I have been a member for coming up to 7 years. I would not have remained a member if I did not appreciate the benefits. The benefits are several:
Referrals leading to income for my business, support from what is a great community, access to products and services that have benefited me and my clients/friends/family

If you treat BNI as an integral part of your business, rather than an external attachment, I believe you will experience greater success.

Where else can you have 30+ people as sales consultants on the ground trying to find you referrals every week, without it costing an arm and a leg.

With Corona-19, it is more important than ever to have advocates for your business trying to help you survive. Better than being out there as a small business with fewer marketing/sales channels and fewer income streams doing it alone. Isolation can be terrible for any business. BNI is like a family.

I have taken on many roles within BNI, it feels better to give back, and be more of a contributor and less of a spectator. It's all about Givers Gain.