Fundraising 101 Presented by Rose Young & Allison Lanham Welcome! Fundraising 101 Presented by Rose Young & Allison Lanham

Introductions … Rose Young FRC Team 2199 Robo-Lions Lead Mentor for 13 years Former Senior Mentor Non-Profit PIE3 Treasurer Fundraising and financial management assist for FRC, FTC, FLL and FLL Jr teams Science and Engineering Teacher Parent of two FRC alums

Introductions … Alli Lanham Corporate Gifts Officer, FIRST Chesapeake Professional Fundraiser for 10 years AFP Member Other organizations include: Girl Scouts, United Way, Discovery Place and Variety the Children’s Charity.

Recruiting & Retaining Sponsors (Alli) Overview Develop Benefits Prospecting Getting the meeting / Introductions The “Ask” Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Stewardship of donation

Developing Benefits What can your team offer? Logo on shirt Logo/Name on Website Logo/Name on Robot Logo/Name on newsletter Social Media exposure Press Release to local paper Content What value/impact can you provide? Reach? Impact to the community? Number of people following on Social Media (who are they?) Different level of support provides different benefits. Can you create unique engagement? Volunteer opportunities with team Engagement opportunities for employees – presentation at business / team building activity for adults

Presentation of Benefits

Presentation of Benefits Proposal/Packet Overview of team (leadership roles) Success of team (awards, recruitment numbers, competition results) Calendar of events for team Photos of robot/competitions/outreach event Link to video (tinyurl) Examples of social media posts, newsletter, shirts, robot Levels with financial investment Include volunteer opportunities

Prospecting Who is on your team? Local Businesses Parents? Mentors? – Where do they work? Matching gift program. Local Businesses Potentially avoid the 10% off fundraisers Think about business’s that want parents/students to support them Sports shop; Fitness Studio Bagel Shop, Deli, Plumbers, Community Bank, Local Dentist Showcase your advertising ability What businesses support local baseball, basketball, football? Who supports the local library? Museums? Community Foundation Grants? United Way Grants?

Getting the meeting / Introduction Always best to have someone provide a warm introduction. Search Linkedin, parent’s friends, etc. If not, student reach out … Explain the program/team Send video about team, an award or FIRST Send any recent media

The ASK The students should be the ones to make the ask. Think about the amount you’d like to ask prior to meeting. “Would you consider making a $1,000 donation to support our robotics team?” Make the ask, then wait… pause. Follow up with email recapping conversation and a short handwritten note thanking them for their time.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! The donor should receive at least 3 “thank you” before being asked again. If it is a tax-deductible donation, they will need a letter recognizing their contribution.

Stewardship Ensure all your benefits listed are met… and then some! In addition to the benefits promised, donors appreciate additional “thank you” Recognized on Social Media Send photos throughout season to donor Include photos of employees working with the robots and team If the gift is from a national sponsor, try to find the local contact so you can personally send them information. Small thank you gift (IE: Framed photo of team with hand written thank you note) Invite employees to events, ask to bring in robot during off-season.

Effective Fundraising Strategies from Team 2199 (Rose) Summer “Camp” Robotics for Hire – entertainment for Parties, Camps, Scouts Rocket/ Activities Fundraiser

Additional Resources uTeam RUSH Toolkit: http://www.teamrush27.net uFIRST – Toolkit for Marketing and Fundraising is worth using uTechsoup: for non-profit discounts on software and hardware

Questions?

Thank you! Allison Lanham – Corporate Gifts Officer, FIRST Chesapeake Alanham@firstchesapeake.org Rose Young, Team 2199