[Alpha Beta]

Originally Posted by Tungrus

It is easy to say work your butt off and get sponsors...in real life, companies are not so generous to open their pocket, there may be few exceptions. Even the big companies that sponsors veteran teams don't take new teams unless they go through FIRST or some sort of association. Just thought one should know.

We have a very low success rate with cold calling corporations. Almost all of our corporate donors have parents of team members working for their corporation or that parent has used a personal relationship in some way to secure a donation. On occasion we will continue a relationship with the corporation after the student graduates.

I'd be surprised if more than 50% of our funding comes from donations though. The students work really hard all year to run half a dozen STEM based day camps, put on a huge science based carnival, rake leaves for a large apartment complex, and other small things.

All of this is happening along with several community outreach programs like FLL mentoring and volunteering at the Free to Breathe race/walk event for lung cancer research, and a multitude of public appearances which generate no funds.

PS: When we started the program in 2007 most of us would have walked away if someone had presented us with a full list of what the team does now. We grew into it, adding to our volunteer base along the way. Parents also continue to help the team long after their own students graduate. They get addicted just like the rest of us.