Why take all MREs? (out of area mentoring requests)

SCORE Policies and Procedures do not specify that we will only mentor clients local to our community. More and more clients report they would prefer to work via any type of communication, meeting them at the time of need and with specific areas of expertise. Nationally of course we want to have the full breadth of our experience showing and available for the world to see.

At the chapter level you will still be able to see how the client first touched SCORE with their first request (called their 'lifetime type'). At the chapter level you want to see how your mentors are communicating on a regular basis (that is the 'session type'). 

What sets SCORE apart is the vast network of expertise of mentors and resources shared across the country. Sharing our expertise in the One SCORE culture benefits our volunteers and clients alike.

Model solution

The initial mentoring request is the client's “relationship manager.”  Any mentor could suffice in the beginning: setting up the foundation for the client and identifying the true questions that need to be asked. Then the next step may be either adding a co-mentor or transferring the client to another mentor.  Since that client will stay in the original mentor's client list, there is the ability to follow along and jump back in if you need to.

As the initial mentor does the prepping of the client, they will get the sessions. Since they generally have had more than 3 hrs worth of sessions they get a bonus Long Term Client before they even pass that client off to another mentor.

In transitioning a client to a new mentor or when bringing in a co-mentor, best practice is to inform both the new mentor and the client why another expert is being brought in. This is a good time to share SCORE's mission and highlight all that SCORE has to offer in terms of people and resources.