FUNDRAISINGWHY ??HOW??WHO??

What are we going to talk about?

It takes a village to make a FIRST Robotics team truly successful.

More than just a teacher and some students. Support from every discipline. Support from every level. Support from parents. Promote promote promote!!! By drawing attention to your team, you draw checks

School Support

School Committee Play the game

A strong backer or two on the school board is a must.

Visibility for the team is the goal. Put the students up front.

Fit the program into the Superintendent’s goals.

Curriculum Connections

Bring your show to the Elementary Schools and demonstrate using the State Standards

School Support

School Administration Meet with the Principal regularly.

Even if it’s just in the hall for 3 minutes. It does not hurt to have a parent or two on the PTSA.

Good way to find out what is happening within the school. Get quality face time. Go to school committee meetings, concerts, sporting events,

etc. Volunteer to host a career fair or club night.

If you volunteer to do the set up, then its automatic you get prime real estate!! Do NOT upset the custodial staff!

Feed them!

School Support

Student Body NOT just for nerds. That’s a tough one to get over. Wide variety of skills needed. Spirit, writing, www Diversity: try for 50/50. Develop a job application

Faculty/Staff Get a great one. Commitment is important Multiple is good. (We’re training the 2nd one!) Make sure they are the “Keeper of the Keys.”

Showcasing Achievements Show off trophies/awards. We have our own case in the hall. Get on principals brag board. Showcase the robots, run’em at lunch in the halls, display in the library, Back to School,

Open House, Town parades etc.

Lower Grade Levels Farm System VEX/FTC/FLL/JFLL FIRST is providing it, utilize it.

Raising Awareness in the Community

Brochures / Pamphlets Provide tangible communications – not just words – unique designs

Fundraisers Look at it not just as an opportunity to make money, but also to get the

word out and provide a service to the community.

Display your “product” bring ‘bots to fundraisers, march in parades Build a World Class display booth

• Work with other city departments – Senior Center – for something that benefits them

Mentors/NEMOs – don’t turn down any assistance offered

ION (Inter Organizational Networking)

Local and National Engineering Societies ESWM/ASME/SME

Colleges & Universities Univ Washington, Washington

State, Seattle Pacific, WPI

Other Teams FirstWA

Community Orgs Lions Club Masonic Lodges Rotary Chamber of Commerce

• Families and Friends• Schools and School Organizations• Cities and Communities• Local, Small Businesses• Large Corporations•Each has different reasons and

expectations for sponsoring

What types of Sponsors

Reasons and Expectations

Family & Friends• Fun thing to do, see it as a positive for the

students involved, expect little in return

Schools & School Districts• Fits into curriculum, Student development,

Unique club, Positive image in the community

Reasons and Expectations

Cities and Communities• Positive image, May support city initiatives,

Pride & Recognition

Local / Small Businesses• Positive image, Community involvement,

Advertising, Supporting clients

Reasons and Expectations

Large Businesses • Any or most of the above, plus• Support the business (technology)• Potential to recruit employees• Name recognition at events• Positive corporate image • May be viewed as an “investment” - not a

“donation”

Some ideas

• Use their name in your FIRST info• Advertise them in your pit / on robot • Ask for giveaways with logo, flag • Advertise on T-shirts• Make a large poster with sponsors• Create certificates• Get them invited as VIPs or Judges• especially at local, invitational

Some (more) ideas

• Invite them to come to a special night during build, your Open House or your team party or banquet

• Support one of their activities• Open Houses, Company Picnics • Community Service (pack to school)

• Start an Internship or Co-Op program with them

More Ideas

• Present a positive image of them by your actions on and off the field

• Say “Thank You” in person and by letter

Fund Raising

Grants and Sponsorships

Fund Raising

Short term- quick return

FR Guidelines A. little or no initial investment B. high return profit- at least 50%, better at 100% C. student friendly, team friendly D. market to different customer bases- not the parents every time

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How Do You Get a Fundraiser Going?

o Have a goal- how much? by when?

o Make a believable plan- the team needs to believe the goal is reachable before it will commit the time to reach it

o Build excitement- prizes, contests, ultimate prize

o Warrant involvement- everybody involved, parents involved

o Target your Fundraisers

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Parent Groups

Parent Groups are essential if the team is to grow large and travel frequently

The team must be as fun for the parents as for the students

RPM- Robot Parent MentorsRun by parentsBoth social and supportiveLabor force for making fund raisers happenForce behind students to keep them moving

How do you motivate parents?

Hold a meeting and spell out the team’s goals and activities

Offer opportunities for parental Involvement

Have signups ready

Plan events to make parents a part of the team. Show them their kids succeeding.

Let parents show their best to the team

Fun events and trips

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Sources for Ideas

FR Team Development- NEMO !!

http://www.firstnemo.org/

http://www.fundraiserhelp.com/ - has a huge idea list with many interesting concepts

http://www.easy-fundraising-ideas.com/ - a marketing company with many available FR types

http://www.childline.org.uk/AtoZoffundraisingideas.asp - a glossary of different ideas

www.FIRSTRINOS.org- soon to be posted source for new teams

http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc/content.aspx?id=7024 - the President’s Circle- FIRST’s support of teams by teams

Grants are more long term and less reliable than fund raisers

Corporate connections are helpful

Parents, School Boards, Local Politicians offer connections

Many large companies have Volunteerism Reward Grants for their Employees

Be prepared for Matching Grants

What Can Sponsors Do For A Team?

Of course $$$$

Direct interaction with students and tech people

Merchandise

Food

Don’t dismiss a sponsor because they do not have engineers

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Educating Sponsors

It takes at least a season to educate a sponsor- probably more so than a student

Respect the sponsor’s time

Say Thanks- and be sure to highlight the sponsor in publicity on the team

Develop a Press Policy

Educational institutions can accept grantsGrants are written according to set formats- see

their style sheetsHave a set goal in mind when you write a grant- a

project or a figure is easier to sellExpect a major lag time in processing grantsYou will likely need the following ready at

minimumBudget for 2-3 years (projected)Essays highlighting grant use and needBiographies and credentials of workersSupporting letters from recipient schoolBusiness Plan is helpful

Everybody wants easy fundraisers. The problem is that you also want good results.

So, how do you get the best results from an easy fundraiser?

Three things to consider in evaluating easy fundraisers:

Effort InvolvedResources Needed

Duration of Fundraiser

EFFORT INVOLVED

An easy fundraiser shouldn't take a lot of effort, but let's be honest.

It is going to take SOME effort.

The level of effort is often directly proportional to the size of your group's monetary goal, but not always.

That's why you are considering an easy fundraiser in the first place – you're looking for less effort, not more.

RESOURCES NEEDEDResources are always a problem in small group fundraising. You can never have too many volunteers and you usually never have enough.

For an easy fundraiser, you want programs that don't require an excessive time commitment from a large number of people.

You want either a single weekend-only activity or a program that takes only a small amount of time each week. It's easier to get people to help with something that doesn't require more than a two-hour commitment from them.

Conserve your resources with an easy fundraiser and you'll have more folks to draw on later when you really need help.

DURATION OF FUNDRAISER

Duration is important. An easy fundraiser that lasts more than a single weekend should not require a lot of attention to keep it productive.

Those that only last a single day or weekend shouldn't require a tremendous amount of prep time.

So, which easy fundraisers only take a little effort, few resources, and have the right duration?

Three simple easy fundraisers:

Printer cartridge recycling program

Onsite or Online Yard Sale

Seasonal Specialty Item Sale

Recycling Program

A recycling program for collecting used printer cartridges costs nothing to put together. All collection boxes and shipping needs are covered by the supplier. One recommendation is FundingFactory.

Your effort involves finding businesses to participate in the program, leaving pre-labeled boxes with a site representative, and providing directions on calling UPS to pick up a full box.

A used cartridge is worth between $1 and $20, depending on the popularity of the printer and the cost of a new cartridge. Many businesses encourage recycling efforts. For good prospects, check with the leasing manager of large office buildings that house multiple companies.

Another good location is an electronics store or office supply retailer. Customers often bring in their old cartridge when shopping for a replacement. You are doing the retailer a service by providing them with an environmentally safe way to dispose of these leftovers.

A good recycling program will cover a couple of dozen sites and not require much work after the initial placement. Over time, working this many sites can produce a considerable amount of funds for your group.

One good source for a complete turnkey cartridge recycling setup (at no cost to your group) is the Funding Factory. They recycle inkjet cartridges, laser cartridges, and old cell phones.

Mega Yard Sale

A big yard sale is another easy fundraiser to pull off. It's short in duration, usually just a Saturday sale with some prep time the night before.

Choose a nice high-visibility location like a school or church parking lot. Advertise in the local paper and put up signs for the cagey veterans who troll around on Saturday mornings looking for bargains.

Group your items together by category - kids clothes, tools, toys, books, pictures, music, etc. Place general price signs around items instead of pricing everything individually.

For example, "$5-$10 Tools" or "Books: $1-$3" are signs that allow people to haggle and help you avoid putting price stickers on hundreds of items.

Resources are needed most for helping to sell. Recruit outgoing types who can be enthusiastic about these odds and ends. Make it a fun time with some helium balloons for small children and have coffee and doughnuts available for adults.

By grouping items together from multiple households, you create a bigger draw as well as a bigger workforce.

If you attract enough shoppers along with enough donations, you can raise as much as $500 per participating household.

Online Yard Sale

A variation on the yard sale fundraiser is to sell the items online. The best place to sell large quantities of lower-priced items is on eBay.

You'll get more for books, music, and consumer electronics that way.

Keep it in mind as a way to get better results on some items or as an easier fundraiser to do for very small groups.

You'll need to spend some time creating the listings. Having online pictures posted seems to help with higher-priced items. All in all, it's an easy fundraiser that produces results.

Specialty Item Sale

The third type of easy fundraiser is a weekend specialty sale of a seasonal item. Examples would be a Pumpkin Patch sale, a Christmas Tree sale, a Spring Flower Bulb fiesta, and so on.

This involves an effort similar to having a large yard sale. You'll need a high-traffic location and some advance publicity. Your goal is to capture seasonal sales from the general public as well as those from within your group.

Avoid stretching these sales over more than one weekend or you'll run into resource issues. Make it quick and keep it fun. Setup on a Friday, sell hard on Saturday, and wrap it up by Sunday afternoon.

Make arrangements ahead of time with your supplier about how to handle left over items. Source pumpkins from the local Farmer's Market, Christmas trees from grower's associations, and flower bulbs from national suppliers.

Be sure to price everything competitively and offer great customer service. For Christmas trees, have able bodies standing by to tie them down on vehicles.

For pumpkins, help place them in the trunk. The easier you make it for customers, the more you'll net for your group.

Any questions ????

Good luck and Welcome to the FIRST Family!!

We are all here to help each other!!

See you at the competition!!!!