COVID-19 Update
APRIL 27, 2020
Distribution: All SCORE Active and Provisional Volunteers
SCORE Headquarters staff are committed to providing you the best service we can as we continue to manage the impact of COVID-19. There is a lot of information out there. This newsletter and the COVID-19 Toolkit on help.score.org is THE centralized hub for you as SCORE volunteers.

We intend to send weekly updates to support you and your clients as much as possible. 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.
Client Support

COVID-19 Update by SBA Associate Administrator
Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 28 at 3 PM EDT, SCORE will be hosting a webinar in which  Allen Gutierrez, SBA Associate Administrator,  will provide updates on EIDL, PPP Program, and other relevant information. This is a great opportunity to hear directly from the SBA and ask any questions you or your clients have had during this time. We apologize for the short notice; however, the new plan was just finalized Friday April 22, and we want to ensure our volunteers have the most up-to-date information as soon as possible.



PPP Lending Operations Update as of Sunday April 26
Due to the unprecedented demand for Paycheck Protection Program loans by the nation’s small businesses and to ensure equitable access and system integrity, SBA and Treasury are taking prudent and reasonable steps to protect SBA’s loan systems for the next phase of PPP loan processing.

SBA and Treasury are implementing the following measures:
  • Pacing the number of loans processed in the E-Tran system for participating lenders when processing resumes on Monday, April 27, 2020 at 10:30 am EDT;
  • Instituting a maximum dollar amount at 10% of PPP funding authority that any lending institution will be able to originate, exclusive of the additional $60 billion preserved for lenders with assets under $50 billion (i.e. $60 billion cap);
  • Implementing operational standards to ensure that lenders access PPP funds based on their asset size;
  • Ensuring the Paycheck Protection Program continues to operate on a first-come, first-serve basis so that every small business has access to PPP loans to sustain their business and retain their employees.
 
The SBA has recently released a list of all participating lenders in the Paycheck Protection Program (as of April 23). You can find the list here on the SBA website: Paycheck Protection Program - Participating Lenders .


Real-Time Mentoring Platform: Soft Launch Underway
With the support of many, dedicated mentors, SCORE launched the Real-Time Mentoring platform last week. This new client experience was created as a way to offer clients much-needed advice through an interactive online portal, giving clients access to expert mentors during this challenging time for their business.

A small group of clients were invited to work with mentors in this online platform on Tuesday, April 21, and Thursday, April 23. This allowed us to collect data that we'll use to improve the program. During Tuesday's “opening day,” we had about 175 clients join the platform; on Thursday, a larger invitation was sent and more than 750 clients joined the platform. This week, we'll invite a larger audience to join us on Tuesday, Apr 28 and Thursday April 30, from 2-6pm ET. Then during the week of May 4, SCORE will open the platform to the public promoting it across all of our marketing channels.

The Real-Time Mentoring platform is an important expansion of SCORE services to reach more clients conveniently, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you to all mentors who are volunteering to support the platform and offering invaluable advice to our clients.


Volunteer for the Real-Time Mentoring Platform
Join us for an upcoming session of the Real-Time Mentoring platform.
If you are new to the platform, be sure to complete the training and preparation steps so you are ready to help:

  1. Sign up to participate. If you have not already signed up for a time, please email marketing@score.org and let us know your specific hours of availability between 2-6pm ET, and your areas of expertise.
  2. Complete the Mentor Volunteer Training. (1.5 hour training)
  3. Register for the online platform. Once you login, take a moment to create your profile on the platform. In the name field, please add your chapter name. For example, Jane Doe – SCORE Muskegon.
  4. Let us know if you chapter is interested in using the platform for live mentoring outside the national mentoring hours. If your chapter is interested, Marketing can help coordinate for your chapter to make it a meaningful experience for clients. Please send your interest to marketing@score.org. 

New COVID-19 Live Webinars for Small Business Owners
On April 28 at 1:00 PM Eastern/10:00 AM Pacific, Amanda Brinkman and Deluxe will present Marketing Advice to Combat an Economic Downturn . This webinar will provide actionable marketing strategies to help clients keep their customers engaged.

On May 7 at 2:00 PM Eastern/11:00 AM Pacific, Lisa Dinhofer, The Crisis Tamer, will present Navigating Long-term Uncertainty and the Aftermath of Disruption . This webinar will provide 'navigational tools' for working with uncertainty and planning for the aftermath of disruption.

On May 14 at 11:00 AM Eastern/9:00 AM Pacific, Patricia Maldanado, former newspaper reporter and founder of Little Fish Media, will present Essential PR Tools and Tactics . This webinar will present steps businesses can take during the coronavirus outbreak to make sure their business remains visible to customers, potential customers, and even the media.
Volunteer Support

Communicating with Empathy
During these trying times, sometimes the best thing you can do for your clients is listen and empathize. SCORE’s training site offers Empathy in Practice to help volunteers improve their listening skills and overall emotional intelligence. To access this module, go here and once on the training site, look for module 106 Empathy in Practice .


Best Practices: Virtual Meetings at SCORE
Chapters are finding new and creative ways to use technology to help clients and communicate with volunteers. We want to hear your best practices for mentoring clients, hosting workshops, onboarding/training volunteers or any other new ideas and processes you’ve developed. 

You can view existing best practices here . Use this form to share your best practice story with us.
Chapter Support

Letter Writing Campaign
It’s not too late to write a letter of support for SCORE. The SCO RE Foundation is initiating a volunteer-driven letter writing campaign during the month of April to emphasize our positive organizational impact to members of the Senate Small Business Committee. Since SCORE did not receive additional relief funding through the CARES Act to support our COVID-19 response, this campaign will help to put ourselves in the strongest possible position for negotiations around the next potential bill.
 
We need your help to make our voice heard! Please use the attached  instructions , letter  and  contact information  to tell your senator how much SCORE means to you, to your community and to the clients you serve.


Policy of Paycheck Protection Program Loan
Because we are one legally recognized organization, SCORE chapters are not able to apply for loans under the Federal Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program or any other Federal program. If a chapter is having cash flow issues related to the COVID-19 health crisis including lost revenue from workshops, please contact the Headquarters’ accounting staff ( rick.peluso@score.org ). The Headquarters’ staff is working to collect data on the impact of COVID-19 on the chapters (attach form). Chapters are encouraged to conduct online workshop, apply for private grants, and/or apply for other public grants to help offset lost revenues.  


Reminder: Make Sure Your Work Telephone is Forwarded
As everyone is sheltering in place, make sure your voicemail and phone lines are forwarded to your “shelter in place” work location. If you are unable to access your SCORE office phone lines to forward, please change your chapter phone number in CORE to the national phone number and we will filter calls for you. The phone number to change to would be: 888-215-3465 .

SCORE HQ will be reaching out to chapter chairs and chapter admins over the next few weeks to help identify local phone providers and to understand how SCORE can help make things easier by centralizing communications moving forward. This includes all chapter lines that are advertised as contact lines in marketing and online, so clients can find you quickly and easily.


Did one of your SCORE Volunteers test "positive" for COVID-19?
It is your duty to notify the rest of the chapter members that someone tested positive and share what SCORE engagements they participated in during March. DO NOT SHARE THE PERSON’S NAME. Contact volunteer.services@score.org in case of any protocol questions or concerns.
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.
Volunteer Toolkit

These resources provide the latest communications and notifications around SCORE’s policy and guidance during this trying time.
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