Jordan,
Congrats! on getting a sponsor and joing the rest of us nuts. It looks as though you have plenty of advice on the "fund raising issue" so I'll pass on some other advice.
1. Go to the Chief Delphi site's white paper section and download the various papers that address new teams.
2. Check out the SharingFIRST website.
http://sharingfirst.mit.edu
3. If your going to Disney, get your reservations NOW !!!!
4. Watch out for ego problems. Put together a system to resolve conflict among competing ideas. Try to reach a consensus, but don't be afraid to dictate if need be.
5. Get your machine design finalized in week 1.
6. Plan for your drivers to have the machine all of week 6.
7. Don't wait till the last minute to make those shipping arrangements.
8. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. You don't have time.
9. Breath.
10. If you aren't sure about something, post a question ASAP.
11. Appoint someone to manage the materials. Ordering, Bill of materials, Who's using what, Weight of individual parts, etc.
12. Order Materials ASAP. Things don't always arrive when you expect or need them.
13. Appoint a team to build the playing field during week 2.
14. Manage your machine shop resources wisely. Get someone involved that knows what you can practically build given your resources.
15. Be the leader and delegate. Keep your eye on the big picture. Don't drop the ball by getting bogged down and missing something important.
16. FIRST will change and/or clarify the rules on occasion through updates. Appoint someone to be responsible for downloading and reporting these updates to the team.
There are many more things to know and I’m sure others will add to this list. Just remember that there are hundreds of other teams out there that are willing to help you out .
Good Luck !
FIRST CAD Library