[bigdipper]

I am a member of a networking group which broke away from the main organisation (not BNI).

I've been a member for 10+ years and while I don't attend myself these days I still send another staff member.

Over these 10 years it has been worth it as one lead has led to many dollars of income.

A few points to note are:
- who are the group members.
- Are the members interested in referring leads or just in bringing more members to the meetings.
- what industry are the other members in and are those iindustries related to yours.
- what do you want to get out of membership - more paying work, building your brand etc

Our group now has a low 6 monthly membership fee which is donated to a local charity rather than lining hte pockets of someone!

You can also gain other benefits from being a member of a group like this:
- public speaking
- creating an elevator speech (which is valuable in all sorts of situations)

So attend a few groups and see what you think.