Help Support Local Small Business Owners
Every year, SCORE volunteers help thousands of entrepreneurs start small businesses and achieve new levels of success. Volunteering is a way for you to give back, network with business experts, and share your knowledge.
Our volunteers are the lifeblood of SCORE.
SCORE is proud to have the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors. Join our team of 10,000+ volunteers, and share your talents and expertise with the small business community. You can help in four different volunteer roles:
- Mentor: offer confidential business mentoring services, either in person or online
- Subject matter expert: provide focused knowledge based on your professional skills or industry
- Workshop presenter: lead local workshops, seminars and events to help entrepreneurs meet their goals and achieve success
- Chapter support role: share your skills in marketing, tech, finance, fundraising and more to help expand the outreach of SCORE
At SCORE, we celebrate our mission through values such as Volunteers Matter and Lifelong Learning. All new members are trained to fulfill their roles effectively and are expected to reaffirm their commitment to SCORE’s mentoring methodology and code of ethics annually.
Benefits of Volunteering:
SCORE volunteers enjoy a variety of personal, local and national rewards. As a SCORE Volunteer, you can:
- Feel good knowing you helped someone achieve their goals and dreams
- Give back to your community by helping small businesses thrive and driving economic growth
- Become a recognized leader in your local business community
- Make new friends and network with SCORE volunteers and business leaders in your area
- Grow professionally and personally with SCORE's Lifelong Learning training programs
Learn more about our volunteer opportunities:
Mentor
A SCORE mentor is an advisor who helps individuals and small businesses reach their goals. Mentors provide free business advice and education to aspiring entrepreneurs and existing business owners.
As a mentor, you’ll help clients solve problems, make businesses more efficient, and assist with developing long-term business plans.
Additionally, you may discover new sources of insight and knowledge to help your own business and leadership style. Teaching others how to manage people or projects, along with illustrating ways to succeed in other aspects of business, could inspire you to continue with your own professional growth—all of this while helping your local community.
The ideal mentor is empathetic, flexible, and loves connecting people to the right resources. Mentors often have significant experience within their field, excellent communication skills, and the ability to dedicate a few hours a week.
Subject Matter Expert
As a SCORE subject matter expert (SME), you assist clients with your specific skillset and expertise. In this role, you will co-mentor alongside one of SCORE’s certified mentors. You will provide free business advice and education in your area of experience to clients who want to start, grow or exit their businesses.
As an SME, you’ll have access to an amazing network of SCORE volunteers and many resources for professional growth—while helping small businesses in your community. Subject matter experts should have the ability to dedicate a few hours per month.
Workshop Presenter
Are you interested in volunteering with SCORE but don’t think mentoring is the best role for you? Consider volunteering as a workshop presenter.
Workshop presenters share their business acumen with their local community.
As a workshop presenter, you’ll:
- Create and deliver presentations in your community
- Facilitate roundtable discussions
- Lead educational seminars, meetups and other networking events
- Track the statistics on your workshop program
If you have a few hours to give once a year, our SCORE clients will benefit from your expertise.
Chapter Support Roles
If you don't wish to mentor or train entrepreneurs but still want to volunteer, there are many other ways that you can help.
Every SCORE chapter depends on the talent and time of volunteers to help entrepreneurs achieve their dreams of small business ownership.
We’re currently looking for general volunteers to work on specific projects. These volunteers are staffed on tasks based on their unique skills and are welcome to assist with leadership and support tasks—they really are the backbone of the organization. For example, you might be able to sharpen your email marketing, networking and social media skills while helping your local business community. If you are interested in aiding a local chapter with data and analytics, pulling reports, helping with local events, or serving in other capacities that will make your local chapter more effective, let us know.
Examples of chapter support roles include:
- Community Ambassador
- Partnerships & Fundraising
- Media Contact for National and Local PR
- Marketing
- Chapter Administrator
- IT Administrator
- And more.
Join Our Community
Volunteering at SCORE means you are joining a community of more than 10,000 diverse volunteers who are all committed to helping small business owners succeed. Whether you have owned your own small business, worked in a Fortune 500 company, attend college, are retired and have a sincere commitment for helping small businesses, there is a place for you as a SCORE volunteer.