I have been a certified SCORE mentor since 2018 and have earned annual awards for both the number of clients served (>100), and the quality of service given (only two clients gave me less than a perfect NPS score). The only year I did not receive such an award was in 2023 when my wife passed away, having fallen ill from Covid vaccine the previous year.  

While she was ill, I had to take a hiatus from my mentoring and devote most of my time to her care. Her illness and subsequent death still allowed me to contribute to our mission by devoting what free time I had to sharing with others the things I have learned about mentoring so I wrote a book called “A Manual for Mentors.”

I'm not presumptuous enough to suggest that I am a better mentor than my colleagues. In it, I simply share what works for me—what I have learned from those more experienced than I am and what I’ve learned the hard way myself.  

I have approached SCORE headquarters about offering this book to all chapters and making them aware of it in their monthly newsletters; however they say that SCORE’s by-laws forbid promoting anything that might allow me to earn a profit. I have therefore made the book available through Amazon at a price that is as close to its cost as possible and have offered to donate any royalties to SCORE. In fairness, headquarters has made several efforts to find ways to let it be known that I have offered the book; but nothing has happened as yet.  

Richard Kirshen, one of the most prolific and respected mentors in my chapter has written to headquarters in support of my work. His letter says, in part, that my book “…ought to be required reading for all present and prospective mentors. The book covers every conceivable aspect of business mentoring, taking into account all facets of what mentoring is about, what it entails, and what it should be. It is written in a manner that is easy to understand and with concepts that can be effortlessly put into practice.” 

Headquarters has not forbidden my reaching out to find other sources of funding and I’m satisfied that I am not breaching any code of ethics by attempting to acquire the funds through crowdsourcing. I have learned that I can set up a Product Voucher program with Amazon, where the book is currently offered for sale, and create an account that is solely available for this purpose and not to me for any personal gain. With the paperback version of the book being offered at $9.95 and there being only a few hundred mentors being recruited by SCORE every year, I believe that I can sustain this program for no more than $5,000 a year.