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Starting April 1, 2003, the SBA has requested that SCORE compile the number of contacts made by SCORE and its volunteers that currently are not captured under counseling cases or workshops. This information is required for an important reason. When we are making our case for funding to the Congress, SBA and other key decision makers, we know SCORE volunteers do a lot of additional work that that until now has not been fairly reflected in our reporting. By counting all of the instances when SCORE volunteers directly educate the public about our valuable work, our volunteers will receive the credit they deserve. Compiling the total number of hours given by SCORE volunteers remains an important way to measure SCORE’s impact, but this new category adds to the impressive story of SCORE and our 10,000+ volunteers.

Q. What is the definition of a "non-counseling contact"?

Whenever a SCORE volunteer provides information about SCORE that does not fall under the definition of a counseling case or a workshop.

• Telephone calls received at a SCORE chapter or branch office
• SCORE informational packets emailed, mailed or faxed
• Individuals who walk into a SCORE chapter or branch office with questions or request information and materials, but are not counseled
• Direct contacts at trade shows/business expos/literature tables at community events
• Students or guests, including international visitors, touring SCORE chapter or branch offices
• People at an event where a SCORE speaker provides information about SCORE
• Direct mail pieces
• Visitors to SCORE chapter Web sites
• Chapter newsletter recipients – either hard copy or electronic
• Contacts (face-to-face, phone, fax, or email) with prospective volunteers, SCORE partners or potential supporters
• Fax on Demand
• Email responses to Web site hits, questions or general interest

• Discussions of SCORE in a social setting
• Television or radio appearances
• Newspaper articles, including ASK SCORE columns
• Calls to other SCORE volunteers
• Brochures picked up on a display rack at a bank, library or other public space
• SCORE volunteer meetings (but guests/prospective volunteers to those gatherings count)

Yes. These hours are a prime indicator of the commitment and dedication of SCORE volunteers.

Make photocopies of the non-counseling contact form. Complete the form. Submit it with your Form 1.

Discuss receiving a monthly report on the number of hits from your host provider. You can find inexpensive software to track this data at (www.netiq.com/webtrends). You need this data to determine the Web site’s current effectiveness and to make needed upgrades and modifications.

Count the estimated number of people in the audience. If a SCORE volunteer speaks to 50 individuals, the number of reported non-counseling contacts would be 50. In this way SCORE will get credit for spreading the word to as many people as possible.

We will compile the data monthly and report it quarterly on the report forms.

Do not count chapter volunteers; Do count guests, outside speakers, and prospective volunteers.

Yes. As an example, the SCORE ASSOCIATION OFFICE Web site receives approximately 80,000 unique visitor  hits a month, or approximately 1,000,000 non-counseling contacts this year. When we add the chapter non-counseling contacts, the overall total will be in the millions. Key decision makers then will have even more impressive, accurate data to better understand SCORE’s overall impact. This information will help chapters explain SCORE to potential volunteers, partners and supporters.

Q. If we send out either a hard copy or email newsletter, should we count all of the names on the mailing list as part of our total each month?

Yes. If you mail/email 500 newsletters every month, that counts as 500 non-counseling contacts minus the number of SCORE volunteers who receive it.

Q. If a SCORE volunteer speaks to a college business or high school class, should they count the number of individuals in the class as non-counseling contacts if done on a regular basis?

Yes, as long as it is not a counseling session or a workshop. If a volunteer teaches three classes in a month with 25 students, that would be 75 non-counseling contacts.

No. SCORE volunteers must have more direct personal contact than that because any number would only be a guess. That is why we cannot count activities such as ASK SCORE columns.

You would count the number of people the SCORE volunteer actually spoke with; you would not count people who simply picked up chapter or SCORE materials.