1. 2018-2019 Accreditation Presentation
Steve Keener, Corporate Counsel and Assistant Secretary
Arriana Sajjad, Paralegal

2. Agenda Accreditation Overview
Application (for Programs with expiring accreditation)
Mid-Cycle Update (for Programs accredited through )

3. What is Special Olympics accreditation?
SOI accredits Special Olympics Programs to ensure worldwide quality, and ultimately the growth, of the Special Olympics movement. 
Accreditation is a method that assures that every Accredited Program has met the essential core requirements of the Special Olympics mission.

4. Value to Accredited Programs
Strong International Identity
Software
World Games
Technical Advice In Sports, Health, Governance, Communications, And IT
Regional Games
Name And Branding
Access To Trademarked Assets
The Inside Track on Funding
Grants
Seat at the Table
Sponsorships
International And Regional Leadership
Revenue Sharing
Shared Strategy And Vision
Leadership Development Opportunities
Resources at Your Fingertips
Coaching Guides
Health Tools
Sports Skills Guides
Brand Management Tools
Fundraising Tools
PR Tools
School Curriculums
Research In Sports, Health, And Disability
General Rules
Program Quality Standards
Sports Rules
Investments Benefitting Accredited Programs
(US Dollars in Millions)

5. How do we do accreditation?
Each Program submits an accreditation application every 2 years. If approved, a Program is typically licensed for 2 calendar years.
Between application years, Programs submit annual financial reports, budgets, and operational plans.
Programs are responsible for ongoing compliance with the Accreditation Requirements and the General Rules.

6. Accreditation Requirements
Mission Statement
Registered Athletes
Board
Name & Logo
Composition
Finance & Planning
Board Rotation
Meetings & Minutes
Fees
Exec & Sports Directors
License Agreement
2 Sports + Unified Sports
Software

7. Due: Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Submission Deadline
Due: Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Cycle
2016 Financial Statements
2016 AGR Form (990 in US)
2018 Budget
2018 Operational Plan
Contact Information
Cycle
Renewal Application with all requested information and attachments

8. Accreditation Resources Page
Accreditation Guide
AGR Form
License Agreement
Fees Policy
Letterhead Template
Athlete Registration Forms
Model Bylaws
This Presentation

9. Online Accreditation System
Applying for Accreditation

10. Logging On

11. Applications Menu

12. Application

13. Posting General Comments

14. 1.) Special Olympics Mission

15. Mission Statement

16. Response

17. Attaching a document 1 2

18. Question 1 Complete

19. 2.) Governing Board

20. Typing a name

21. Questions Complete

22. Questions Complete

23. 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.
Close Family Relation: Parent, sibling, grandparent, or child of a current or former Special Olympics athlete.

24. 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.

25. 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:
Name and years of service of the member(s) for whom the exception is requested,
Justification for the extension, and
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.

26. 3. ) Executive/National Director and Sports Director 4
3.) Executive/National Director and Sports Director 4.) Special Olympics Sports

27. Unified Sports
The Unified Sports accreditation requirement is satisfied by a Program providing Unified Sports opportunities at any level in at least one sport.

28. 5.) Registered Athletes

29. Athlete Registration Forms http://resources. specialolympics
Application Form
Medical Form
Other Auxiliary Forms

30. 6.) Software

31. 7.) Name & Logo

32. 8.) Finances & Planning

33. Audited Financial Statements
Programs with Total Revenues more than US$100,000 are required to submit audited financial statements and must request a waiver if their 2016 financial statements are not audited.
Programs with Revenues less than US$100,000 automatically receive a waiver.

34. Audit Waiver Request Template
Special Olympics ______________ requests a waiver from the financial audit requirement. The reason for this request is ____________________. We request a waiver for the 2016 financial statements due 15 November I confirm that the 2016 financial statements we are submitting for accreditation are accurate and as consistent as possible with generally accepted accounting principles. Our Program is planning to hire a financial auditor to audit our 2017 financial statements. We plan to submit our 2017 audited financial statements with our accreditation materials in November 2018.

35. 2016 Adjusted Gross Revenue Form

36. 2018 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.

37. 9.) Accreditation Fees 10.) License Agreement

38. Updated Fees Policy
International Fee = 2.1% x AGR Restricted Revenue Deduction changed to Government Revenue Deduction
Tiered fees for non-independent international Programs
U.S. Fee = 2.5% x Program Service Expense
Annual Increase and Decrease Limits

39. License Agreement Key Terms:
License to use SO name operate SO Program in your Territory
Agreement to comply with
Accreditation Requirements
General Rules
Branding Guidelines
No trademark registration

40. 11.) Contact Information

41. Editing or Adding Contacts

42. 12.) Voluntary Questions

43. Application Submitted

44. Download Certificate

45. Documents Needed For Accreditation Renewal
Current Bylaws With SO Mission & Board Rotation Provisions
List of Board Members, including years of service for each Member
Board Minutes From 1 Meeting In 2016 And 1 Meeting In 2017
Current Athlete Registration Forms
Current Letterhead & Business Cards
2016 Financial Statements
2016 AGR Form (990 for U.S. Programs)
2018 Budget
2018 Operational Plan
Signed Accreditation License Agreement

46. Mid-Cycle Submission for Programs Accredited for 2017-2018

47. Mid-Cycle Tab: 2017/2018

48. Questions?

49. Thank you! Steve Keener, Corporate Counsel and Assistant Secretary
Arriana Sajjad, Paralegal