General Operations and Guidelines

Chapter Governance and Planning

• Operating Guidelines: Chapters, which are not legal entities, may create operational guidelines. These cannot contradict the policies in the Statement of Operations Manual (SOM) and require review and approval from the SCORE District Director and Regional Vice President.

• Chapter Planning and Goal Setting: Each chapter must annually create a tactical operational plan with the District Director. This plan must align with the overall SCORE Strategic and Tactical Plans.

• Annual Onsite Review: Every chapter must complete a review with their District Director to assess performance, address challenges, and discuss resources.

  Record Keeping and Confidentiality

• Retention of Forms: SCORE aims to be as paperless as possible.

  • Chapter contracts, leases, and Scopes of Work (SOWs) must be retained for at least 5 years. Scanned and saved versions are preferred, and a copy may be submitted to SCORE Headquarters.

  • All volunteer and client records must be entered into the SCORE Engage system. No physical paper regarding client information, client requests, volunteer applications, or personal information should be retained.

• Client Confidential Information: Volunteers must not save material containing any client confidential information on personal computing equipment.

  Technology and Communication

• Technology Restrictions: Chapters and Districts are prohibited from creating independent technology solutions without consent from SCORE. This includes standalone websites, event websites, downloadable apps, social media profiles, and calendaring applications.

• Email Use:

  • All SCORE business must be conducted using a @scorevolunteer.org email address, including client communication.

  • @scorevolunteer.org emails cannot be set up to automatically forward to an outside email address.

  • Do not enable read-receipts on emails sent from @scorevolunteer.org emails.

• Video Conferencing Platforms:

  • Both Google Meet (accessible via @scorevolunteer.org emails) and ZOOM are available for video mentoring. Volunteers may use a free basic ZOOM account. Resources for both tools are on the SCORE Support Center.

  • Video conferencing within SCORE must be used for SCORE purposes ONLY (client mentoring, virtual workshops, and meetings when in-person is not possible).

  • SCORE Chapters are eligible for one Zoom Pro account under the chapter administrator email. Other Zoom Pro needs require authorization by chapter leadership.

• Field Meetings: Field meetings are encouraged for volunteer communication and learning. Efforts must be made to engage remote and working volunteers by using ZOOM to create virtual meetings.

  Contracts and Procurement

• Chapter Contracts and Leases:

  • Chapter Contracts exceeding $10,000 require approval from SCORE Headquarters and must be signed per the most recent guidance from the SCORE Accounting team.

  • All leases, regardless of length or amount, must be reviewed by SCORE Headquarters and signed by the SCORE Executive Director or Director of Finance.

• Procurement (SCORE Association):

  • The SCORE Association must obtain written price quotes from at least three qualified sources and inform the SBA of these quotes in corresponding payment requests/financial reports.

  • If the lowest price quote is not chosen, the SCORE Association must provide an explanation.