how to add value to the school that sponsors us

[Bruceb]

The title sucks but I could not think of a better one. Where I am going with this is as follows.
Our team does a great job of fund raising, or at least has for the past few years and has some money left at the end of the year. There was some discussion as to what to do with it. We use the metals shop in the school that sponsors us. The school budget for machine maintenance and replacement is low so we are dealing with VERY OLD EQUIPMENT. Some of it is broken and we could use some new and different equipment. It would benefit both the club and the school if the club would buy a new piece of equipment here and there or pay for some repairs, etc. We were thinking about buying a new finger brake as the one the school has is small and well worn. The club has already bought a CNC router that is not used by the metals classes but takes up space in that room. The rub is this. The school keeps telling us that the entire area is going to be rebuilt and equipped in a few years so us buying new equipment may not make sense. However, it is needed NOW. There was a thought that instead of us buying equipment and keeping it we might give it to the school so all can use it but then who is responsible for maintenance? Another thought was that we would pay some sort of annual usage fee that would be earmarked for new equipment and maintenance.
The school is our sponsor and it seems odd to make payments to our sponsor so I don't really know what to do here.
Looking for your thoughts
Thanks

[Jon Stratis]

Many, many teams share shop equipment with their school, so I'm sure you'll get plenty of good advise here...

The first key is to establish and maintain a good relationship with the school. Get in good with the teacher responsible for the shop (bring them on as a mentor if possible!) and you'll find you can work most things out with him/her. Make sure you're in good with the school administration as well - work with them for demo's at the school, invite them to an open house during the build season and to your competitions. Ask them what the team can do to help further and improve the school.

With that relationship, work with the teachers and administration on what this new shop is going to look like in a "few years". Odds are the school has/will have a budget for equipment - work with them to figure out a list of all the equipment that is needed, as well as equipment that would be nice but not strictly needed. You can then work with them to price out that equipment and see how it fits into their projected budget - it's possible that buying some equipment now, like a new finger break that will last 30+ years, will allow the school to spend the funds on different equipment that otherwise wouldn't have been bought when the space is refurbished. Remember, as a team you have some great, dedicated mentors with real-world experience. Use that resource to help the school make the shop better - those mentors might know more about what's needed in a truly modern shop than anyone at the school does!

This is an issue our team will probably encounter down the road. We just moved into the school last year, which included bringing our entire shop to the school (which is the first time the school has had a shop). As part of it, the school gave us a budget for new equipment, which let us get rid of some old stuff and get some stuff we didn't have before (like a mill and a lathe). Now, with the shop at the school and being used for some classes as well as the team, maintenance and upkeep of the machines is in a little bit of a gray area - no one at the school really knows how to maintain them, so the team mentors do it for them, and no one at the school really knows what is needed for the shop, so that falls on the mentors as well. We act as a resource for the school, which lets the school have and use a shop that would otherwise be beyond its capabilities.

[Bruceb]

Well, I think we have a good relationship with the school. The administration professes support and we have 3 teachers on the team with the metals shop teacher being our new lead mentor. He gives us his full support and he is the one that brought up these ideas after I mentioned we could use a new finger brake.
Just not sure the right way to do the funding.
We could buy the brake(and other equipment down the road) and sell it to the school on a zero interest loan.
We could donate it to the school.
We could pay the school some annual fee that is earmarked for equipment.
That seems like paying a sponsor to me and seems a little weird but may be the right think to do, just dont know.
Just looking for what other teams have done.
Thanks