Small-Slow Team, Small Community and a New Leader

[theNerd]

Hey everyone! I'm sure this has been a common problem in the past years so I'm sure I'll get some great answers -as usual . First I have taken the role as team captain this year for our team this year. I helped start our team 2 years ago and have been the programming team ever since - as well as designer and electronics dude! Our community is really small and sadly the football team is mostly the public spot light here. My goal as I leave the team on my final year is to have our team growing. However I have run into some obsticals. First, funding and advertising. As the community is really small we have had a hard time getting funding and sponsorship from other corporations. Does anyone have any past experience they could offer - how their team formed a solid sponsorships and budget?

[daniel_dsouza]

I would be very interested to know this as well, as my team is in almost the exact same condition. However, we are a veteran team who used to do well, placing second seed and once going to nationals, but are now half of what we used to be (mainly becuase of the loss of senior people who know what they are doing).

Thanks in advance,
Daniel

[Siri]

They'll probably post here soon themselves, but Team 103 (Hall of Fame 2003) has a rural team support network. Knowing them, I bet it has some great resources. A lot of teams have similar problems (including ourselves, though our community is larger). Best of luck!

[theNerd]

Thank you so much! This really helps out a ton - makes me wish I had know it two years ago. I'm definitely going to contact Team 103! If any one else has ideas please post! The more ideas the better

[Convector]

Well, the first advice I have on growing a nonprofit organization in a small community is that building it is not instantaneous. It's a process, as more people get word of this crazy group of teenagers making robots in a liberal-arts/football oriented county. More people hear about what we do, the more they will support us.

In any case, we must be doing something right. How else did we have such explosive growth this year? We haven't even started doing anything yet. Last meeting's attendance makes it pretty clear about the interest in engineering in our community.

Oh, my plans to obfuscate my identity are foiled. Just don't flip out when you finally realise who it is.