Mentoring Definitions Overview

Face-to-Face Mentoring

Mentoring occurs when a SCORE mentor or team of mentors receive a request for business advice and responds by providing substantive advice. The client must complete Form 641, Request for Mentoring. In addition:

• The initial mentoring case or session must be 60 minutes or more in length in order to be reported as a case and the information is captured on Form 641, Request for Mentoring. Preparatory time is reported in addition to the length of a mentoring session.
• To be counted as a mentoring case or session, the advice given should be of sufficient value to have resulted in a billable client service by a paid consultant.
• A session with two or more individuals representing a single business entity or client counts as one mentoring session or case.
• A session with two or more mentors (team mentoring) and a single business entity or client counts as one mentoring session or case.
• Travel time will be tracked so that mentors are credited with having worked the time, but this will not be included in the length of a mentoring session or is the time credited to the mentoring session.

Online Mentoring

• The initial mentoring case or session must be 60 minutes or more in length in order to be reported as a case and the information is captured on Form 641, Request for Mentoring. Preparatory time is reported in addition to the length of a mentoring session.
• To be counted as a mentoring case or session, the advice given should be of sufficient value to have resulted in a billable client service by a paid consultant.
• Must follow the online mentoring guidelines.

Telephone Mentoring

• The initial mentoring case or session must be 60 minutes or more in length in order to be reported as a case and the information is captured on Form 641, Request for Mentoring.  Preparatory time is reported in addition to the length of a mentoring session.
• To be counted as a mentoring case or session, the advice given should be of sufficient value to have resulted in a billable client service by a paid consultant.

What Does Not Constitute Mentoring

Telephone mentoring of less than 60 minutes is not counted as a mentoring session but can be counted as an information transfer if substantial business-related information is transferred to the individual providing non-business information or advice is not counted as a case or session. The following are examples of some of the activities that do not constitute a mentoring case or a session:

• Client calls for and receives directions to the chapter or information about office hours or SCORE activities.
• Client calls for and receives the telephone numbers of local or state government offices for business registration or other contact information for other potential resources.
• Client visits or is referred to a chapter, mentor or another Web site for information.
• Client registers on a chapter or volunteer Web site for any purpose other than a request for email mentoring.
• Client downloads information, software, templates or other files from a chapter volunteer or other Web site without mentor contact that meets the definition of a case.
• Client is sent an email newsletter or other information electronically without additional mentor contact that meets the definition of a case.
• Mentor contacts a client for the purpose of scheduling a meeting, and the conversation does not meet the definition of a case.
• Mentor contacts a client for the purpose of following up or checking in, and the conversation does not meet the definition of a case.
• Mentor or chapter closes out a case for administrative or other purposes, without additional client contact that meets the definition of a case or session.