1. Ask Big and Offer Right
AKA how to create amazing Business Plans and Outreach and build these superpowers for the rest of your lives

2. I have seen or written (or financed) 500+ Business Plans in real life and many 100’s in FTC
Marketing and PR
1988 UCLA MBA Finance/Accounting
VP/SVP Corporate Banker, BofA
Faculty, UCLA Anderson School of Management
2011 Doctorate, Educational Leadership
2010-Present Faculty, UCLA Herb Alpert School; Exec. Dir., UCLA Center for Music Innovation
2012-Present, LAFTC; 2014-Present Co-Affiliate Partner
2015, 2016 Judge, FTC Worlds

3. What If We Asked Bigger? Great Book: Jia Jiang, Rejection Proof

4. What is Your Mission? How will you know if you are “successful”?
What do you want to achieve as a team?

5. What are Your Goals? “KPI” – Key Performance Indicators
What are your agreed upon team goals?
Make them Measurable
Look at multi-year goals into the future and/or based on the past
“SMART” Goals - specific, measurable, achievable, results- focused, and timebound – focusing on “What, Why, and How”
BHAG – “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” – what would be a Grand Slam?

6. What is your Budget?
What are your robot- construction targets? Cash and non-cash? Will they be upfront or over time? Do you need repair and replacement stuff as the league meets continue?
What equipment do you need? Tools? Field? Perimeter? Robots for outreach?
What travel do you plan to do? Do you need a reserve for championships, out-of-area travel, transportation, food?
What events and outreach do you plan to do? What will they cost? Is there a per event or do further events cost less as you duplicate earlier events?
What does actual fundraising cost in terms of printing, mailing, thank yous and recognition?
Do you need/want a cushion on case things don’t go as planned?
Is there a timing issue, e.g. money going out before going in?
What will be the role of each team member in terms of fundraising? Can all families afford to help or be cushion? Don’t assume.
Do you want to raise money for scholarships or grants for other teams or STEM programs?

7. What you really need for Outreach
Why outreach?
To HELP OTHER PEOPLE – promote STEM and those who help you
To expand your impact
To recruit potential team members for future years
To recruit potential mentors and sponsors
To improve the reputation of your own organization in STEM

8. Community Analysis and Research in Outreach
Understanding your community
Shoe manufacturing plan in Midwest
Shirt filled with orthodontists and realtors
Understanding your own team and school
Who are your families? Where do they work?
What are your major organizations and companies in your city?
Who has an interest in growing STEM skills in your community?
Where do civic leaders hang out? Kiwanis, Rotary, School Board, etc.
Who are your State Senators and Assembly people?
Who advertises in your local newspapers? Who sends coupons in the mail?

9. Best Bang for Buck: Designing to Connect Sponsors with Outreach
Where are you or they limited or interested?
Money
Time
Impact
Resources

10. Why does the Business Plan matter?
Helps you plan key items with and for your team:
Fundraising
Expenses
Sustainability
Communicate with donors, your organization, your parents, and your community groups
Help you set goals and see how your group has made things happen year after year
Required for Inspire, Connect, and Motivate awards

11. Business Plan Resources from FIRST
Business Plan Outline: ource_library/fundraising-toolkit/section-1.1-business- plan-overview.pdf
First Fundraising resources: toolkit

12. The Sections in the Business Plan Overview include:
Section Page Numbers
Executive Summary 3 – 7
Team Overview 8 – 12
Team Management 13 – 18
SWOT Analysis 19
Team Impact/Outreach 20
Future Plans 21
Action/Implementation Plan 22
Team Budget 23 – 25
Sponsor Benefits 26
Team Fundraising Opportunities
Final Statement 29
Team Contact Info 30

13. Great Artists Steal
Examples from other FTC Teams, e.g., content/uploads/2018/01/Business-Plan-reduced.pdf
Examples from FRC teams on FIRSTInspires.org

14. Idea from Monrovia HS Teams
Business Plans are both written and presented in RL
Three presentations to local adults
One week after kickoff
To the Monrovia Robotics Board
One week before the ILT

15. Strengths Weaknesses Threats Opportunities SWOT Analysis
Planned actions to offset or transform
Internal
External

16. Fundraising: Who Has What You Need?
Cash – what can you give in return as a relationship?
Why do they give?
Community discount card – visibility to your own community
Non-Cash – who has things that you could use?
Storage
Equipment
Transport
Food
Materials
What can you share in return?
Tshirt, banner, robot badging – wearing their brand in your community and beyond
Presentations to their companies
Family Days with their kids

17. Companies Thrive in Packs
One company can help bring in others
Realtors and their communities of companies
Service groups like Kiwanis
Vendors and clients of companies

18. Outreach in the Community
Goals?
Populations of Impact?
Other Teams – FTC, FLL
Younger Kids
Feeder schools – can help with team sustainability
Underserved Communities
Tech Challenged Communities
Seniors
Differently abled
Engineering Community – two-way connections
Other STEM – arts, medical, rescue, animal, education, ????

19. Outreach Options Teaching Fundraising for/with Others
Programs with schools
Malls, zoos, community groups
Fundraising for/with Others
Building with the community
Examples of prosthetics by many teams
Creating/Sharing Media – Twitch, YouTube, documentaries, game design, online teaching, podcasts
Call to Action / Next Steps?
Document! Video, photos, blogs, PowerPoints

20. Planning Events Goal: Fundraising? Outreach? Recruiting?
Cost in cash and time – is this a volume game or impact?
Planning and Post Event Review
Story of Grandmother’s Roast – is this the event that you want to do for impact?
Expanding your volunteer base – it’s not just your team
Understanding your local service organizations, e.g. Key Club
Service groups have expertise too!
Volunteermatch.org and other organizations have service groups and volunteers

21. Web Tools
DonorsChoose.org – match with News Corp., last year of FIRST Program -- stem-match-offer/
GoFundMe
Smile.amazon.com – you can give to any 501c3 as .5% of purchases
Grants.gov

22. Grantwriting What is a grant? Planning Ahead- Grant Cycles
Results – Writing reports and evaluating Impact
What is Impact? Numbers and evidence
Challenge with Grants – have a time end dated

23. What if we do not have a 501c3?
501c3 – nonprofit status with US Internal Revenue Service
Needed to not pay taxes on income for a team adult
Needed for grants and some donations
Must have an educational or service mandate, not just for your team
Applying for 501c3 Status
Need a California Corporation -- $35 plus help writing up documents plus people willing to be on the board
Need to file with IRS 1023EZ -- $275 fee plus at least a few weeks
Another alt: Parent Boosters USA – part of their umbrella

24. Say “Thank You” in Public and Private
Promote where THEY are (not just where you are)
Facebook with their Handles and Hashtags
Invite them to events
Share pictures online with them on your own and their social media
Give them certificates and plaques

25. Plan for the Following Year
Year-end reports and pictures – shareable within the organization
Invite to events
Invite back after season is over
Document, document, document
Share your successes with family and friends

26. Overall Future: Sustainability Plan
How does your team plan on continuing past this season?
Are you training younger team members in key roles as members graduate out?
Are there plans for recruiting new members? What are they?
Does your team have plans on recruiting additional mentors?
How are you fundraising the costs of next season? Registration? New parts?
How are you and your team leaving a legacy that will last beyond just this season?
From: gineering-notebook-guidelines.pdf