SCORE and Kauffman Foundation Offer Video Mentoring

Small Business Owners Receive Free Expert Advice

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Jul 14, 2016, 11:10 ET

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SCORE, a national nonprofit dedicated to mentoring small business owners, has received a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to study the impact of video conferencing technology on mentoring. As the leading mentoring organization for small businesses, this project will help SCORE reach more small business clients through more convenient and engaging mentoring experiences.

Announcing the new partnership, David R. Bobbitt, president of the SCORE Foundation, described the new services: "SCORE mentors helped 350,000 small business owners last year to start or grow their business. Nearly all of these activities were face-to-face. Video mentoring is designed to appeal to small business owners who want advice in a method convenient to their lifestyle; and, it reaches geographic areas with little to no SCORE presence. It eliminates travel time and connects small business owners with mentors who live in different parts of the U.S."

The virtual face-to-face connection is intended to build the same meaningful, long-term relationships between mentors and small business owners that are the hallmark of SCORE's in-person mentoring services.

Chris Harris, senior program officer for entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation said, "We are pleased to support this innovative pilot and look forward to learning how video conferencing services can lead to more mentoring opportunities."

Through this pilot program, SCORE will evaluate demand for mentoring via video chat and measure its effectiveness compared to in-person mentoring. Positive results could make video mentoring a key growth feature of SCORE mentoring.

"SCORE's vision is that every person has the support necessary to thrive as a small business owner; yet, time constraints prevent far too many people from fully taking advantage of a service like SCORE," said Steve Records, vice president of field operations at SCORE. "SCORE video mentoring means help is now just a few clicks away, at any time of the day."

Learn more about the positive impact of mentoring on small businesses at: <http://www.multivu.com/players/English/78793241-score-video-business-mentoring/>

About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 10 million aspiring entrepreneurs to start and grow their small businesses. Each year, SCORE's 10,000+ volunteer business experts provide 350,000+ free and low-cost small business mentoring services, workshops and education to clients. In 2015, SCORE mentors in 300 chapters volunteered 2.2+ million hours to help create over 45,000 jobs and 55,000 small businesses.

For more information about starting or operating a small business, call 1-800-634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you. Visit SCORE at www.score.org. Follow SCOREMentors on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that aims to foster economic independence by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, Mo., and has approximately $2 billion in assets. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org, and follow the Foundation on www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

Contact Information
Betsy Dougert
703-487-3677
[email protected]

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SOURCE SCORE Association