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Distribution: All Active Volunteers | |
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Key Takeaways This Month:
- See the latest news from the SCORE pitch events and how to attend the virtual pitch competition.
- Learn about SCORE's upcoming 60th anniversary and how you can help us celebrate.
- Join us for September's Lifelong Learning Webinar on September 19.
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Philadelphia Pitch Competition
SCORE announced the three winning small business owners from our 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition held on Aug. 28, 2024 at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. More than 2,200 small business owners applied to participate.
The three winning businesses in the Philadelphia pitch event are:
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First Place: Lisa Basini – The Baking Coach, Bellport, NY
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Second Place: Demetri "James" Patitsas - The Greek Shack, Mountaintop, PA
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Third Place: Ed and Kristin Cunningham – The Spot Hometown Deli, Elizabethtown, PA
Congrats to the winners and finalists! Read more about the event in this press release.
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Virtual Pitch Competition
Join us for the upcoming virtual pitch event to watch selected SCORE applicants compete for up to $20,000. The competition will be held over three days, September 17-19. Our selected product pitch contestants will present on the first day, the selected service pitch contestants will present on the second day and the award ceremony for the virtual pitch competition will be held on the final day. Plan to view one part of the competition or all three. Register >
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Celebrating 60 Years of SCORE | |
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Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 17 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business… and we are just getting started! We are celebrating SCORE’s rich history and incredible impact throughout the coming year by highlighting clients whose lives we’ve changed, the volunteers who make those dreams come true and YOUR best SCORE memories throughout this 60-year journey.
We invite you to join the celebration by wishing SCORE a Happy 60th Anniversary on social media. Record a short video of yourself highlighting what SCORE means to you, your community or the small businesses you serve. These short, authentic videos can be shot on a smartphone and uploaded directly to your social media.
Here are a few prompts to help inspire you:
- Tell us about a time SCORE made a difference.
- Why do you recommend SCORE to people you know?
- How does SCORE make an impact in small business communities?
- What is your favorite SCORE memory?
- Or… just wish SCORE HAPPY BIRTHDAY
A few quick tips if you plan to participate:
- Shoot your video vertically (not horizontally).
- Try to film in a quiet space with natural lighting.
- Aim for your video to be anywhere from 15-60 seconds.
- Plan to share your post starting Oct. 1.
- Tag us and use #SCOREturns60 so that we can repost.
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SCORE Communities of Practice | |
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One SCORE CoPs Deliver Significant Services Growth Empowering Mentors and Entrepreneurs
These three groups, focused on Food Trucks, Agriculture and Artificial Intelligence, are transforming the way SCORE mentors collaborate and share expertise, ultimately benefiting countless entrepreneurs nationwide. To date, the CoPs have delivered over 8,000 services to clients and volunteers! Thank you to Mark Krosse (Cleveland) for bringing forth this great concept.
As SCORE continues to expand its CoP network, the future looks bright for both mentors and the small businesses they serve. The milestones (shared below) highlight the power of the CoPs and the profound impact they have on fostering entrepreneurial success.
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Artificial Intelligence CoP (AI CoP): The AI CoP, initiated in 2023 and led by Charlie Morris (Bucks County, PA) and Irina Agoulnik (South Carolina) has experienced remarkable growth, boasting over 150 members today. This dynamic group explores the vast potential of AI for small businesses, sharing insights on how AI tools can enhance efficiency, customer service and growth. The CoP’s July National Client Webinar had 5,000 registrations and has delivered over 2,000 education services YTD. Learn more about the AI CoP >
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Food Truck CoP (FT CoP): Launched in 2022 and led by Heather Turner (Granite Region) and Lori Karbel (Las Vegas), the FT CoP has become an invaluable resource for mentors navigating the booming food truck industry. With 31,000 food trucks operating across the US, this CoP equips mentors with the knowledge to guide entrepreneurs through the unique challenges and opportunities of this mobile culinary business model. The Food Truck CoP has delivered [2] National Client Webinars, resulting in over 4,000 services. Learn more about the FT CoP >
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Agriculture CoP (Ag CoP): Agriculture, a cornerstone of the US economy, is supported by the Ag CoP, launched in May 2024 by Charissa Rubey (Memphis, TN) and Steve Veazey (Central Maine). This community connects mentors with expertise in various agricultural sectors, empowering them to provide tailored guidance to farmers, ranchers and other agricultural entrepreneurs. The Ag CoP will be delivering a Life-Long Learning event for mentors in mid-September. Learn more about the Ag CoP >
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September's Lifelong Learning Webinar | |
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Lifelong Learning Webinar: Support our Ag Clients
September 19 at 12:00 pm ET
The September 19th lifelong learning webinar is an opportunity to learn of the various ways that SCORE is supporting clients of the agricultural sector. The Ag Community of Practice (CoP) will provide an overview of the CoP's goals and associated resources. Additionally, the CoP speakers will cover Farm Credit Services, Ag mentoring experiences, as well as USDA and FSA services for new farmers. As always, there will be time for Q&A with our Ag experts. I hope you can make this learning event.
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As announced last week, we have streamlined the Authenticated Experience (AE) login on score.org. Users can now complete mentor requests and register for events without the added step of setting up a website login.
Find out more about this and future website releases on the Support Center.
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Building Inclusive Communities | |
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SCORE volunteer Marc Goldberg is making a significant impact on the Cape Cod & the Islands community through regular contributions to the Cape Cod Times and other community newsletters. His innovative approach to building inclusive communities through mentorship, knowledge sharing and collaboration with local organizations even resulted in a sponsorship to turn his published work into a book.
From writing informative articles on small business best practices to advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion, Marc's work is inspiring and empowering. Learn more about building inclusive communities in the Cape Cod area.
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Constant Contact has updated its drag-and-drop email builder. This means that you can no longer copy emails that were created in the old builder. All SCORE templates have been recreated, so you can use those templates going forward. Once you have created an email in the new builder, you can copy those emails as usual.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your dedication to your chapter marketing.
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Congrats to SCORE Philadelphia mentor Fatima Fisher for a great interview on Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate with her client Andrea Russell. The story showcased Andrea’s business, A’s Aprons, and Fatima explained how SCORE mentors work with entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. Awesome! | | |
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SCORE Northeast NY mentor Richard Sellers recently spoke with the local NBC affiliate about how SCORE helps small businesses in the area. Richard shared that their chapter currently works with 450 small business clients, and he also emphasized that mentorship is a learning experience for the mentor as much as it is for the client. Great job, Richard! | | |
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SCORE Charleston chapter chair Roy Anderson joined the host of the South Carolina Business Review for a radio interview about SCORE and our upcoming 60th anniversary. Roy pointed out that while SCORE started as a network of retired executives, the organization has grown to include many mentors who are still in business. Nice work, Roy! | |
Join fellow volunteers across the country to network under the common value of inclusivity within SCORE. | |
Upcoming Live Engage Trainings | | |
Join live Engage trainings throughout the month for both new volunteers and seasoned volunteers based on your roles in Engage and how you may use the system to support SCORE clients. | |
SCORE Department Webinars | | |
Join monthly webinars based on SCORE functional areas of expertise including marketing, website, social media and accounting. | | |
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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. | | | | |
