Fundraising and Sponsorship 2019 Season You Have A Team - You Need - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

2019 Season

Fundraising and Sponsorship

You Have A Team - You Need a Budget

• FIRST teams need money!

○ Event Registration Fees (Regionals and Championship) ○ Off-Season Event Fees ○ Robot Fabrication ○ Branding and Marketing ○ Transportation ○ Hotels ○ Food! Remember – start early! No one will want to fundraise during build season!

Sponsorships

Step 1 - Finding Potential Sponsors

• Anyone can sponsor a FIRST Team
• Potential donors are everywhere

○ Local businesses and retailers ○ Parents’ employers (and friends!) ○ Technology companies ○ Any major employer, regardless of trade

If they don't respond

• What to do if a company doesn’t respond

○ After 3-4 business days, re-contact the company ○ Send an email or call the representative ■ Offer to answer any questions ■ Give them more info about sponsorship benefits ■ Always thank them for their time and interest You don’t want to pester a company, but you don’t want them to forget about you either

• Prepare a sponsorship presentation
• Prepare print materials such as brochures and business cards to

give to potential sponsors ○ Print materials such as brochures should highlight ■ Who you are ■ What you do ■ How their money will be used ■ Any other important information

• Have a professional team contact not related to any one student

○ Our team uses contact@edinarobotics.com

Step 2 - Preparing Your Marketing Materials

• Practice your presentation

○ Send a small group to represent the team (3-4 people) ○ Wear your team uniform ○ Talk about ■ Your team ■ Why you need their sponsorship ■ What’s in it for them, as a sponsor ■ Other fundraising you’ve done, and the results ■ Maybe mention names of other team sponsors

• Remember

○ Eye contact ○ Stay organized ○ Be clear and concise ○ Be yourself

Step 2 - Preparing Your Marketing Materials

Step 3 - Making contact

• Request meeting with the representative who has responsibility for

community outreach or handles community sponsorships ○ Call (if you have contact) ○ Email ○ Face-to-face

• If the executive can’t meet with you immediately, make sure you

mail or drop off the information packet and your contact information for follow-up

• Always offer a presentation and robot demo
• Contact a large number of diverse companies

Step 4 - follow up

• 1 day after your meeting follow up

○ Send an email thanking them ■ Ask when you would be able to do a robot demo ■ Offer to have them come to competitions or other events ■ Offer to answer any questions

Step 5 - Thank and Reward

• Display their logo dependent on sponsorship level (pit signs, robot,

website, social media, etc.) Ask for EPS file of logo

• Gift baskets (team shirts, pictures, buttons, etc.)
• Build a relationship

○ Keep them updated on your progress ○ Offer to present to their employees at corporate events

• Represent them well – mention them by name when interviewed by

the media

• Sponsors on-board by December should be entered into your

team’s FIRST dashboard the main contact. This information is used in the FIRST Program Books distributed at competitions.

Step 6 - Engage

• Maintain an ongoing dialog with your sponsors

○ Ask if your team can attend company events and bring a robot ○ Join them for community service events ○ Invite sponsors to your team’s outreach events

In Kind Donations

• Not all sponsorships involve money! Sponsors can also:

○ Supply mentors and volunteers ○ Offer workspace and storage ○ Supply materials and equipment ○ Donate food ○ Offer a discount on needed materials and items Often, businesses are happy to offer “in-kind” goods and services. Add up the value of their donations to determine sponsorship level.

Fundraising

Fundraisers

• Car washes
• Open House
• Rummage/Garage sale
• Collecting recyclables
• Bagging groceries for tips
• Restaurant fundraising nights (Chipotle, Noodles, etc.)
• Get creative!

Websites and Social Media

• Websites can be an effective way to

○ Communicate ○ Advertise ○ Show sponsors how much your team appreciates their support

• Social Media:

○ Facebook ○ Twitter ○ Instagram ○ Snapchat ○ YouTube

Sponsorship Levels

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Sponsorship Levels

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Overall Do’s and Don’ts

• Do

○ Stay organized ○ Be professional (and gracious) ○ Ask many companies ○ Use your website ○ Represent FIRST well

• Don’t

○ Get discouraged ○ Pester companies ○ Lose information ○ Think little work will be highly rewarded

Contact Us & Questions?

• Contact The Green Machine: https://edinarobotics.com/contact/
• Facebook: Team 1816 The Green Machine
• Twitter: @FIRSTteam1816
• Other resources

○ https://www.firstinspires.org/resource-library/fundraising-toolkit ■ Comprehensive overview of how to raise funds

• Primarily for FRC
• Also includes FTC materials