Accreditation Steve Keener, Staff Attorney 1

Agenda 1.Changes to Accreditation Requirements 2.Online Accreditation System 2

Accreditation Ensures: Quality, Growth, Consistency Access to: Training, Branding, Infrastructure, Reputation, Funding Why: More opportunities for athletes 3

Program Quality Standards Tools to help Programs improve and grow Accreditation Core requirements to be a Special Olympics Program 4

Accreditation Update Process Task force with representatives from each Region Feedback collected from Regional Leadership Councils and Global Leadership Team Approved by International Advisory Committee, Global Leadership Team, and Board Executive Committee 5

Substantive Changes: Finance/Business Expert 1.Finance or Business Expert. Programs are required to have a finance or business expert on their Boards of Directors. Corresponding with this requirement, the minimum number of Board members is increased from six to seven. Implementation Period. Compliance with the Finance/Business Expert requirement will be required beginning in November 2016 for Programs applying for accreditation. 6

Substantive Changes: Unified Sports 2.Unified Sports. Programs are required to provide opportunities for Unified Sports activities. This requirement is satisfied by Unified Sports activities at any level. Implementation Period. Compliance with the Unified Sports requirement will be required beginning in November 2016 for Programs applying for accreditation. 7

Substantive Changes: Software 3.Software. Programs are required to use certain Special Olympics software as provided and instructed by SOI. Implementation Period. Compliance with the Software requirement will be required beginning in November 2018 for Programs applying for accreditation. Details. Programs applying for accreditation should answer “yes” if they use (1) the online census system and (2) the online accreditation system. In future years, additional software will be added to this list as it is developed and rolled out. 8

Substantive Changes: Voluntary Questions 4.Voluntary Questions. The following two voluntary questions are added to the accreditation application in order to collect information and emphasize the importance of certain non- required opportunities. Answers to these questions will not impact the approval of a Program’s application. Program Quality Standards. Has the Program conducted a self-assessment and identified areas for improvement using the Program Quality Standards? Board Training. During the last two years, have the Board Chair and the majority of Board members undergone training relevant to their governance roles? 9

Technical and Stylistic Changes 1. Accreditation “Requirements” (instead of “Standards”) 2.Instructions and Stylistic Changes. Instructions have been added and stylistic changes have been made to the application to improve clarity and user experience. 3.“Board of Directors” References. For simplicity, all governing bodies are referred to as “Boards of Directors.” Boards of Trustees, Boards of Governors, and “Program Committees” (as defined by the General Rules) continue to satisfy General Rules and accreditation requirements related to board governance. 10

Technical and Stylistic Changes 4.Board Minutes. One set of board meeting minutes from each of the previous two years. (Previous application required minutes from two most recent meetings.) 5.Budgets and Plans. Programs are required to submit budgets and operational plans every year. (Previous application only required submission when renewing accreditation.) 6.Contact Information. The accreditation application prompts Programs to provide updated contact information for the Program’s office, Board Chair, Executive/National Director, and Sports Director. 11

Technical and Stylistic Changes 7.Attachments. Programs are required to attach bylaws, registration forms, and logo samples or note when they were previously submitted. (Previous application only required attachments when there were document updates.) 8.Corrective Measures. Language has been added to the Accreditation License Agreement to clarify SOI’s authority to effect change in Programs that are being mismanaged without resorting to revocation of accreditation. 9.Earlier Deadline. Beginning in 2016, accreditation applications will be due November

Accreditation Requirements 1.Mission 2.Board Composition Board Rotation Meetings & Minutes 3.Exec & Sports Directors 4.2 Sports & Unified Sports 5.Software 6.Registered Athletes 7.Name & Logo 8.Finance & Planning 9.Fees 10.License 13

Submission Deadline: Tuesday, 15 December Cycle Financial Statements AGR Form (990 in US) Budget Operational Plan 5.Contact Information Cycle 1.Renewal Application with all requested information and attachments 14

Online Accreditation System Program Users: Applying for Accreditation 15

Logging On 16

Applications Menu 17

Application 18

Posting General Comments 19

Posting General Comments 20

1. Special Olympics Mission 21

Response 22

Mission Statement The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. 23

Attaching a document 24

Question 1 Complete 25

2. Governing Board 26

Typing a name 27

Questions Complete 28

Questions Complete 29

Board Composition Expert in Intellectual Disabilities: Should have a degree or substantial professional experience in a field related to intellectual disabilities, such as special education or developmental psychology. Sports Expert: Should have a degree or substantial professional experience in a field related to sports. Finance or Business Expert: Should have a degree, certification, or substantial professional experience in a field related to financial or business management. **Not required this year.** Close Family Relation: Parent, sibling, grandparent, or child of a current or former Special Olympics athlete. 30

Athlete Leadership Each Board must include at least one current or former Special Olympics athlete. Athlete members must have the same rights and privileges as other voting Board members, including full voting rights and the same terms as other members. Athletes should play a meaningful and integral role and should not be chosen only to satisfy this accreditation requirement. Programs are encouraged to make use of materials provided through the Special Olympics Athlete Leadership Program to make the most of athlete leadership. 31

Board Rotation Board Rotation. The governing documents of each Program are required to limit the terms of Board members to a maximum of 9 consecutive years. General Rules Section 5.02(d). Board Rotation Waiver. Programs requesting an exception to the nine-year limitation should submit a written request to their Regional President that includes 1)Name and years of service of the member(s) for whom the exception is requested, 2)Justification for the extension, and 3)Length of the requested extension. Alternatives to Waiver. Programs are encouraged to consider having exemplary long-term Board members support the Program in other ways or step off the Board for a one-year period before returning to the Board. 32

3. Executive/National Director and Sports Director 4. Special Olympics Sports 33

Unified Sports Unified Sports. The Unified Sports accreditation requirement is satisfied by a Program providing Unified Sports opportunities at any level in at least one sport. Implementation Period. **Not required this year.** Compliance with the Unified Sports requirement will be required beginning in November 2016 for Programs applying for accreditation. 34

5. Registered Athletes 6. Software 35

Athlete Registration As part of registration, Programs are required to collect forms for each athlete. General Rules Section For accreditation, Programs are required to attach their current registration forms or note when they were submitted with a previous accreditation application. If any revisions to the forms have been made since previously submitted, the current forms must be attached. 36

Athlete Registration: Sample Release Form As part of registration, Programs are required to collect forms for each athlete. General Rules Section For accreditation, Programs are required to attach their current registration forms or note when they were submitted with a previous accreditation application. If any revisions to the forms have been made since previously submitted, the current forms must be attached. 37

Athlete Registration: Sample Information Form As part of registration, Programs are required to collect forms for each athlete. General Rules Section For accreditation, Programs are required to attach their current registration forms or note when they were submitted with a previous accreditation application. If any revisions to the forms have been made since previously submitted, the current forms must be attached. 38

Athlete Registration: Sample Medical Form As part of registration, Programs are required to collect forms for each athlete. General Rules Section For accreditation, Programs are required to attach their current registration forms or note when they were submitted with a previous accreditation application. If any revisions to the forms have been made since previously submitted, the current forms must be attached. 39

Software Software. Programs are required to use certain Special Olympics software as provided and instructed by SOI. Implementation Period. **Not required this year.** Compliance with the Software requirement will be required beginning in November 2018 for Programs applying for accreditation. Details. Programs applying for accreditation should answer “yes” if they use (1) the online census system and (2) the online accreditation system. In future years, additional software will be added to this list as it is developed and rolled out. 40

7. Name & Logo 41

Letterhead and Business Cards Programs are required to attach their current letterheads and business cards or note when they were submitted with a previous application. If any revisions have been made since previously submitted, the current materials must be attached. If a Program does not use business cards, it is not required to create them solely for the accreditation application. If your Program needs assistance creating or updating branded materials, please contact your regional Organizational Development representative. 42

8. Finances & Planning 43

Financial Statements Annual financial statements should include: o Statement of all revenue from the most recently completed fiscal year, o Statement of all expenses from the most recently completed fiscal year, and o Balance Sheet showing the Program’s assets and liabilities as of the last day of the most recently completed fiscal year. Financial Audit. Financial statement shall be audited by an independent auditor. General Rules Section 8.05(a). If obtaining a financial audit will cause a significant hardship for a Program with a very small budget (for example, $50,000 USD or less), the Program should contact its regional Organizational Development representative to discuss a waiver of the audit requirement. 44

2014 Adjusted Gross Revenue Form 45

2016 Budget and Operational Plan Annual Budget. An annual budget is a statement of planned revenue and expenses for an entire fiscal year and is a planning tool that every Program must have in order to effectively manage its finances and assets. Operational Plan. In accordance with General Rules Section 8.03(a), Programs are required to develop a written operational plan for each fiscal year, setting forth comprehensive goals for the Program’s sports, programmatic, administrative and fundraising goals, and its plans for growth. 46

9. Accreditation Fees 10. License Agreement 47

Accreditation Fees Fees. Programs must be up-to-date in submitting all 2015 and prior fees, or have an approved payment plan in place, before they will be accredited for Alternative Payment Arrangements. If a Program is unable to pay its fee in full when due, it may request that SOI accept a payment plan. To request a payment plan, send a written request to your regional Organizational Development representative that includes specific dates by which payments will be made. 48

License Agreement 49

11. Contact Information 50

Profile Page 51

Editing or Adding Contacts 52

Selecting Contact Type 53

Voluntary Questions 54

Voluntary Questions Program Quality Standards. Answer “yes” to this question if the Program’s Board of Directors and/or staff has done a self-assessment and identified areas for improvement using the Program Quality Standards. For more information on how to do an assessment, please contact your regional Organizational Development representative. Board Training. To answer “yes” to this question, training can be done as a group or separately with trainings tailored to specific members’ training needs (for example, finance training for the Board’s treasurer, athlete leadership training for athletes on the Board). For assistance in identifying Board training opportunities and resources, please contact your regional Organizational Development representative. 55

Application Submitted 56

Download Certificate 57

Documents Needed For Accreditation Renewal 1.Current bylaws with SO Mission & Board Rotation provisions 2.Board minutes from 1 meeting in 2014 and 1 meeting in Current athlete registration forms 4.Current letterhead & business cards financial statements AGR form budget operational plan 9.Signed accreditation license agreement 58

Online Accreditation System Program Users: Mid-Cycle Submission for Programs Accredited for

Accreditation Portal – Logging On 60

Portal Home Screen 61

Current Application 62

Mid-Cycle Tab:

Implementing New Requirements Finance or Business Expert on Board by November 2016 Minimum 7 Board members by November 2016 Unified Sports in at least 1 sport by November 2016 Keep up to date with SOI software, using accreditation and census systems and other systems as they are added, required beginning November

Questions? 65

Thank you 66