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-   -   How has the recession affected your team? (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72355)

xitaqua 06-02-2009 06:35

Re: How has the recession affected your team?
 
It is interesting when we think how the recession has affects the team, we mostly think about companies and their sponsorship.

I mentor a rookie team and we have been very blessed this year. The local companies have been very charitable with encouraging their employees to volunteer as mentors and also financial support.

I am curious to hear how the recession has affected parents contribution to the team, and how many teams ask for "team" contribution before hitting the business for financial support.

Cheers,
Marcos.

Cynette 06-02-2009 08:50

Re: How has the recession affected your team?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by xitaqua (Post 815190)
I am curious to hear how the recession has affected parents contribution to the team, and how many teams ask for "team" contribution before hitting the business for financial support.

Our students are expected to give pay a deposit for team travel but that is mostly to ensure the committment of the student to travel. Depending on the success of their efforts for fundraising and our patron drive (where we ask businesses for financial support), a proportion of the remaining team costs are paid. So the "individual" contribution and requesting support from business are independent functions. We ask the parents to support the students in contacting the businesses, especially if they can be the help to get the foot in the door of their own workplace or the business of a relative. We have discovered that the personal contact is essential in getting a business to say yes to sponsorship, so we expect the students to do as much face to face as possible.

Racer26 06-02-2009 10:06

Re: How has the recession affected your team?
 
Interestingly enough, 1075 is actually better off this year than we have ever been before. We got a new local sponsor on board who donated a laptop and a bunch of money. We've always been a lowly funded team ($10k max). Last year was our first year doing 2 official events. This year we're doing 2, plus the offseasons we go to. Our students have always had to bear the brunt of the travel expenses though, hotels, food, and the like... This year we ran some fundraisers in the fall where the students performance in the fundraiser was directly affecting their travel costs, so there was incentive. 50% of the money they fundraised would be used to pay for their travel expenses. The other 50% would go to the team, and any leftover travel cost that they hadnt fundraised, they would have to pay.

Jablonski@1250 06-02-2009 10:52

Re: How has the recession affected your team?
 
We've been more cost-conscientious, but are doing alright otherwise. We gained a few members from another team that had its program shut down by their school to fund a (still) poor-performing sports program- a pity, really.

mrnoble 06-02-2009 11:40

Re: How has the recession affected your team?
 
Ironically, this is our best year for sponsorships by a factor of 4. Our primary sponsor for the year actually gave us a check back in June. As it happens, they helped us tremendously by doing that, as they have been especially hard hit by the recession. They are a natural gas exploration company, and recently pulled out of our state due to collapse of the market. So next season, we are looking at a potentially tough year.

suj 25-02-2009 18:35

Re: How has the recession affected your team?
 
A possible loss in sponsors and lack of new sponsors coming in. But we plan on changing that.

Mark Rozitis 25-02-2009 20:04

Re: How has the recession affected your team?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Transformix Eng (Post 803458)
It's tough going!
We are a rookie team from Kingston ON Canada, the nearest FRC team is 2 hours away. Very few people/ corporations in our community have ever hear of FIRST Robotics. With the "good will" money drying up fast, we are finding it hard to get potential local major-sponsors to commit to any sort of support. We are now changing tactics and focusing on finding a lot of smaller sponsors instead of a few major corporate ones.
Wish us luck and hopefully we'll see you in Atlanta.

Jeff

Don't forget you're local media, I know with the recession there are less and less if us media around but there still are some, you're local community papers, radio stations, TV station if you have one, make a presentation and visuals and hammer away at the media to do a story on you're team, if they bite it's a great way to get the word out that you exist and what you do.

It's hard in the Toronto market to do that because if "agenda stories" but in the smaller markets I think you will have good success. Any business and local trade magazines and papers as well that serve industry in you're area.

Then at least businesses will know what FIRST is and you're team as well.

m

E.L.I.T.E. 48 25-02-2009 21:44

Re: How has the recession affected your team?
 
Team 48 has been extremely fortunate this year due to our main sponsor (Delphi) continuing to support us. We have had a few parents laid off; however, some of them have used this as an opportunity to give more of their time to the team.
Also, trough the combined efforts of NEOFRA ( Northeast Ohio FIRST Robotics Alliance), and the continued support of US Congressman Tim Ryan we have been able to start four new FLL teams, two new FRC teams, and one FTC team. I am being optimistic about the upcoming season, and I hope that things get better for those teams who are struggling.

Travis Hoffman 03-03-2009 11:06

Re: How has the recession affected your team?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by E.L.I.T.E. 48 (Post 828050)
I am being optimistic about the upcoming season, and I hope that things get better for those teams who are struggling.

:rolleyes: :(

http://tribtoday.com/page/content.de....html?nav=5021

20%+ cuts across the area, but naturally, over 50% of local robotics mentors were affected. They would like to remain local, but viable engineering jobs in this economic wasteland are very hard to come by.

Anyone want to start a job networking service on CD for recession refugees? Mentors displaced in such situations (not just here in Warren) deserve better. Is there anything the engineering mentor community can do to help such individuals out?


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