Re: As much as I hate to admit it...
 

As someone mentioned earlier, don't be afraid to ask for help. That's the point of FIRST, to put people willing to learn in contact with people who, collectively, know lots of useful stuff.

As for advice I can give in addition to everything that's already been said, don't be afraid to do cold calls. Many businesses would be willing to make small donations here and there, and that can add up pretty quickly. However, this is time consuming so I would do this now, and NOT during build season. (Oh, and don't make the mentors do your calls. Make sure you know the proper manners of a telephone call, and be willing to tell your potential sponsors a little bit about your self. If they know what they're really sponsoring, many business owners become quite generous.)

Another tric-, I mean, perfectly legitimate fundraising idea is to call local politicians during election seasons. Just about every one we've called gives in the $100 range every time they're running.

As much as I hate to admit it...
 

+1 to everything here. I highly recommend developing a business plan. You can check ours out here. If you need help, feel free to PM Thomas Weese or I, we're happy to support you if you have any questions.

Edit: I just realized that this thread is from 2008, as is the post I quoted. Anyways, anyone reading this feel free to contact Thomas and I if you need assistance.

Re: As much as I hate to admit it...
 

My old employer, Lockheed Martin, appears to still strongly support STEM education, including FIRST's programs (and 4H, and PLTW, and ...). When I was working for them, it was easy for any employee able to claim affiliation with a FIRST team to get some corporate $ to that team (one check per team). If you can form a connection to a LM employee, it will hopefully be rewarding for them and for your team.
LM Web Site

Re: As much as I hate to admit it...
 

You do know this thread was posted back in 2008, right? The OP hasn't been active since 2011.

Don't get me wrong, this thread does have some good info on it (albeit, with some broken links), but holy necro-post batman. :rolleyes:

Re: As much as I hate to admit it...
 

I genuinely didn't notice that. I actually thought this all was recent...

Re: As much as I hate to admit it...
 

Woops. Sorry about that. I really need to stop replying to posts I find through browsing the spotlights......

Re: As much as I hate to admit it...
 

A spammer revived it. :mad: