[ccn303]

Not every team has a big sponsor. The Becks from Team 103, a team in rural Pennsylvania, gave us great advice last year when our team had lost our sponsor (they provided build space, engineers, funding, machine shop, mentors...). Go for the small money and the bigger money will follow. It's true that big corporations will usually take time to approve sponsorship while small companies and family and friends are easier with the sponsorship funds. Find support in your community. Get in the newspaper. Let every pizza shop and hardware store know that you'll be great customers when build season starts!

I don't know how big a team you are, but try reaching out to your parents on the team. You don't know what connections they might have. We finally were given space to build in when a parent on our team contacted and acquaintance who contacted a friend. Parents donated or loaned the team basic tools and we were on our way.

Our previous sponsor, who left us only because they had moved a distance away, funded most aspects of the team. Last year we fund raised in earnest for the first time and did very well just with requests for donations (different levels of sponsorship awarded different benefits- name or link on our website, name on the robot, etc.), and a "Can Shake" outside of Shop Rite. In just three hours our students (and a robot mascot) raised $700!

There is lots of help available in the FIRST community. Its great that you are reaching out. Team 303 is available to help, too.

It is possible. Get excited and get going!