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BNI+ vs Independent Chapter Tools: What Your Leadership Team Should Know in 2026
BNI's official meeting platform is award-winning. Independent tools solve a different part of the week. Here's an honest look at both.
Short answer: Instead of typing attendance and weekly stats into PALMS by hand, sync them from a tool your members already use. The free Business Attendance browser extension adds a panel to the PALMS page in BNI Connect. Pick the meeting and click Sync Attendance, then sync one-to-ones, CEUs, visitors, referrals and TYFCB the same way. Review the result and submit it yourself, as always.
The weekly PALMS problem
If you are a Vice President, you know the screen. A form with one row per member and a handful of drop-downs and boxes on each. In a 54-member chapter that is hundreds of fields, filled in by hand from notes, a spreadsheet or memory, and it comes round again next week.
It is also the one report where a mistake matters: attendance and activity numbers feed chapter health, member reviews and recognition.
What goes into PALMS each week
- Attendance per member: present, absent, late, medical, substitute
- One-to-ones held
- CEUs (education credits)
- Visitors brought
- Referrals given
- TYFCB: thank-you for closed business
Every one of these is usually already known somewhere: in a WhatsApp reply, a slide, a member's own notes. PALMS is where it gets typed in one more time.
The faster method, step by step
Step 1: Install the free extension (10 seconds, once)
Find Business Attendance in your browser's extension store and click Add. It works on Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on Mac and iOS. The extension itself is free.
Step 2: Sign in once
Click the extension and sign in with your Business Attendance account. You will not be asked again.
Step 3: Open your chapter's PALMS report
Go to the PALMS entry page in BNI Connect as usual. A Business Attendance panel appears with two sections: attendance coming in, and your weekly numbers going out.
Step 4: Sync attendance
Pick the meeting you are reporting on (upcoming or past, depending on your chapter settings) and click Sync Attendance. Everyone your members marked present or absent in Business Attendance is filled in. In our demo chapter, that was 37 members in one click.
Step 5: Sync weekly stats
One-to-ones, CEUs, visitors, referrals and TYFCB that members logged during the week go into PALMS the same way.
Step 6: Review and submit yourself
Nothing is sent until you have reviewed the form and pressed the button. It is still your report.
The safety checks that make it trustworthy
Automation in an official report has to be careful. The extension:
- Lists names it could not match between the two systems, so you can fill those in by hand.
- Checks the date. If the PALMS page does not match the event you picked, it stops and tells you.
- Never submits for you.
Where the attendance comes from
The sync only works if attendance was captured properly before the meeting. That is the other half of the system: members confirm with one tap by email or SMS, and the list is ready on meeting morning. See how to track attendance at a BNI meeting without chasing anyone.
Bonus: keep your profile in sync too
The same extension compares your BNI Connect profile with your Business Attendance profile field by field (company, industry, bio, photo) and copies only what you tick. It is useful for every member, not just the VP.
How much time this saves
Reporting is about 3 hours a week for many leadership teams. Over a year that is more than 140 hours for PALMS alone, and it is part of the 240 hours a year chapter leadership loses to admin.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Chrome extension for BNI Connect?
Yes. The Business Attendance extension works on the BNI Connect profile and PALMS pages. It is independent and not made by BNI.
Can I sync TYFCB, referrals and one-to-ones into PALMS?
Yes. Weekly stats members logged in Business Attendance can be synced into the PALMS form, and you review them before submitting.
Does the extension submit PALMS automatically?
No. It fills the form, and you review and submit it.
What if a member's name is different in the two systems?
The extension lists unmatched names instead of guessing, so you can enter them manually.
Does it work on Safari or iPhone?
Yes. It is available for Safari on Mac and iOS, as well as Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
Get your evening back
Get the free extension and Business Attendance →
Want the full picture? Read the free BNI chapter meeting tool that gives you 10 days a year back.
BNI® and BNI Connect® are trademarks of BNI Global, LLC. BusinessAttendance.com is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by BNI Global.
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