National Mentoring Month

January is National Mentoring Month and a great time to engage your clients. 

SCORE HQ will celebrate National Mentoring Month by launching a campaign that connects aspiring entrepreneurs with expert mentors to help them navigate challenges and achieve their business goals.

Additionally, we will encourage clients to express gratitude to their current SCORE mentors for their invaluable support in shaping their business journey. 

Lastly, we’ll ask our clients to consider giving back by becoming a SCORE mentor in the new year to help impact the lives of small business owners within their local communities.

To help your chapter with promotions, we put together some resources you can use at the local level. You can use these branded graphics in your local marketing materials: Mentoring Month Graphics.

Constant Contact Email Draft 

A Constant Contact email template has been loaded into all chapter Constant Contact accounts. This template is meant to assist in driving local mentoring requests during National Mentoring Month. You can send this template as is or add chapter-specific content and imagery for a more local feel. 

To find this template:

1. Log in to Constant Contact
2. Click ‘Campaigns’ in the top menu
3. Click ‘Status’ in the menu on the left to expand the Status options. Select ‘Draft’. 
4. Find the email listed on this page. It will be titled: National Mentoring Month - Jan 2024 | Chapter Template
5. Make changes to the sender and/or logo as desired. 
6. Send the email to your list.

Social Media Posts

This National Mentoring Month, we are sharing resources and tools to help you celebrate your amazing chapter mentors and generate new mentoring clients to utilize SCORE services. We are providing the following assets, templates and social media posts for Social Media Chairs to help celebrate this observance in their local online communities.

Organic Posts on Social Media

We have created a library of content within SOCi for you to use as organic social media posts! Instructions on how to access the library are below, but feel free to customize the copy and add a local touch. 

View the SOCi Knowledge Base guide here OR follow these instructions:

1. Login to SOCi at https://app.meetsoci.com/
2. Navigate to Social > Libraries > "National Mentoring Month”
3. Choose a message you want to schedule.
4. Click the calendar icon next to the message. The message selected will then open as a pop-up for you to make any final edits.
5. Scroll down and click the check box next to “Schedule” in order to add this message for a future date on your Scheduler.
6. Then, choose the date and timing that you want your message to be published and click “Schedule Post” to add this message to your calendar.

Paid Posts on Social Media

SCORE’s trusted partner, Hiper, offers optional turn-key social media advertising campaigns to garner further engagement on your social media posts. 

Choose your own media budget and opt-in anytime. Package details, lead times and opt-in processes can be found at the link below!

View the most recent opt-in digital ad campaign packages here.

Do you have questions about social media advertising for your chapter? New in FY24, we invite you to join us for monthly office hours dedicated to answering chapter questions related to optional social media ad packages. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or new to the world of social advertising, the team at Hiper is ready to answer your questions and guide you through the campaign offerings.

Register for Hiper's Monthly Office Hours here.

Press Release Example 

Consider distributing a local press release about National Mentoring Month with details on how to find a mentor and the positive impact SCORE mentoring has on small business owners. A great feature for a press release for this month would be to feature a client success story and how mentoring has helped the client grow their small business.

For example, in 2023, SCORE HQ ran the following press release: From Startup to Shark Tank: Small Businesses Launch and Grow With Mentoring Support. 

The Success Story press release template is also a great starting point: Press Release Templates. 

Make sure to update the “About SCORE” blurb to: 

Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 11 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit SCORE at www.score.org.

Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.