketing Business to be represented in the Club.
*Certain professions prohibit providing a referral with the expectation of receiving a referral in exchange. Under these circumstances members may join The Tucson Business Club for the purpose of obtaining service providers to refer to but may have an ethical obligation to refuse to accept referrals from RT members. If, in the professional’s opinion, the acceptance of such a referral may create an ethical violation or appearance of such, the member may refuse to accept that referral.
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP
Members shall be classified according to business, trade or occupation within each Chapter.
There shall be one (1) representative of each profession in any given Chapter except for the Oro Valley Chapter where we will allow two (2) of any profession. As this chapter grows we may consider allowing three (3) of any profession.
The Tucson Business Club does not allow any type of multi-level marketing (MLM) business concepts to be represented as a profession in the network except for the following:
If the service provider owns and operates business with a physical location and offers MLM products as one small part of the products/services sold from the business. The perspective member shall not attempt to recruit members of the network of their referrals to buy into the business or "downline" portion of the MLM. They may only represent or sell the product or service. In addition:
In the event a merger or acquisition of an existing networking group occurs and a new Tucson Business Club chapter is created as a result, if there are members of the original group who are in a MLM type of business, they may continue to represent that MLM business in the Tucson Business Club after the acquisition. These MLM members would be restricted to membership in the newly created chapter and could not transfer to another TBC Chapter. Once the new chapter is created, no additional MLM businesses would be allowed to join.
An individual membership shall be limited to a professional with policy-making authority or who is otherwise determined to be eligible by the owners of the Tucson Business Club.
Membership in any Chapter shall be on a first come, first served basis. The member that completes the application process, is approved and pays for the membership dues first shall be awarded the position within the Chapter. In the event a new chapter opens any existing member has first right of refusal to represent that profession in the new chapter as long as they abide by rules outlined in the bylaws concerning multiple memberships.
Multiple Memberships: A good active member (attends high percentage of meetings, supports other members and brings new members into the network) of The Tucson Business Club may apply for and hold more than one classification/profession within a Chapter up to a maximum of two (2) separate professions as defined by The Tucson Business Club. A separate membership fee shall be paid for each business classification/profession they represent. The decision as to whether or not different services provided by a member constitute more than one classification/profession shall be at the sole discretion of The Tucson Business Club.
One individual member may join more than one chapter.
Classification Change: A member may request a change in business classification/profession that they represent within a Chapter. The member must complete a new application to be processed for the new business classification/profession they will represent. No additional membership fee will be required. All business classification/profession changes are subject to approval by The Tucson Business Club.
Chapter Change: A member may transfer to another chapter under the following conditions:
Sale/Assignment of membership: A member may not sell or assign a membership to another individual/company.
Other Referral Groups: We place no restrictions on our members and encourage them to participate in other networking groups and actually openly promote other networking groups that have proven to be effective like Oro Valley Business Club, Local First AZ and N.E.T. We do expect that each member consistently refer to those professions represented in The Tucson Business Club, and that they do as much to grow/promote Tucson Business Club as another networking group they are part of.
In no case shall a member of the Tucson Business Club join any networking group that would prohibit the membership in Tucson Business Club (many networking groups have restrictions and will not allow a member to belong to another networking group). No member of the Tucson Business Club can solicit another member of the Tucson Business Club to join another networking group with such restrictions. Violation of this shall result in immediate termination of membership in the Tucson Business Club.
It is expressly understood that NO member shall discuss or share any of the business methodologies of The Tucson Business Club with any other networking group or competing organization.
Acceptance: Payment of the membership fee constitutes acceptance and willingness of the member to conform to the rules of The Tucson Business Club, whether those rules are expressed in the by-laws or otherwise.
Alternate Member: The Tucson Business Club allows for the substituting of an alternate member in the event a member cannot attend a regularly scheduled meeting (hereinafter “alternate member”). Alternate Members must be approved by The Tucson Business Club in advance of the meeting and must serve in a decision making capacity within the organization they represent. All referrals must be managed by the member, not the alternate.
Leaves of Absence: If for good cause and upon The Tucson Business Club approval, a member in good standing may be granted permission to not support their business classification and membership within The Tucson Business Club for a maximum of six (6) months.
Guests: Guests may attend one luncheon as a guest before deciding to become a member.
Every member of The Tucson Business Club understands that their membership in The Tucson Business Club is permissive in nature and violation of the bylaws could cause that membership to be revoked by The Tucson Business Club at any time, without recourse and without refund.
ARTICLE V: Membership Fees
Fee structure and amounts shall be determined by The Tucson Business Club and are subject to change. Memberships are for a period of one year from the date paid, and are due in advance.
Late Payments: Any member who fails to pay dues and other organization expenses within fifteen (15) days of the due date shall be delinquent and shall be so advised by The Tucson Business Club. If the amount is still delinquent after an additional fifteen (15) days, the membership will be suspended and the member shall be notified. Membership may then be terminated at any time by The Tucson Business Club. When a member is terminated, notice shall be given to the member in writing from The Tucson Business Club.
Refund Policy: In the event an applicant is declined for membership after paying the membership, the fee shall be refunded to the perspective member. As a general policy, there are no refunds on membership fees once an applicant has been approved for membership. Under special circumstances the membership fee may be refunded at the sole discretion of The Tucson Business Club.
Meals: Members will prepay for meals at the beginning of each month via electronic payment (debit, credit or ACH is available). In the event a member cannot attend a lunch they are encouraged to invite a guest to attend in their absence. If a member does not attend a meeting there is no refund on the amount collected for that meal. If meals are not paid for by the 4th day of each month, the member will not be allowed to attend additional meetings until the meal charges are paid in full including all arrearages.
If not paid within 30 days, membership will be canceled.
ARTICLE VI: Advisory Board
For all cities that The Tucson Business Club operates in, there shall be established an Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will consist of members who serve on a voluntary basis. The purpose of the Advisory Board is to provide advice and direction for The Tucson Business Club on various issues or decisions that need to be made.
ARTICLE VII: BUSINESS REGION OFFICERS
Once membership is at a point where individual chapters are launched (as determined by the Advisory Board) each Chapter shall have a President, Vice President and Membership Director. They shall serve for a term of one year and hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified. However, they shall not hold office for more than two consecutive terms, nor shall any person hold more than one office at a time.
Duties:
The President shall preside over all meetings, assist the ownership of The Tucson Business Club with the appointing of any committee members and shall vote on all appropriate matters to their position. The President will provide guidance and leadership to their Chapter and oversee its overall operation.
The Vice President shall, in the absence of the President, have all the powers and perform all the duties of the President with regard to the Chapter meeting and membership. The Vice President shall assist the President in any capacity necessary to benefit the Chapter which is in accordance with the bylaws.
The Membership Director shall be responsible for greeting/welcoming new members, assisting the The Tucson Business Club owners with Chapter membership growth and assisting the Vice President with duties necessary for the benefit of the Chapter which are in accordance with the bylaws.
ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS
Regular meetings of the membership shall be held approximately every two weeks or as determined by the Chapter Management and by the approval of the owners of The Tucson Business Club. Meeting days and times shall be determined by a vote of the Chapter members at the time each Chapter is created. One -third of the existing membership being present and in good standing shall constitute a quorum at any Chapter meeting and action may be taken on behalf of the membership. Reasonable notice of meetings shall be communicated to the membership by the Chapter officers in the event they are different than typically scheduled.
Members shall not be permitted to attend chapter meetings of another chapter for which they are not a member. The exception to this rule is that any member may attend any The Tucson Business Club Central (meeting held for members waiting for their respective Chapter to be launched) or Orientation (training) meeting.
See Article III for more information regarding meeting attendance.
ARTICLE IX: ELECTIONS FOR CHAPTER OFFICERS
An “Annual” Chapter meeting, to be attended by the members of that Chapter only, shall be held on the first Chapter meeting in December of each year to elect new Chapter officers. All prospective officers must be in good standing as related to the performance minimums provided in Article III. All officers shall hold their respective offices for a period of one year. Nominations of the leadership shall be held on the first meeting in November. All elections results shall be by cumulative voting of the members present. The new officers shall be installed the first meeting in January.
ARTICLE XI: Dispute, Resolution, Grievance Procedures and Remedies:
Scope:
Attendance, violation of confidentiality, issues related to Article III, and matters relating to fees and dues are reserved for the Advisory Board. This article applies to issues, questions and disputes between members which relate to behavioral and financial issues connected to The Tucson Business Club, its members, and business referrals. All other significant issues involving the objectives (Article II) not otherwise reserved directly to the Advisory Board are included within the scope of this article. Utilization of procedures herein is available only to current The Tucson Business Club members.
Dispute Resolution:
The Tucson Business Club encourages and recommends its members exercise extensive personal efforts to resolve disputes before resorting to the procedures set forth herein.
In the event of an un-reconciled dispute between members of a Chapter(s), a formal written complaint must be submitted to the President(s) of that/those Chapter(s). A Grievance Committee shall be convened consisting of member volunteers from other Chapters (no member from the complainants’ Chapter(s) shall be allowed to serve on the grievance committee). All parties to the complaint shall be allowed to present their case to the Grievance Committee for resolution.
Remedy:
The Grievance Committee may make any remedy recommendations they deem suitable, however their recommendation must have the approval of the owners of The Tucson Business Club. Compliance with the determination will be a condition of continued membership for all parties. The Tucson Business Club shall inform the parties involved of the final approved recommendations. The recommendations may be appealed provided it is done unanimously by all members involved in the dispute and under the condition that any new recommendations approved will be honored by all parties. An appeal must be provided in writing within 30 days of being informed by the Tucson Business Club of the original approved recommendation. A new Grievance Committee will be convened and a new recommendation will be rendered by this new committee which again must be approved by the owners of The Tucson Business Club. The new approved recommendation will again be provided to the involved parties through a communication from The Tucson Business Club.
Created June 2nd, 2010
(Modified June 20, 2011)
