[cpeister]

I agree, it is a turn off to potential team members to require a large monetary committment. However, we try to make it clear in the fall of each year, BEFORE we start asking for $$, that if anybody has financial problems, to talk to the mentors. We would never turn anybody away or prevent them from attending an event due to their financial situation.

In the past, our team has had what we call personal fundraisers. Two years ago, we sold pizza cards (they cost $10 and gave the cardholder a buy 2 get one free deal). Each student could sell as many as they liked, up to the cost of team fees, and they would keep that money to offset their team fees. So if anybody needed to save money, they could sell 35 pizza cards and pay their team fees.

The team wouldn't turn their back on someone and leave them with 35 pizza cards though. We would still at the very least cover a portion of their fee.