Northern Illinois SCORE serves Rockford and the Stateline Area with Expert Small Business Mentoring and Informative, Educational Small Business Workshops!

Volunteer Mentors's Code of Ethics and Conduct

(Excepted from: SCORE Standard Operating Manual, 05/14/99 edition)

By signing the application form for membership, each volunteer agrees to adhere to the SCORE Code of Ethics and Conduct. Members are asked to read the Code of Ethics and Conduct annually and to sign a document reaffirming their commitment to them.

Client Interests

To best serve SCORE clients, SCORE members shall:

• Always conduct their mentoring and other SCORE activities in a manner that unequivocally places the interests of their clients first. Members shall ensure that all available resources are offered to clients, including assistance by other mentors or chapters, or by outside organizations where appropriate.
• Initiate follow-up contacts to ensure the potential success of their clients. Members will continue mentoring a client as long as the mentoring is of value to the client. If the member is unable to continue mentoring for personal reasons, the case will be reassigned to another member.
• At all times protect the confidentiality of business information provided by the clients. No disclosure will be made of any information, or of the existence of a mentoring relationship, without the client's prior approval.
• Not counsel two or more competing clients at the same time without the full knowledge and approval of all parties. Not accept or participate in mentoring that creates a conflict of interest between the mentors and their or their family's outside business or financial activities or interests.

Compensation

As unpaid volunteers, SCORE members shall:

• Neither charge nor accept fees, honoraria or things of value as payment for individual mentoring services or for their participation in training activities on behalf of SCORE.
• Not accept payment from a client for travel or other expenses incident to mentoring or training or any other activity, since those expenses are eligible for reimbursement by SCORE.
• A SCORE member assigned to counsel a client may become a paid consultant for or accept other employment by a client being counseled or by a participant in a workshop, provided these four conditions are met:
  • 1. The client makes a written request to the chapter chair and the change in status is not prompted by the mentor.
  • 2. The mentor has made his or her final written report on the case or has sought and obtained approval from the chapter chair to withdraw from the case after making a full disclosure of the circumstances in writing.
  • 3. The chapter chair is satisfied that there is no misconduct by either the client or mentor and that the change in status will not reflect adversely upon SCORE's volunteer program.
  • 4. The chapter chair authorizes the mentor to accept the position and terminates the mentor's membership in SCORE; or does not authorize the mentor to accept the position and terminates the mentor's membership upon such acceptance.

Third Parties

The following guidelines apply to interactions between SCORE members and third parties:

• SCORE members shall not accept fees, commissions, kickbacks or things of value from third parties as a result of recommending any services, equipment or supplies, nor shall they recommend the purchase of goods or services in which they have a direct or indirect interest, financial or otherwise.
• When members perform SCORE services for another organization or agency (other than SBA or SCORE clients), the organization may reimburse SCORE for the expenses of the members by providing an honorarium to SCORE or the chapter, which can then reimburse the members for their expenses.
• SCORE members shall neither charge nor accept fees or things of value for assistance in the preparation of loan applications nor accept so-called finders fees for the location of lending sources.
• SCORE members, when advising clients about obtaining professional or other services or goods, shall identify, whenever feasible, several sources from which the client may select.

Personal Interests

To safeguard the integrity of the SCORE mission, it is vital to avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest. To that end, SCORE members shall not:

• Advertise, solicit or propose the use of their outside businesses in the course of their mentoring and/or business training activities. SCORE membership is not to be used as a source of or basis for developing business contacts for personal or family gain.
• Directly or indirectly become officers, directors or shareholders, or provide funding (by way of investing, loans or otherwise) for a for-profit business organization that is seeking mentoring assistance from SCORE or has received it within the past three years.

Personal Conduct

As long as they are part of the association, SCORE members shall:

• Participate in chapter activities in addition to mentoring, including attending meetings, and shall maintain the standards for conduct and mentoring agreed to by the member.
• Be responsible for staying current with continuing advances in successful business practices and relevant technical developments.
• Not discriminate in any of their SCORE-related activities against any person because of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, handicap or sexual preference.
• Not make public statements that appear to associate SCORE with personal opinions of the members or which are critical of SCORE or any of its sponsors.
• Not make statements that appear to identify SCORE with a political party or a candidate for federal, state or local office.
• At all times, during the performance of their services, conduct themselves in such a manner as not to discredit themselves, SCORE or SBA.
• Not engage in any form of sexual harassment or sexual discrimination. Sexual harassment includes the making of deliberate or repeated unsolicited verbal comments, gestures or physical contact of a sexual nature in circumstances where such conduct reasonably is or would be unwelcome to the offended person or persons. Further, when such unwelcome conduct reasonably interferes with or creates an intimidating, offensive or hostile mentoring or other work environment, it is considered sexual harassment.
• Seek advance advice about the propriety of any action or inaction that they have reason to believe may be or may lead to a violation of the SCORE Code of Ethics and Conduct before they or others engage in the activity or fail to act. If needed, the chapter chair shall consult the district director or CEO concerning the proper decision. Any member requesting advice from any chapter, district or national officer shall receive a decision in writing.

Commitment to the Code

Members shall be fully aware of the SCORE Code of Ethics and Conduct.

When individuals apply for membership in SCORE, they agree by signing the membership application that they "shall comply with the provisions of SCORE's Code of Ethics and Conduct, which I have read, and also with the other rules for its members." Accordingly, applicants shall receive and retain a copy of the current Code of Ethics and Conduct at the time they receive an application for membership.

Further, since changes may occur in the Code of Ethics and Conduct and to refresh members' knowledge of the provisions of the code, each chapter shall: At the beginning of each fiscal year, give each member a current copy of the Code of Ethics and Conduct. At that time require each member to sign and date a statement that says, "I have reread the SCORE Code of Ethics and Conduct and reaffirm my agreement to comply with its provisions."