Data Collection of Women's Business Center Clients

Supporting Statement for Collecting Data on Women’s Business Center Program Participants

(OMB Control Number: XXX)

Appendix VI. Instructions for Selected Centers

Dear [insert WBC name] administrator,

As you know, [insert WBC name] is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and we hope that together we strive to improve our programs and deliver meaningful assistance. We want to know if our programs and services help entrepreneurs and the broader economy by providing useful information about starting and managing businesses and if they eventually help businesses grow. [insert WBC name] has been selected at random as one of 45 Women’s Business Centers nationwide to participate in a survey about business assistance. To limit the burden on your clients, we will not be surveying all of them; instead, we will be randomly selecting a group to complete a brief online survey. Although SBA cannot provide you the results from your specific clients due to confidentiality protection, you will receive the final report after the data collection is complete.

In order to meet the survey objectives, we respectfully request your assistance:

1. Please provide the full list of clients who received any amount of counseling or training assistance in calendar year 2012 to the SBA contractor, Optimal Solutions Group, LLC, (Optimal), who will be conducting the study. Please send this information to [email protected] by [DATE].

2. Ensure that the client contact information, specifically name and e-mail address, is clearly identified. Please also include clients whose contact information is not available (e.g., missing, incomplete), so we can produce an accurate estimate of all clients served.

3. In addition, please include key client characteristics from your database. Specifically, include the client’s business phase (pre-venture versus in-business), race/ethnicity, gender, age, military status, and disability status, as it appears in your database. The following definitions reflect those of SBA’s EDMIS client management system and should have been used to distinguish pre-venture and in-business clients at the time of service:

In-Business Clients: are those individuals that have completed the required registration(s), if applicable, with the local, state, or federal government (e.g., DBA registration, obtained a business license, agency-issued tax identifications, etc.) AND at least one of the following:

• Has incurred business expenses in the operation of a business;

• Has documented a transaction from the sale of a product, or a professional or personal service for the purpose of gain or profit;

• Has contracted for or compensated an employee(s) or independent contractor(s) to perform essential business functions; or

• Has acquired debt or equity capital to pursue business operations (e.g., to purchase inventory, equipment, building, business, etc.)

Pre-Venture Clients: are those individuals who have taken one or more active steps to form a business. According to the Kauffman Foundation (www.kauffman.org), this includes individuals seeking assistance from SBA or one of its resource partners.

4. On [DATE], please send a notification e-mail to your full 2012 client list making them aware of the survey, its importance, what to expect, and to encourage their participation (see attached e-mail text).

   • From the list you provide, we are selecting a group of clients at random. By selecting only a sample, we can minimize the burden on you and your clients, and use aggregate statistics to describe the entire client population, not individual clients or specific centers. Selected clients will have through [DATE] to complete the online survey.

5. Optimal will contact you with the clients who have not responded to the survey by [DATE]. We ask that you make a personal follow-up phone call or send an e-mail to the clients, encouraging them to complete the online survey by [DATE]. Clients will have through [DATE] to complete the survey to achieve the best representation of your clients. Optimal will provide you with a script to facilitate your calls or e-mails.

If you have any questions or concerns when submitting your client list, please contact Jennifer Auer, Project Director at Optimal Solutions Group, LLC. [CONTACT].

We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

U.S. Small Business Administration

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