[Ian W.]

If your team is really stuck, and has no way to make up the money, considering making a last ditch effort to parents and the community. Where there is a will, there is a way, and there's aboslutely no excuse for any team to completely give up, unless the team simply doesn't care anymore. For teams switching to MATE or BEST, well, they're still trying, they're still inspiring kids to go into science and technology, and that's really what the goal of any of these programs are.

So, you know what, in the long run, does it even matter if you do FIRST, or BEST, or <insert program name here>? You pick what's right for you, and make sure that you motivate at least one high school student to go into science and technology, and you've made a difference, you've accomplished your goal. If you don't have the money for FIRST, rethink your objectives, rework your mission, but do not give up. Think of all the children who's lives you could have changed, just by showing them all of the amazing wonders in the world of science and technology.