1. By DRSS Enterprise 4537

2.  In the text couple of slides we will discuss these methods, how to use them effectively, tips and tricks of the business, and why some of these methods might be preferable over the other.  There are a couple different ways to get money for your team, some of these include.  Corporate sponsorship  Fundraising  Grants

3.  Large sponsors vs. many smaller sponsors  Get a contact  Get a commitment  Cash the money  Follow up with communication and Thank You’s

4.  Your list should include  Sponsors from last year  Sponsors where people you may know work  (If you have a contact inside that you already know getting money will be easier)  Do not forget that local companies may be more willing to sponsor you!  Don’t just seek out engineering and robotics companies!

5.  Explain who you are, introduce yourself!  What is FIRST, and FTC?  Past accomplishments  Why do you need money? List out costs, ask if they would like to see your business plan.  What the money they might donate would go to?  What does the company get from sponsoring your team?  Invite them to see you and your team

6.  Now lets try writing a letter, in your groups try drafting out a letter that you might send to companies.  I’ll come around and help you if you have any questions comments or concers.

7.  Contact information  How much they donated  Would they want you to hand out “swag” at local competitions?  Other information that you think you should keep.

8.  Fundraising as I am talking about it is the raising of funds by yourself though a variety of methods  There are a number of different types of factors you must consider when looking to raise money for your team.  Risk and Reward  Risk and Reward is the concept that the higher the risk of investment the higher the reward.  Example: Car wash would be very inexpensive to do, you only need man hours, soap and water. The risk is very low so your reward might not be as high. But if you were to have a raffle for big screen HD TV the risk would be very high but the reward might be worth it.

9.  Don’t risk what you cant afford to lose. Map our the costs of the fundraiser and make sure it is within your limits  Balance risk against potential return, and remember the key word is “potential.”  Off season fundraising vs. season fundraising  Off season fundraising is a much better option because you are not at daily meetings discussing robotics topics and can focus on the fundraising.  On season can be beneficial if you need quick cash right before an event or are in need of extra parts. The call for on or off season fundraising is up to you.

10.  Raffle  For a raffle you would have a list of prizes that people could win by buying tickets that would be drawn. You need to make sure that you have a large pool of people to pull from and that your costs will not out way your reward.  Game Night  For a game night you would have to have a largish space to work with, what this entails is setting up video games for students or people in general to play. They must pay a up front fee if they want to attend. Since we are associated with a school we are able to set up in teachers rooms and advertise to the student body on a daily basis making it more cost effective.  Refreshment stand  This can be beneficial if your are associated with a school or other organization so you can have a large pool of people to collect from. You could also ask if you could run a stand at a carnival, parade, or city event.

11.  Host school dance  Hosting a school dance can be hard to plan since you need to go through a lot of the administration in order to plan and carry out this event.  Car wash  Simple and easy, a car wash simply needs people to run it, soap, water, and supplies. This can bring in a fair amount of money, you will need to have people advertising by the street.

12.  Be sure FIRST is a match for the guidelines of the grant you are applying for. Don’t forget that  Governments (Federal, State) and Foundations are sources for grants.  What problem will be solved by applying for this grant?  Search out possible grants online and apply, remember to answer all questions and keep them professional