SCORE Association
Encyclopedia
SCORE or the SCORE Association was previously known as the Service Corps of Retired Executives, but is now recognized as SCORE, "Counselors to America's Small Business." It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
that provides free business mentoring services to entrepreneurs in the United States. The organization also presents business workshops and seminars for a fee. Business mentoring services are provided by both active and retired business executives and entrepreneurs who donate their time and expertise as mentors to assist new and established small businesses. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration
.
education and the formation, growth and success of small business
nationwide.” It attempts to realize this goal by “providing resources and expertise to maximize the success of existing and emerging small businesses.”
advice via email to meet the changing demands of the information technology age. To date, SCORE has served more than 8.5 million clients.
. Many local chapters also have branch locations throughout the regions they administer.
on June 11, 1997. This feature of the organization, better known as Ask SCORE, garnered more than 1.6 million hits and more than 3,000 online counseling cases within the first 90 days. At its inception the site listed 140 online counselors. Today, there are nearly 1,500.
, powered by PartnerUp, enables advisors to work with small business owners to provide mentoring, training, tools and resources.
The SCORE Community connects to the PartnerUp community of more than 100,000 active members, enhancing the networking potential.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that provides free business mentoring services to entrepreneurs in the United States. The organization also presents business workshops and seminars for a fee. Business mentoring services are provided by both active and retired business executives and entrepreneurs who donate their time and expertise as mentors to assist new and established small businesses. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration
Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration is a United States government agency that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by enabling the establishment and viability of small businesses...
.
Mission
According to the association, it is “dedicated to entrepreneurEntrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
education and the formation, growth and success of small business
Small business
A small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
nationwide.” It attempts to realize this goal by “providing resources and expertise to maximize the success of existing and emerging small businesses.”
History
The SCORE Association was founded in 1964. In the 1970s, when SCORE chapters were formed, the organization expanded its services to offer workshops and seminars on a variety of business topics. In 1996, SCORE began providing small businessSmall business
A small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
advice via email to meet the changing demands of the information technology age. To date, SCORE has served more than 8.5 million clients.
Principal Services
- Business mentoring
- Workshops and seminars
- Business tools and resources
Face-to-Face Mentoring
SCORE has approximately 370 chapters throughout the United States and its territories and over 11,200 volunteersVolunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
. Many local chapters also have branch locations throughout the regions they administer.
Online Mentoring
SCORE began providing online counseling servicesVirtual volunteering
Virtual volunteering is a term describing a volunteer who completes tasks, in whole or in part, off-site from the organization being assisted, using the Internet and a home, school, telecenter or work computer or other Internet-connected device. Virtual volunteering is also known as online...
on June 11, 1997. This feature of the organization, better known as Ask SCORE, garnered more than 1.6 million hits and more than 3,000 online counseling cases within the first 90 days. At its inception the site listed 140 online counselors. Today, there are nearly 1,500.
Online Community
The SCORE Community was launched in May 2009. SCORE’s online communityOnline community
An online community is a virtual community that exists online and whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual. An online community can take the form of an information system where anyone can post content, such as a Bulletin board system or one where only a restricted...
, powered by PartnerUp, enables advisors to work with small business owners to provide mentoring, training, tools and resources.
The SCORE Community connects to the PartnerUp community of more than 100,000 active members, enhancing the networking potential.
Development timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1953 | Maurice du Pont Lee of Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley... gathered a small group and formed a consulting and advisory service for small businesses. |
| The Small Business Act was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army... . The U.S. Small Business Administration Small Business Administration The Small Business Administration is a United States government agency that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by enabling the establishment and viability of small businesses... (SBA) was created. The law said the federal government “should aid, counsel, assist and project the interests of small business.” Counseling small business in management practices was written into law. |
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| 1963 | More than 50 independent groups across the country were providing low-cost or no-cost business counseling. |
| 1964 | SBA Administrator Eugene P. Foley officially launched SCORE as a national volunteer group with 2,000 members on 5 October, uniting independent efforts into a national force. |
| 1970 | Walter H. Channing of Detroit, Michigan Detroit, Michigan Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River... , serves as the first president of SCORE. |
| 1975 | SCORE was formally incorporated into a nonprofit association. |
| 1978 | SCORE is honored for small business counseling service to 2 million Americans. |
| 1989 | SCORE marks 25 years of small business service. |
| 1994 | SCORE celebrates 30 years of volunteer service. |
| 1996 | SCORE begins to offer counseling via email. |
| SCORE establishes The Walter Channing Award, the highest award for volunteer service within SCORE. Named after SCORE’s founding President and President Emeritus Walter H. Channing. Channing is the first recipient of the award. | |
| 1997 | SCORE forms a national alliance with Visa Inc., USA to bring financial management and How to Start a Business workbooks to small businesses. |
| SCORE is honored for small business counseling service to 3.5 million Americans. | |
| SCORE launches the national SCORE Small Business Web Site. | |
| 1998 | SCORE’s online counseling now represents 12 percent of all SCORE mentoring. |
| 1999 | SCORE celebrates its 35th Anniversary in the Indian Treaty Room Indian Treaty Room The Indian Treaty Room is located in the East Wing of the Old Executive Office Building. It was designed by Richard von Ezdorf, Draftsman for the Supervising Architect of the Treasury. Completed in 1879, it cost more to construct than any other room in the building at about $33.50 per square foot... of the Old Executive Office Building Old Executive Office Building The Eisenhower Executive Office Building , formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building and as the State, War, and Navy Building, is an office building in Washington, D.C., just west of the White House... , The White House White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical... . |
| SCORE forms national alliance with The Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in support of SCORE’s mission. | |
| SCORE welcomes 700th member to its online counseling team. | |
| 2000 | On 1 October, SCORE restructures the organization to a governing board of directors Board of directors A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors... and an operating management team of district directors. |
| John H. Titley of Ashland, Oregon Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other... bequests $250,000, which establishes The SCORE Foundation. Titley was a past president of SCORE. |
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| SCORE holds its first annual SCORE District Directors Conference to train volunteers for senior leadership roles in SCORE. | |
| SCORE honors Herbert M. Ausderau with The Walter Channing Award for his volunteer service. Ausderau is the second recipient; he is honored for his long-term board service, audit committee service and prolific face-to-face and online counseling. | |
| 2001 | SCORE counselors donate more than 1 million hours of service to the small business community in 2001. |
| SCORE’s popular How to Really Start Your Own Business workbook reaches more than 300,000 entrepreneurs. | |
| 2002 | SCORE online counseling volume increases 39 percent to more than 90,000 sessions. |
| SCORE holds its first annual SCORE Chapter Chair Orientation to orient and train volunteers for SCORE chapter management roles. | |
| 2003 | SCORE receives the inaugural USA Freedom Corps Award for exemplary volunteer service, presented by SBA Administrator Hector Barreto Hector Barreto Hector V. Barreto was the 21st Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, confirmed on July 25, 2001. George W. Bush nominated him to the post. He resigned on April 25, 2006 following a controversial tenure as SBA chief.... . |
| SCORE re-launches the SCORE Small Business Web Site and has record high online counseling volume. | |
| The SCORE Small Business Web Site wins the Standards of Excellence Award from the Web Marketing Association. | |
| 2004 | SCORE celebrate its 40th anniversary at a White House White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical... event. |
| SCORE receives an Award of Excellence from the American Society of Association Executives American Society of Association Executives The American Society of Association Executives is the membership organization and voice of the association profession. Founded in 1920 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ASAE now has more than 22,000 association CEOs, staff professionals, industry partners, and consultant members. ASAE... for the positive impact SCORE counseling has on American society. |
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| 2005 | SCORE serves its 7 millionth client. |
| SCORE wins Webby Award for Web Site Excellence | |
| 2006 | SCORE serves 7.5 millionth client. |
| SCORE wins Interactive Media Awards Outstanding Achievement | |
| 2007 | SCORE wins American Library Association American Library Association The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members.... ’s Best of the Best Business Web Sites |
| 2008 | SCORE serves 8 millionth client. |
| SCORE launches www.score.org/women, a Web site specifically for women entrepreneurs. The organization also launches its first blog, the SCORE Women's Success Blog. |