This chapter will go over important business topics such as how to interact with companies, how to raise money, how to do meaningful outreach, how to coordinate Junior Bots summer camps, how to write.

Fundraising is a critical part of the FRC season, but can be the hardest part for many teams. Our team is fortunate enough to have incredible sponsors that have helped boost our program over the past 20 years; however, they alone cannot cover our team expenses. This section highlights how our team gets sponsors, recognizes them, writes grants, and raises funds.

Master Spreadsheet

We maintain a master spreadsheet of all companies that we have previously reached out to as sponsors in the tenure of our team. This sheet includes the company name, sponsor status, contact information, application type, deadline, last year sponsored, and notes. Below are the sponsor statuses and application types that we track in our master spreadsheet.

To help balance out the fundraising effort, students pick 1-2 companies to reach out to during the fall. They can choose if they want to email/call/go in person, but once they pick their companies it is up to them. This has been fairly successful over the past few years and now 60% of our sponsors are acquired through this method. Students use the master spreadsheet to keep track of who has been reached out to and what follow-up information is needed.

Sponsorship Packets

Our sponsorship packet includes a letter to the potential sponsor, a brochure that gives a quick glance of our team, and a business plan. In the letter we give an overview of our team and thank them for previous years of support. This is a great opportunity to make a personal connection or reflect on past events with the sponsor.

The FIRST Fundraising Toolkit provides more information on how sponsorship packets and presentations can boost your team. Learn more here.

The sponsorship brochure is intended to be a quick overview of FIRST, our team, and the need for sponsors. We include this information in emails and packets taken to companies, but they can also be brought to certain outreach events or farmer's markets. This document doesn't change much from year to year so it easy to place on bulletin boards at coffee shops or other places where it may hang for long periods of time.

Business Plan

The business plan is a comprehensive overview of our team and financial state. This is a required document for many grants or corporate giving applications, but can also be used for general sponsor inquiries. Below are the major components that we include in our business plan.

• Mission statement

• Team history and growth

• Organization structure

  • Board of director information for our non-profit

  • Student team leads and leadership structure

• Sustainability plan

• Risk analysis

  • SWOT analysis

  • Action/implementation plan

• Financials

  • Sponsor tiers

  • Annual budget

Sponsor Benefits

Recognizing sponsors is an important part of the season. We reevaluate our sponsor tiers annually to make sure we are finding as many ways to show our appreciation and get involved with our sponsors as possible. Below are some ideas that can be included in your sponsor benefits.

• Company name or logo on team apparel, pit banner, or website

• Quarterly newsletters and photos showing team progress

• Lunch & learn with the company to demonstrate the robot

• Social media recognition

• Customized plaque with team number of FRC season

Grants

FIRST works with many companies to create grant opportunities for teams each year. These start mid-summer and many close by mid-October. More information can be found about them here.

For many grants, and company corporate giving applications, the questions asked stay the same from year to year. We save copies of these applications to reference later. This makes it easier for new members to understand the tone and style of writing a grant and can help generate ideas for future application answers. Additionally, we have learned that companies appreciate when you have a specific goal in mind for their grant. At the beginning of the year we often create a wishlist and order it by priority so that we can provide these details to potential sponsors.

Fundraisers

We love our sponsors, but being self-sustaining is a great goal for all FRC teams. To help with this mission we host our Junior Bot summer camps as a major fundraiser and partner with local businesses to provide additional opportunities for our students.

When deciding to host your own event or camp, it is important to set a price point that is good for the community and good for the team. With our Junior Bots camps we work to reduce or cost by reusing materials, finding free locations, and using word of mouth publicity to help us keep costs low. This makes it easier on our campers paying registration fees but allows us to make the money needed to pay for competition registration.

In addition to Junior Bots, we also have worked concessions at the University of Iowa, hosted fundraiser nights at Pizza Ranch, and sold light bulbs to raise money. Many fast food restaurants have their own fundraiser night system to help raise money for your team. In the future we would like to create a fan merch store for friends and family to purchase cheap 167 t-shirts as a passive fundraiser.

Outreach Events

Outreach events are all about getting involved in your community and spreading the message of FIRST; however, they can come with fundraising opportunities. We have a QR code on one of our team poster boards that individuals can use to donate to our team through PayPal. This is not a major money maker for our team, but can add up to a big impact over the year. Most donations through this method are alumni, family friends, or others who recognize us from previous events.

Outreach events are also a major way to advertise your team. This can include getting new sponsors, mentors, or students. Having a sponsorship brochure on hand is always a good idea.