SCORE Content Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in sharing and creating content on SCORE.org. Please review our Content Policy to understand the requirements for creating SCORE content. 

Our goal is to provide the education & tools necessary to help successfully start, grow or exit a small business. All content published on SCORE.org or distributed in print materials should align with that goal.

Due to SCORE’s status as a federally funded non-profit association, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when creating and sharing content:

1. Content must be relevant to SCORE's mission of fostering vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education. All content should help clients plan, start, run, grow, sell or exit a business. Content not related to these topics should not be published on SCORE.org.
   • Ensure all content is accurate, up-to-date, and fact checked. Use credible sources and provide references or citations where applicable.
   • Respect intellectual property rights. Do not use copyrighted materials without permission. Ensure that images, videos and other media used are either created by SCORE, licensed or free for use.
   • All content must be original and not copied from other sources. If quoting or referencing other works, proper attribution must be given.
   • The use of AI-generated content is allowed, but it needs to be carefully reviewed, fact-checked and edited by human experts to ensure accuracy, relevance and adherence to SCORE's Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethical Use Policy.
2. SCORE receives a federal grant to provide services, and we want to provide our clients with impartial and appropriate content. SCORE content should remain politically neutral. Do not share any political leanings or views in your content.
3. Under our grant restrictions, SCORE cannot endorse any companies, products or services and must provide at least three (3) options to remain impartial.
   • If you list a company, product or service in your content, you must provide at least two (2) other competitive options for consideration.
   • Do not promote, sell, offer discounts, advertise products or services or list any promotions in your content.
   • Disclose any potential conflicts of interest when presenting information or resources.
   • Avoid content that could be perceived as self-serving or biased.
4. External links are only allowed for educational purposes and must provide additional detail or serve as a credible source of information (such as studies, government resources, or industry research).
   • Links cannot be used solely to promote a product, service or company.
   • SCORE prohibits the use of link farms, private blog networks or any artificial linking schemes to manipulate search ranking.
5. Use respectful and non-discriminatory language. Avoid language that could be seen as offensive, biased or exclusionary.
6. Establish a clear process for content review and approval before publishing. This may include peer reviews, editor checks and compliance verification to ensure adherence to the policy.
   • Avoid duplicate content. Before creating new content, check if the topic has already been covered on SCORE.org. Consider updating or expanding the existing content if a similar topic exists instead of creating a new piece.
   • SCORE chapters, districts and regions should create content that is specific and tailored to a specific geography. All other content that would apply/appeal to anyone regardless of geography should be published as national content. National content should be sent to website@score.org for publishing.
7. When adding an author byline, contributor profile, or presenter profile, you can include a logo/headshot for the writer/speaker and a brief description of your company (not to exceed 100 words). Logos should be at least 1000 pixels on the shortest side, and headshots should be at least 500 pixels. We will link to your site in the company description and image.
8. Do not share personal information or data about clients, employees or partners without explicit consent. Follow all applicable privacy laws and regulations.
9. SCORE mentoring is confidential.
   • Do not publish client success stories without their expressed permission.
   • Adhere to SCORE’s Privacy Policy.
10. SCORE owns all content published on SCORE.org.

Compliance

• Content is continuously monitored to ensure compliance with the policy and relevance to SCORE's mission.

Content Audit

• Regular audits evaluate existing content for accuracy, compliance and alignment with SCORE’s goals.
• Updates or removal of content may be recommended during these audits.
• Designated individuals, such as webmasters, website maintenance vendors or content committees, review content submissions for compliance.
• They ensure all published content adheres to SCORE’s guidelines and may remove non-compliant materials.

Policy Enforcement

SCORE reserves the right to update or remove any content if it does not comply.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or if you’re interested in contributing content to SCORE, please contact:

SCORE Marketing
Telephone: 800-634-0245
Email: marketing@SCORE.org