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MAY 18, 2020
Distribution: All Active Volunteers
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SCORE Volunteer Communications During COVID-19
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In order to keep you informed in an organized and timely manner, we have moved to
weekly Monday newsletters
. Below, we provide you with information that impacts your Clients, Volunteers, and Chapter Operations.
This newsletter also includes an Accounting Bulletin and Marketing Minute.
Thank you for going above and beyond during this time to do your best to deliver SCORE's mission. We are here to answer any questions you may have.
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SBA and Treasury Release PPP Loan Forgiveness Application
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On May 15, the SBA and Treasury announced the release of the Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application and detailed instructions for the application. You can view the full news release
here
on the SBA website and the
application and instructions are here
.
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Paycheck Protection Program Translations Available
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SBA is now providing Paycheck Protection Program and related materials in languages other than English to help small business owners recover due to the unprecedented economic disruption caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Additional information will be translated and posted periodically, and all documents are being provided for informational purposes only. Please view COVID-19 recovery information in other languages
here on the SBA website
.
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Volunteer Match - Virtual Business Mentor Ad
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Many chapters are receiving an influx of mentoring requests centered on challenges small businesses are facing during the COVID-19 crisis.
To help support you in providing answers to small business owners, we have created a Virtual Business Mentor recruiting ad that your chapter can use on VolunteerMatch to attract new volunteers.
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Upcoming Live Webinars for Small Business Owners
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Spotlight - Interview with SCORE Western Massachusetts
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SCORE Western Massachusetts was recently interviewed by local NBC affiliate about how small businesses can survive a pandemic. Chapter Chair Mychal Connolly offers advice on how small business owners can work successfully together at this time. Great publicity and great advice!
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Volunteer Engagement Survey Results
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Please join us for the Volunteer Engagement Survey Results Call on
Thursday, May 21 at 2:00pm ET
. The presentation will cover the following information:
- Overall Findings
- Drivers of Volunteer Engagement
- Volunteer Perspectives on One SCORE
- Volunteer Perspectives and Behaviors
- Chapter Level Findings
- Volunteer Comments
- New Volunteer Survey and Departure Survey Results
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Chapters Are to NOT Apply for PPP Grants
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In the SCORE COVID-19 Volunteer Update – Issue 7 email dated April 27, Bridget Weston, Acting CEO, stated that SCORE
Chapters are not to apply
for the Paycheck Protection Program Loan/Grant. If your chapter has received one of these loans/grants, please contact
Rick Peluso
immediately to facilitate getting it returned to the lending bank in compliance with the SBA. Please see the
email here
for more information on other options for chapters.
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Update Underway: Chapter Accounting Policies and Procedures
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The SCORE Accounting staff, along with a group of volunteer treasurers, are currently working on revising and strengthening the Chapter Accounting Policies and Procedures documents. With the centralization of accounting, many of the past policies and procedures are no longer applicable or outdated.
One area being updated is the use of debit cards.
Both the audit firms of BDO, the firm SCORE engaged to assist with consolidation, and DHG, SCORES’ auditors, have commented on the chapters' use of
debit cards
. Both firms had recommended SCORE eliminate the use of these cards, which aligns with the best practices of the non-profit industry. To be in full compliance with the federal grant, we need copies of all receipts, invoices, contracts, and other supporting documentation for all expenses paid. It is incumbent on SCORE to examine all expenditures to see if they are allowable or unallowable. This examination requires original receipts (not statements) for all transactions.
SCORE recognizes that from time to time, a chapter volunteer may bear a high volume of expense related to the chapter's operations. Currently, the policy states chapter leaders cannot hold Credit Cards in the name of SCORE or a chapter. SCORE is exploring options and is currently working with a small number of chapters to test solutions to this issue. SCORE remains committed to keeping the processing time for Form 14s at four business days.
Please look for the updated SCORE Chapter Accounting Policies and Procedures in June of 2020.
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Mail is being delayed. Since Virginia is still under a Stay At Home Order, the mail for both the old and new address is forwarding to a staff member’s home which delays our processing, please send any communication through email to the appropriate department email instead of mailing it if possible.
We will be at a new address once we open, please contact any vendors that send bills directly to HQ to change their address to our new office:
The SCORE Association (include your chapter #)
1165 Herndon Pkwy, Ste 100
Herndon, VA 20170
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SBA Freedom of Information
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Some of you have heard about a lawsuit against the SBA, filed by The Washington Post, New York Times, ProPublica, Dow Jones & Bloomberg in relation to the CARES Act. These newspapers are seeking a list of the borrowers who received SBA PPP and SBA EIDL loans.
SCORE is not involved in this situation, and we ask our volunteers to refrain from commenting to members of the media on this subject, out of respect for our federal grant.
On the SBA’s Freedom of Information page, (
www.sba.gov/foia) they issued the following statement:
“SBA is providing statistical information on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) in an effort to keep the public informed of the assistance and actions both it and the thousands of lenders across the country are taking at this difficult time. At this time, the agency is focusing its efforts on assisting small businesses during this unprecedented disruption to the economy due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The agency recognizes the need to balance the interests of transparency with the privacy and confidentiality issues release of loan information raises. In the near future, we will be able to turn our efforts to providing loan-specific data to the public, but hope that all understand the need for the Agency to focus its efforts on fulfilling the urgent needs of small businesses.”
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Resources for Clients
SCORE is collecting resources to answer client's critical questions during the COVID-19 pandemic—and afterward. Updates are being made regularly.
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Volunteer Toolkit
These resources provide the latest communications and notifications around SCORE’s policy and guidance during this trying time.
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1165 Herndon Parkway
Suite 100
Herndon, VA 20170
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Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.
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