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…..