This excerpt is from an article by Brian McCullough, Daily Local News
The area SCORE chapter was recognized by the national organization as the top chapter out of more than 300 in the nation.
SCORE of Chester and Delaware County took in top honors this year after being runner-up last year, said Wilson Chu, a counselor and Marketing Committee chairman for the chapter, which provides free business advice.
“It’s quite an accomplishment,” Chu said. “I think the fact that we were runner-up last year already put us on their radar.”
The Chester County chapter merged with the Delaware County chapter in October, forming a stronger overall organization to serve businesses in the region, said Kerry Francis of the area chapter. SCORE of Chester and Delaware County has 13 counseling locations and almost 100 volunteers, she noted.
And not all SCORE counselors are retired, the group’s original adviser demographic.
“About a third of our volunteers are fully retired, a third are semi-retired and a third are still working,” Francis said.
The services have expanded, too, she said. The organization’s original focus was on helping people start their own business, and SCORE still does that, but it also counsels ongoing businesses in need of help.
“Our speakers’ bureau is hugely popular,” she noted, “and anything to do with how to use social media for your business is also very popular.”
In announcing the recognition, Steve Records, vice president of field operations for SCORE, said the area chapter “is the model SCORE chapter for how we operate today … They are never content with the status quo.”
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More about Chester and Delaware County SCORE:
- 112% increase in membership (since 2009)
- 206% increase in total services (since 2009)
- 173% increase in workshop attendance (since 2009)
- 33% diversity in chapter membership
- Achieved a platinum rating 2 years in a row
Best Practices & Partnerships
- Focuses on clients first
- Mentoring at 8 locations including nights and Saturdays
- Provides business education seminars “anytime, anyplace”
- Embraces email mentoring
- Established business roundtables and advisory boards
- Developed an entrepreneur workshop geared towards Hispanic clients
- Developed an Ambassador program in order to carry and sustain SCORE’s message to the community
- Each partner, sponsor, and targeted business is assigned an ambassador to ensure a steady flow of updates including workshops, roundtables, and new counseling locations
- Established a new governance structure consisting of 21 members to achieve and sustain growth
- 3 member Chairman’s office
- An Auditor, a Chief Counsel, and a Long-Range Strategy leader
- Features upcoming events and success stories
- 4-step orientation process to integrate new volunteers into the culture of the organization
- Step 1: One hour interview
- Step 2: 2 hour welcome session & completion of training modules
- Step 3: Assigned a mentor to gauge their progress
- Step 4: Executive Committee vote to move to ‘active’ status
- Utilizes Constant Contact to market their services within the community
- Features upcoming events and success stories
- Launched a coordinated effort, in 2008, to increase awareness of SCORE though catalyzing member engagement
- Publishes an Annual Report to generate buzz in the community; distributed to potential clients, volunteers, and partners