[EricH]

I would approach the problem in another way entirely.

Start by informing the administration of the non-trivial cost of running an FRC team, and how much sponsors currently cover. (Also add difficulty of sponsor-finding.)

Then, instead of asking that they allow you to fundraise, ask them "What fundraisers outside of asking for more sponsors would you allow us to do to raise [enough to cover the gap]?" If the answer is "None", then politely ask how the other clubs (and athletic teams) raise their funds, or if they have a different set of restrictions.

The trick here is working WITH the district. If you approach them with a "what will you let us do" instead of a "we want to do this, please approve", they might be more willing to listen.


If, on the other hand, the school is singling you guys out for this policy, then having some nice hard data on why/how much/how you tried to get a change would be really nice for people like, oh, the school district, who I'm sure would like to know if the school administration is trying to shut out a student club. Not to mention parents, who would probably love to throw some pressure on the administration.