Structure of Special Olympics New Hampshire

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Overview of structure including relationship with SOI, board of directors, staff and planning

Relationship to SOI

Special Olympics New Hampshire is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.

Special Olympics accredits Programs to ensure the worldwide quality, and ultimately the growth, of the Special Olympics Movement.  Biannually, we apply for and receive accreditation from SOI to be a part of the Special Olympics movement.

To be accredited, we must meet certain standards:

• Have a Board of Directors, comprised of at least one sports expert, one expert in the field of intellectual disabilities, one Special Olympics athlete trained on Board/Program Committee participation, and at least one close family relation of a Special Olympics athlete. 
• Operate within their jurisdictional limitations.
• Seek to increase the number of athletes involved in Special Olympics and measure growth in a standard way. 
• Prohibitions are set out in relation to the display of commercial messages on athletes’ or coaches’ uniforms at Games, on the limited use of National Flags and National Anthems at Games, and on the use of alcohol and tobacco products at Special Olympics competition venues.
• Follow governance requirements such as compliance with laws and voluntary standards, financial and insurance requirements, codes of conduct and avoidance of conflicts of interest.
• Comply with the General Rules, which can be found on the SOI resources website.

The global Special Olympics movement is structured as follows:

• SOI is led by a board of directors. 
• SOI headquarters is located in Washington DC. 
• SOI has seven regions (Africa, Asia Pacific, East Asia, Europe / Eurasia, Latin America, Middle East / North Africa and North America) that oversee the accredited programs in their area of the world. 
• SONA oversees all accredited programs in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
• SONH oversees our programs and areas.
• Our programs and areas oversee our athletes and coaches.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the effective management, direction, and mission of SONH. The essential functions of the Board of Directors are approval and periodic review of the SONH budget, policymaking, assurance of sound management and establishment and supervision of policies as to income and expense.

Staff

SONH uses a four department structure to organize its work.

• The administration department supports the organization’s success.
• The data & systems department is responsible for data and systems.
• The development department is responsible for raising all funds.
• The program department carries out the mission of SONH.  

Review our organizational chart and related job responsibilities document for a full picture of the SONH staff.

Planning

Every five years, Special Olympics, Inc. publishes a Strategic Plan.  The plan guides the work of the global movement and is available on the SOI resources site.

In New Hampshire, every three years our Board of Directors develops a Strategic Plan for New Hampshire.  The New Hampshire Board of Directors is committed to developing strategic plans that align with the SOI Strategic Plan. Regularly, the board will receive updates on progress made on the Strategic Plan.  Annually, at the board retreat, we will review the prior year’s progress and update the implementation plan for the coming year as needed. 

The 2020-2022 Strategic Plan has been tabled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we expect to get back to a regular strategic planning process in 2024.

Annually the staff creates a business plan that aligns with the Strategic Plan.

Relationship with the International Olympic Committee

Through a Protocol of Agreement signed on February 15, 1988, the International Olympic Committee (the “IOC”) officially recognized SOI and agreed to cooperate with SOI as a representative of the interests of athletes with intellectual disabilities. The IOC’s formal recognition of SOI carries with it a solemn duty and responsibility, which must be discharged by SOI and all of its Accredited Programs, to conduct Special Olympics training and competition in accordance with the highest ideals of the international Olympic movement, to guard and protect the use of the term “Special Olympics,” and to protect the word “Olympics” from Special Olympics Official General Rules unauthorized use or exploitation. 

The IOC’s Protocol of Agreement with SOI prohibits SONH from using the 5 ring Olympic logo, the Olympic anthem, or the Olympics motto.