making thousands of dollars appear out of thin air for your team
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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 - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Wayne Cokeley (Team 25) and Lauralynne Cokeley (Team 1089)
Fund RaisingGrants 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
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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 involvement- everybody involved, parents involved
Target your Fundraisers
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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
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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/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 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
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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
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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
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
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 explore-http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?
key=pjYwV89WZsDT8INoH17myVA&gid=0
Let us know…..