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Making Thousands of Dollars Appear Out of Thin Air For Your Team. Wayne Cokeley (Team 25) and Lauralynne Cokeley (Team 1089). Two Ways to Bring in Money For a Team. Fund Raising Grants and Sponsorship. Fund Raising. Short term- quick return Team 25’s FR Guidelines
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Making Thousands of Dollars Appear Out of Thin Air For Your Team Wayne Cokeley (Team 25) and Lauralynne Cokeley (Team 1089)
Two Ways to Bring in Money For a Team • Fund Raising • Grants and Sponsorship
Fund Raising • Short term- quick return • Team 25’s 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 L
Year Round FR Preparation for the Season • Our 2007 Calendar • January- ad sales for BB show • February- finish ad sales, build season • March- competitions, BB show preps • April- Car wash • May- BB show- gate, Car wash • June- Car Wash • July- Summer Lego Camp, Car wash • August- Hawaiian Shirt Sale • September- Hawaiian Shirt Sale, Heritage Day concession • October- Hawaiian Shirt Sale • November- BE Tournament, Night of Giving tix sale • December- off for the holidays, prep for build season
Fund Raising Tallies for 2007 • Body Building Show- overall $2500 • Car washes (total) - $2000 (slow year) • Lego Camp- $1200 • Hawaiian Shirt Sale- $2800 • Brunswick Eruption Tournament- $6500 • Night of Giving Tickets- $600 • Total for Yearly Fundraising- $15,600 • Work crew- 30 students, 20 adults
How Do You Get a Fundraiser Going? • Have a goal- how much? by when? • Make a believable plan- the team needs to believe the goal is reachable before it will commit the time to reach it • Build excitement- prizes, contests, ultimate prize • Warrant involvement- everybody involved, parents involved • Target your Fundraisers L
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 Mentors • Run by parents • Both social and supportive • Labor force for making fund raisers happen • Force 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 L
Sources for Ideas • FR Team Development- NEMO !! • http://www.firstnemo.org/
Fund Raising Ideas • 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 and Sponsorship • 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 L
Make an Introduction Package • Every team needs an introduction sheet • CD with excited kids and robots • FIRST information from FIRST resources • Drop off materials and set a follow up- HR people or Community Relations seem the best • Have a set goal when you approach a sponsor • Get potential sponsors to a FIRST event- in or off season. Treat as VIP
Who Can Find Us A Major Sponsor? • Politicians • School Boards • Chamber of Commerce • Parents • Press • Regional Committee • Cold Canvassing- invite to events as guest
Double Duty Appearances • Public relations • Display boards • Brochures • PR Packet • Appearances for fun, familiarization and profit • Provide a Service L
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
Grants? • Educational institutions can accept grants • Grants are written according to set formats- see their style sheets • Have a set goal in mind when you write a grant- a project or a figure is easier to sell • Expect a major lag time in processing grants • You will likely need the following ready at minimum • Budget for 2-3 years (projected) • Essays highlighting grant use and need • Biographies and credentials of workers • Supporting letters from recipient school • Business Plan is helpful
Grant Sources • Many major companies have grants (500 Project) • Check the FIRST President’s Circle page above for a list of grants for schools. • Private Grants are sometimes available from philanthropists
The Fortune 500 Project • Dean Kamen made a comment…. • A link to explore- http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pjYwV89WZsDT8INoH17myVA&gid=0 Let us know…..