Introduction to SCORE Chapter 23

Welcome to SCORE Chapter 23 and thank you for considering us as your volunteer opportunity.  Similar to every organization, SCORE Chapter 23 has its own culture.  The purpose of this seemingly long document is to introduce you to that culture and smooth the path to your becoming a SCORE Member.

• I Time Commitment.  Generally not more than 8 - 10 hours per month, depending upon what part you wish to play in the organization.

• II Attendance.  We do not have a set attendance policy.  We understand that you are a volunteer and value your availability to assist us with our clients.  As a result, we understand that you may not always be available each week to assist with counseling, seminars, committee work, cyber counseling, etc., but we encourage you to participate as often as you are available.  If you cannot be available for more than one month, please let the Chapter Chair know via e-mail or phone.  If for any reason you do not participate for one year, you will be notified that you will be dropped from the Chapter roles for non-participation.  (Provisional members will be dropped from the Chapter roles after ninety days of non-participation.)   If you winter out of town or are on an extended absence or vacation, please let the Chapter Chair know of your planned absence.

• III Membership Business Meetings.  Generally between the hours of 10:30 AM and Noon on the 2nd Friday of each month there is a general membership meeting, held at Oak Hill Country Club. Following the general membership meeting there is a luncheon with a speaker (Noon to 1:30 PM).  Each member is encouraged to participate in these meetings and the luncheon which are intended to educate as well as inform our members on various subjects related to business and SCORE. (The cost of the luncheon is presently $12.)  Twice a year, a mandatory training event is held instead of the normal meeting.  These training sessions are at Oak Hill from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM)  Each year the Chapter has an annual holiday meeting in December in place of the normal day time business meeting. We encourage each member to participate; guests are welcome at this activity for all members. The individual member will be requested to pay for their and any guests meals if you choose to attend this dinner.

• IV Dress Code.  The usual dress code for counseling is business casual. Coat and tie or similar, is unnecessary.

• V Counselor Status.  Upon completing the initial application we understand that you wish to become a Provisional Member and agree to engage in a training process that can last as long as three to five months before you will become a fully trained Member.  You will be assigned a “mentor” who will assist you in attaining membership and becoming acclimated to SCORE 23.   During this time we will introduce you to all available members to insure that they know that a new Provisional Member has joined our SCORE Chapter.  This will be done personally and via e-mail notification.  As soon as your application is accepted by our Chapter 23 Board of Officers, you are a SCORE Provisional Member.  As a Provisional Member, you have Tort Claim Protection and are covered under the Federal Employees Compensation Act.   For coverage details and exceptions refer to the SCORE National Daily Desktop Guide Chapter 3, pages 8-9.

• VI Training.  To become a SCORE Member, there are several aspects that we require each new SCORE Provisional Member to accomplish before becoming a full Member.  (To assure our clients that they are obtaining the best business advice possible, we feel every Member should go through this training despite their prior experience.)
• A. On the SCORE national web site (www.score.org) in the “Members Only” section of the site, are two on-line orientation courses.  They are “Volunteer On-Line Orientation” and “SCORE 5 Step Counseling Process”.  These can be completed on your own computer and do not require your mentor’s assistance.  This is a requirement of all SCORE Members in all chapters.
• B. Chapter 23 offers our client’s an assortment of seminars which you may attend at no cost at any time as long as you indicate your wish to attend by notifying the registrar in advance.  New Provisional Members are required to attend one of our comprehensive seminars that cover all aspects of starting a new business.  This type of seminar is given during the day at the Federal Building and through the area high schools’ continuing education  courses in the evening.  Again, these SCORE courses are at no cost to you.
• C.  Each new Provisional Member should become familiar with the Resources available to SCORE Members and the facilities at our permanent office location, Room 410 in the Federal Bldg, 100 State Street in downtown Rochester.  Your mentor can assist in this process.
      Some new Members due to working situations do not have the time or interest in doing face to face counseling.  These individuals may wish to serve the Chapter in many other ways such as giving seminars or workshops, doing cyber counseling, working on Chapter committees, or undertake ongoing assignments and special projects for the Chapter.However it is expected that most of our Members will perform face to face counseling with clients. To perform these tasks, part D of the training process is required.

• D.We recommend that you co-counsel with a minimum of two different SCORE counselors. (Ideally, counseling with three or four different counselors is desirable.) In this orientation process you will be able to observe how our trained counselors go about handling various business problems with many different types of clients.
  Your mentor will assist you in scheduling these co-counseling sessions.  When you are feeling comfortable with the counseling process, you will be asked to lead a co-counseling session with your mentor or another seasoned counselor. Your mentor will participate as appropriate during this session and then provide you with feedback following the session  .Mentor comments regarding your observed counseling sessions weigh heavily in determining when and if you are qualified to counsel clients on your own.

• VII Client Interaction.  Your involvement with clients during your training  period will be generally limited to observing accredited counselors and learning our methods of client interaction during various counseling sessions.  While every counselor has his or her individual approach to providing client advice, all counselors are required to follow the SCORE five-step process.  Although most counselors will not mind your input during a counseling session, you should try to not interrupt the session any more than necessary.  (Obviously, if you have specific knowledge in an area being discussed, your interruption may be very helpful to the counseling session.)   Too many interjections will tend to hamper the clients’ counseling experience.

• VIII Mentors.  You will be assigned to a Mentor who will have the ultimate responsibility for guiding you through the process.  Their task is to allow you to become a well acclimated member of our organization as rapidly as possible.

• IX Outreach.  SCORE Chapter 23 provides service to the Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, and Livingston County areas.  Most of the face to face counseling and the daytime workshops are conducted in the Federal Building on State Street in Rochester.  Chapter 23 also provides evening face to face counseling on specific evenings in Webster, Greece, and Pittsford.  Workshops are also held through the continuing education programs at Brighton, Greece, Irondequoit, Webster, and Rush Henrietta.  Face to face counseling is also offered in Canandaigua, Penn-Yan and Geneva.
  
              Part of your introduction to full membership may include visiting one or  more of these locations with either your mentor or another counselor to familiarize yourself with the unique aspects of the particular branch as well as to meet the challenges of providing our services without the support of our permanent office facilities, if you choose to do this.

• X Committees and Seminar Responsibilities.  Every Member will be encouraged to volunteer for at least one committee or for an ongoing assignment and actively participate in its work.  All Members are required to attend at least one SCORE seminar every year for the following reasons:

• Your fellow counselors need help handing out brochures, collecting money, introducing speakers, etc.
• You will gain knowledge in areas in which you may be weak.
• It will help you to assist in developing future seminars in your area of expertise that will help Chapter 23 sustain itself. 

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By now you must realize that becoming a SCORE Member entails assuming some responsibilities, learning some new skills, working with and gaining new acquaintances as part of this activity.  The rewards for your efforts are tremendous; over time you will make it possible for numerous individuals to achieve something that they never could have accomplished without your help and guidance, starting a business or solving a significant business problem.  The client’s gratitude and your own self-satisfaction will make this entire effort more than worthwhile and truly satisfying.

Chapter 23 Policy

Approved By Board Action 9/12/2008

REVISED 11/17/08