[MAteo9944]

Our (hopeful)budget for this year is $30,000, but $15,000 is more realistic.(included in this figure is the second entree fee for the championship. How horrible would it be to not get to go because of money)
Being a member of the team is free and is not a commitment until a person takes on a responsibility. Traveling costs are usually covered by the team unless we come up short with money(hasn't happened yet).
We have a team of 2-5 students who's sole responsibility is to go out and get sponsorship contacts. Once contacts are made a different group of students prepares a presentation suited to the specific sponsor and delivers it. This is our primary method of fund raising. When we look for sponsors we do not always look for monetary donations as this is difficult for some sponsors. Often times a company will donate something that replaces part of your budget even if they cannot donate money. We have had sponsors for food, sponsors for machining, and even a sponsor who gave us contacts with other potential sponsors.