Transcript Making Thousands of Dollars Appear Out of Thin Air For

Wayne Cokeley (Team 25) and
Lauralynne Cokeley (Team 1089)
Fund
Raising
Grants and
Sponsorship


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

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
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦








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





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 involvementeverybody involved, parents
involved
Target your Fundraisers
L



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






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


FR Team Development- NEMO !!
http://www.firstnemo.org/



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/AtoZoffundraisingidea
s.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 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





Of course $$$$
Direct interaction with
students and tech people
Merchandise
Food
Don’t dismiss a sponsor
because they do not have
engineers
L






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







Politicians
School Boards
Chamber of Commerce
Parents
Press
Regional Committee
Cold Canvassing- invite
to events as guest

Public relations
◦ Display boards
◦ Brochures
◦ PR Packet


Appearances for fun,
familiarization and
profit
Provide a Service
L




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





Educational institutions can accept grants
Grants are written according to set formatssee 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



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

Dean Kamen made a comment….
A link to explorehttp://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pjY
wV89WZsDT8INoH17myVA&gid=0

Let us know…..